The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1877-01-25
THREE FEET OF SNOW.

f.vm NJ K,ie,yh t.y c. .ylu., jan. 10.


Major W. W. Rollins, the President of
the Western Nort! Carolina Railroad,
arrived in tJ-s city yesterday Afternoon,
and gives u graphic account Of his trip
between 'IlclIry'., the head Of his road,
and Salisbury. The train left iIeury's
on Monday morning last about seven
o'clyck. Snow WAS falling 1T the time,
with the thermometer registering egh
teen degrees below zero. Soon after start
ing the track grew very heavy, but the
trpin managed 10 reach Old Fort The
snow~a, falling at terrific rate, aud
with each turn of the wheels progress be-
came more and more difficult. Four
miles below Old Fort the engine gave
out Of water and the train came TO dead
stop. The locomotive WAS cnt loose, and
with Engineer Marsh. Route Agent
Ramsey and four negroes, started alone
to the tank, which was three miles dis
tant. About half way it ran into snow
drift, which stopped it entirely, and after
repeated efforts To get through and as
many failures. the engineer cssayed to
put back 20 the train and discovered TO
his utter CONSERVATION that he could
neither 20 forward nor backward Rnnnd
fast by the snow, the engineer and his
party remained there Oh tie track the
whole oi that long and cold night, with
no covering save their ordinary clothing,
no shclt"r except what was afforded by
the cab. aud no fire except what they
could keep in the furnace of the engine
by burning such fence rails and other
wood rs they could dig out of the snow.
Provisions were sent To them from the
train, and the next morning water WAS
carried in bucket, for II distance nf 81
quarter of mile, through SNOW thirty
six inches in depth on II level, reaching
to the waits Of the men, until enough
was had 10 raise steam in the cngirb
Then by repeatedly running back, thea
under full hcadway striking the snow
bank will: the plow on The pilot, the 10
cOmotivc finally made its way through
this drift, to find the road filed
with others almost rs mmOvablc Mean
time large force of convicts had been
sent for, aud these pushed the train back
20 Marion, where the passengers. were
provided with AL necessary comforts.
The bare engine proceeded down the
road ut slow rate, the SHOW being SHOW
clled but before it in many places, until
ahont the third day it reached Icard,
where it found the up train from Sails
bury. \ special engine. the heaviest Oh
the road. had been sent out from Sails
bury, with the snow plough loaded down
with castings, and three engines, distrib-
utcd along the road, cleared the track in
five days, and the train which left Hen
rvs Monday morning, reached Salisbury,
Il distance of IL miles. Friday night at
twelve o'clock. Major Rollins states that
in many places the snow had drifted to
the dept. % fiftccnand twenty feet. The
cuts Of the railroad OIL TOP of the srow
were filled withlalI kinds Of birds, Which
had frozen To death and dropped down
the banks. While waiting on the road
& whole coyey of patridgcs were seen all
frozen to death, and some Of the crowd
reached them and broke off the heads Of
some, their necks swapping like corn
stalks. At Catnwba River n yearing was
seen some little distance out in the
stream, its hind legs having sunk through
the ice. leaving It's head and fore legs
upright. 1t was frozen to death. The
poor brute had no doubt gone out on the
ice to try to get some water The rivers
and creeks all along the line of the road
having first frozen over, and then been
covered entirely by the snow, people and
animals go over them as over the level
earth. There is 10 sign anywhere of a
running stream. With the apprehension
Of the people that they and their stock
will freeze ov starve to death before the
snow melts is interminglcd the dreadful
fear that wheu the tiiaw does cone,it.
will deluge the. whole face Of the earth,
Garryinsw with At distraction and death.