The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1877-02-03
An Extraordinary Winter In the South

Major W. W. Rollins, president of he Wes
tern North Carolina Railroad, arrived in this
city yesterday afternoon, and gives agraphiC
account of his trip between henry's, gAe head
of his road, and Salisbury, The tain left
lienry's on Monday morning last, about :
O'Clock. Snow was falling at the tine, with
the thermometer registering degrees
below zero. Soon after starting, the track
grew heavy, bot the train managed to reach
Old Fort The snow was falling at a terrible
rate, and with each turn of the wheels pro.
gress became 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 cut loose, and with Engineer
Marsh Rout Agent Ramsay and four negroes,
started alone to the tank, which was three
miles distant. About half way it ran into a
snow drift, which stopped It entirely, and If.
ter repeated efforts to get through, and IS
many failures, the engineer essayed to put
back to the train, and discovered TO his utter
CONSERVATION that lie could neither 90 for
ward nor backward. Bound fast by the snow,
the engineer and his party remained there %
the track the whole OF that long and cold
night, with no covering save their ordinary
clothing, no shelter except what was afforded
by the cab, and no fire except what they coud
keep in the furnace of the engine by burning
such fence rails and other wood as thew coud
dig out of the snow. Provisions were sent 10
them from the tram, and the next morning
water was carried in buckets for distance of
quarter of mile, through snow thrty.Sx
inches in depth on level, reaching to tie
waists of the men, until enough was had TO
raise steam in the engine. Then by repeated.
ly running back, then, under full headwiy,
striking the snow.bank with the pillow on die
nil lf. 81 oil IL
through the drift, to find the road filled with
others almost rs immovable. Meanwhile a
large number Of convicts had been sent for,
and these pushed the train back to Marion,
where the passengers were provided with all
necessary comforts. The bare engine pro.
ceeded down the road at a slow rate, the snow
being shoveled out before it in many places,
until, about the third day, 1t reached Icard,
where it found the up tram from Salisbury
A special engine, the heaviest on the road
had been sent out from Salisbury, with the
loaded down with castings, and
three engines distributed along the road,
cleared the road in five days, and the train
which left lIcnry's Monday morning reached
Salisbury, distance of 1T miles, Friday
night al 10 o'clock. Mai. Rollins states that
in many places the snow had driited TO the |
depth of fifteen and twenty feet The cuts of
thc runway, Du tOp VI INC sHON, were ullcu |
with all kinds of birds, which had frozen to |
death and dropped down the banks. While |
walking on the road, a whole covey Of par
ridges were seen all frozen TO death, and |
some of the crowd reached them and broke |
)if the heads Of some, their neckS swapping |
ike corn.stalks. At Cataw ba river yearling |
Hss seen at some little distance out in the |
stream, its hind legs having sunk through |
he ice, leaving its head and fore legs upright !
Il was frozen to death. The poor brute had
10 doubt gone out on the ice to try to get
omc water The rivers and creeks an along
he line of the road having first frozen over
md then been covered entirely by the snow,
,eople and animals go over them as over the
evel earth. There is no sign anywhere OF a
unning stream. With the apprehension of |,
he people thatthcy ana their stock will freeze
II starvc 10 death before the snow melts is in.
the dreadful fesr tina, when the
haw does come it will deluge the whole face
{ the earth, carrying with il destruction and
eath.-RGleigb, y. e., NotS, JGEvary 10.