New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-01-15
THE SNOW BLOCKADE.


The amount of snow which at present covers
Northern, Central, and Western New-YOrk has
not been equaled since 1857, if even then.
Throughout great portion of this region it
| lies three feet deep on the level, and Is fire.
| Guently drifted to hight Of 10 or 10 feet.
Fences are buried to their top rails: roads are
almost impossible, even for the heavy country
sledges and the various railways are Obliged
to reopen their buried tracks day after day.
The snow brings to the New-YOrk Central an
unexpected and peculiar difficulty. On single
track railroads snOw-plOw clears the way
promptly, efficiently, and permanently. Even on
a double track the snOw-plow is OF great
service. Only on a quadruple track
does steam prove utterly unequal to the emer-
eency of great snow storm. There the plow
clears one track only to throw the snow
upon another. Steam is found useless, ana
the railroad authorities are thrown
back to the most primitive appliances,
and compelled to employ an army OF
laborers to shovel the snow from every
square foot of their four tracks from one
side of the State to the other. The Roches-
ter and Buffalo papers have had very
little to say about the matter, but the New
York Central has been in state or al
most hopeless confusion for eight days past.
In the Mohawk Valley, between Utica and
Rome, at Lyons and Clyde on the direct line,
and at Chill, Bergen. and Churchville, between
Rochester and Buffalo, the drifts amount to
blockade, which is constantly renewed, and the
trains are running very much at random.
The snow of Friday night, although not more
than three or four inches in depth on level,
so filled the channels already cut ont with
difficulty through the drifts of last Monday,
that both eastern and western express trains
were II hours behind time. The train which
should have reached Albany at 2:3O a. IN. on
Saturday, arrived at 1880 p. H., drawn by four
locomotives. There a new train was made up,
and the furnished and frozen passengers, after
making ten stops between Albany and this
city, arrived at 10 minutes past s on sunday
morning The forces of the company seem In
ADEQUATE to overcome the difficulties OF the
situation, and the continuance of a low tenn
perature with the indications OF fresh snow
storms, will probably impede travel on this
line for some time to come. Passengers ar
irving by these delayed trains report
lack of system, of prompt, efficient action in
tho management, which we trust will soon be
rcmedied. The roads running north and south
have either been fmpeded to much less de-
gree, or they have been better able to over
come the difficulties, for their trains on Satur
day morning were not more than an hour be-
hind time.
While this unusual fall of snow is the cause
If So much Il, lay, annoyance, loss, and suffer
inc to those who travel, it is circumstance OF
good omen to the country. 1t will replenish,
far more effectively than rains, the diminished
springs streams, and rivers; 1t is almost
positive security for bountiful harvests next
Summer, and its effect upon the general health
of the people will be equally beneficial. More
over, travellers to and from the West are not
confined to a single route, and may thus easily
escape what might otherwise be a very serious
oil