Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, D.T. [N.D.]) 1878-1884, 1880-02-20
SUCCESSIVE SNOW STORMS
ONLY THREE TRAINS ARRIVE
THIS MONTH.

A Serious Blockade on the Northern
Pacific---Mails Being Sent via
Deadwood, Omaha and st.
Paul to Fargo.
THE EXTENSION WRECK.
Last Monday two engines started out
in the grey of the morning with several
box cars and flats of material for the
front. They had gone only about three
miles from Mandan when suddenly botl
engines jumped the track, and in their
frantic effofts to bury themselves in the
ditch succeeded IN smashing themselves
to such an extent that they will have to
1est month or so in the shops at Brain.
erd, and completely demolishing five box
cars Porter, the brakeman, was unin.
jured, but Jim Burke, engineer, and
James Shannon, fireman, received few
bruises. THIS
ESCAPE FKot INSTANT DEATH
is indeed a miracle, as the places from
which they were extricated were so small
tha, to all appearances 1t would seem i'm
possible for man to lie thus compressed
One of them was completely covered up
with coal and mud, and but for this COW
ering he would have been scalded to
death by the steam exhaust The cause
of the accident was drifted snow and sand
in the hangc of the il,which was packed
almost as hard as flint Messrs Bell and
Doran were soon at the wreck, and Wed
nesday engine 5G was brought over, 81
arriving yesterday.
OUT OF LUCK.
The Northern Pacific is having siege
of serious set.backs. One storm after
another. with fair sprinkling of biz
AIDED much of the time since Christmas
disastrous to the railroad company but
the impossibility Of getting Black Hills
freight through to this point has caused
pie Of that city arc heaping all sorts of
epitaphs upon the heads of a blameless
stage company, because of the non-arrival
of their goods shipped by this route.
There have been but three passenge
is doubtful if another arrives before the
Fargo Feb. 10 arrived last Sunday, hav-
ing been
SIX DAYS ON THE WAY.
The train which left Bismarck on the Sth
only reached the 18th siding, where it re-
mained until the train leaving here last
Sunday overlook it, and the two went on
to jamestown, arriving there Wednesday
The train which left Faago last Wednes-
day is now near Valley City, but will re-
turn TO Fargo, and no train will leave for
the west until the eastern bound trains
shall have reached Fargo. AS there has
been several storms during the week.
the cuts are all filled again. and the next
train will be more of curiosity than the
last In some places for eight and ten
miles the snow is
PILED UP TO THE CAR WINDOWS,
and in some places as high as the smoke
stack of the locomotive, on both sides of
the track. The cause of these immense
drifts in some instances is very insignifi-
cant. Where the rOad-bed is low, q
bunch Of grass or weed is sufficient to
begin the drift. The snow lodges against
IL anu IL SlICdk Vi SHOW lies dTOuuQ IT.
across the track. The snow-plow comes
along and piles a little mound of hard
snow on each side. This is the beginning.
The snow fills the space in between, and
the plow again clears the cut, each time
piling the snow higher on each side.
There IS much to he done on this road
before 1t can be counted on as Il reliable
winter route. The idea of raising the
grade is the most practical one yet adj
vanccd, although 1t is clearly evident
that better fences and numerous sheds
are also wanted. The money which the
company has lost by this winters block
ade alone would place tho road in good
repair.
THE ICE BRIDGE
is failure, in that it has not performed
the work for which it was especially de-
signed There is not material enough
over the river to build molc than twenty
miles of track, and the outlook for much
more before the ice breaks up is not very
encouraging. Walker, Bellows s. Co
have 175 teams, at the end Of the track,
waiting for supplies, and everything ex-
cept work IN the Bad Lands is at a stand
still.
Deplorablc as it may be, still this is
the present status of the Northern Pa
cifc road.