Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-01-29

press the Significance ofa scene like
this. The grade Is very steep, and tho
road winds in and out among the tow
ering peaks oi the sierras, now skirt
ing some canyon aud again threading
the iortuous windiugs Of the noun
tans, The flying in bliad'ng sheets
before tho great iron plow, which pre-.
ceedcd US, now rolling with a mighty
G, ash down the sides Of some preclpl'
tous canyon, and again pillng Itself
along the side Of The track the grind
ing. groaning, agonizing engines put
ling their slow way along, the murky
smoke mingling with the heecy spray
all this combined TO create scene
which can bc witnessed nowhere, and
ut no other time, bu. in the Sierras at
this season Of the year.
THE MONSTER sNow-rIouGn.
The snow-plough OF the Sierras re-
quircs some description, 1t is not one
Of the puny arrangements which Is
brought into reguisition on your east
crn roads when two or three feet OF
snow inlerferes with travel. IL is d
curiosity IN itselfand does noble work
| II is n massive structure +; the smallest
used in these mountains weighs d5'
900 pounds and the largest $4,000
pounds. 1t is about the size OF two
story house and is composed entirely
OF iron and steel. 1t is ot peculiar
form and so constructed that it throws
the snow, when under full speed, th!
feet into the ar hurling il off the can
yons with tremendous force. The
plough in front is shaped like the irol
prov of an iron-cad irigate. Nea1
the ground it changes into tia'
surface. Attached to this flat snrtact
Is u smaller prov, known as tn
'aplon." The attachment is by the
means of hinges, so that it may b'
raised or le, down at pleasure. Wher
the machine is in operation the smal
"ap,on" rests upon the track. sliding
smoothly along under the snow, which
it throw up; this being caught upon
the huge sharp PROV above, is divided
much a. the water is divided by TIT
the PROV of ship, and cast will
great violence to either side. Th'
steam plows of the Central Pacific
railroad are master pieces of mechani
cal skill. Two engines are alway'
used to push them forward, and dur
ing the present storm eleven hav'
been attached to one plough.
THE BLOCKADE RAISED.
March 10, sp. m.-Tbe blockade il
raised, and the Pacific road will sool
be clear again, The happy termination
of the difficulty, which | could no
have believed when | wrote last nigh
lis due to two cause-first, the nndom
table energy with which the mer
have worked through last night ant
to-dey; and secoId d, the clear
ing up of the storm and The bursting
forth ofthe glorious sun. The pierc
ing rays of the God OF day have don
more to extrcate us tom our difficul
ties than all the labor and snow
ploughs and engines combined. 'Th
snow which filled the cuts was tas
becoming ice, anc twenty-four hour
more of the blockade would have set
tied us here in the Sierras for at leas
a week. Happily this morning brok
clear and bright. The hard sncv
Yielded to the me lting appeals OF til
sun, and the huge snow-plough attack
ing the enemy when at his weakest
tore passage through, ane the over
land trains are once more running
NJ, duty as historian OF the grea
blockade is almost done but | can
not relinquish it without /" pass'n
word about the labors of this day.
THE LAST GREAT SCENE.
The great plough started trof
this station at ten this morning. Att
same time ano,he started from Alta
Each was propelled by eight forty hv'
ton engines, and the objective point G
each was the same-,he wreck nea
Em,srapt GAP. Each did its wo'
we'll though under great difficulties
The STOW had become soflened to
certain extent, and the PROV OF tn
huge monster Glove through it 10
. some miles at a reasonable rate
speed. But the snow-king decline
to giveup the igbt until thorough
beaten, and twice the plough fror
this point became fast to his icygrasT
{ The eight eugines struggled an
g,oaned aud puffed and quivered t
no purpose. Toe sbossls were bs0asb