The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-02-16
SNOW.BOUND IN A CAR.
The Dilemma of Il Bride Expectant.
Letter to PhilSHelOhia Times

The Dilemma of Il Bride EXpectant.
Letter to Philsde.phis Times.
don't mind telling you about an incl
dent connected with one of those snow
blockades. I didn't think much Of it at the
Numbering. One day l found myself at
Smetport, the county!seat Of Mexican coun :
ty, Penn, waiting fora train to Bradford.
The only train could get was on the Brad
ford, Bortlell and kinZua railroad. ana as
business was somewhat pressing, | had to
60. 1t had been showing steadily for some
hours when l went to the station late in the
afternoon, and I had fears that the train
might not ct through to Bradford before
morning. for the road runs through 4
mountain forest all the way and there are
some pretty steep grades few miles out.
Well, rs couldn't do any better, I deter
mined to run the risk. There were only a
few passengers, all Of them oil men
but one. and that one a young lady.
She sat alone in the ladies car
for the men wanted to- smoke aud so
kept themselves in tie smoker. There
were orly two passenger cars, baggage car
and all engine in the whole train. for You
see narrow gauge engine can't drag very
Well, down in the valley, where the road
was level we made good Roadway, but as
soon rs we got into the woods and struck
the first grade We crept along like a snail
1t began to snow harder than ever and
such snow I never saw before. It came
down in flakes as large as an egg and as
soft as feathers-iust the kind of snow to
stick and block things. I was beginning to
wish l hadn't started when felt the train
come to q standStill The railroad men be-
gan to swear and the engineer tried to go
ahead. The train jerbed and jostIed, and
dragged itself a hundred yards up the grade,
and came to standstill The trainmen and
the oilmen held a council aad decided to
run back to Smethport, but that was easier
talked about than accomplished. The rear
Car hadn't been backed three hundred feet
before it ran off the track, and there they
we're. We couldn't 90 ahead and we
couldn't go back. We couldn't telegraph
for help, because we hadn't an instrument.
And even if we had the wires were already
broken with the weight Of snow and falling
limbs of trees.
By the time Wa cine TO standstill for
good it was pitch dark and showing as
though all Greenland had moved down on
US. There was nothing to do but sit down
and wait for morning. We pulled up the
seats and made beds of hem aad were
about to make ourselves comfortable
for the night when Judge" Ccwan, a drill
er. jumped up with a half yell. well"
said he, "we're selfish Notwithstanding to
bed here and never once thinking of the
woman alone in the other car" With that
he bolts through the door and goes into the
It the r car. The Young lady was in there in
the dark, the trainmen even having forgot
ten to light the lamps. The minute the
Judge comes through the door she calls out,
How long before the train will get to Brad
ford, CONDUCTOR" "Ma,!ame," says he,
I'm not the conductor, and I came in to
say that we're stuck fast in the snow and
will have to stay here all night and perhaps
longer" With that she gives a little gasp
OF disappointment. and probably had lit"
tie cry all to herself while the Judge lighted
the lamps. You see, she had come ali the
way from some eastern Philadelphia,
think-to meet her lover, and bv the de-
lay OF the snow o.ockade she might miss
her wedding day. When the truth was
known the boys were sorry enough and
would have done anything in their power to
help her out OF the difficulty, but what
could a handful; of men 30 againsta mount
ain of snow?
After her first disappointment the young
lady was brave enough and vas not at all
afraid of staying il the car all night, pro-
viGei there W IL a fire, so that she coult!
keep warm. The judge said he guessed he
could fix things up comfortable, and went
to work making a bed ont Of the seat cush-
ions and three or four overcoatS borrowed
from the men. By the time h.. got things
in shape be had learned that her lover was
an old friend Of his. From that minute
the judge took her under his own special
protection and relieved the conductor of
the responsibility Of her safe arrival in
Bradford. He made the rest Ct the man
60 to bed AMI sleep, while he sat up all
night tending tho fires and keeping watch
over his new-found charge. The night
wasn't very cold, but the way it did snow
was wonder. Before morning the cars
were half covered under, and by daylight
one side of the train was out Of sight. You
see, We were in fix, with no hopes of get
ting out.
Along toward nine o'clock in the morn
ing the young lady woke up and asked how
soon the train would get through, and the
judge, who had made a careful survey of
the surroundings every half hour since the
night before, answered in good natured
way that the train might be delayed week
for all he could see at that time. Would
you believe me? if that woman didn't al
most burst out crying! But she was as
brave as q man the next minute, and she
even smiled when the judge proposed to 60
and hunt for something in the way Of
breakfast. 1t wasn't much of a breakfast.
but it was the best the train could afford.
a box of biscuits vas found in the baggage
car, along with barrel of apples. Every
box and barrel in the car was broken open,
but not another eatable thing could be
found. We had an elaborate bill of fare
that day- apples and biscuit for breakfast,
biscuit and apples for dinner, while for sup
per We had baked apples and toasted bis
cut. 1t showed all day and nobody left
the cars. At night the judge appointed
relay Of men to keep the fires going and to
guage the weather every half hour, he taking
the first watch. During the night it stop
ped showing, and, truly, it was high time,
for 1t seemed as though the whole stock of
snow had been exhausted. In the morning
We had snmptuous breakfast ofapples and
biscuit. The more impatient of the men,
seeing that the snow had ceased falling
made an endeavor to beat path up the
track, but they might as we'll have stayed
in the cars. In the afternoon they tried
again, and, the snow being somewhat set
tied. thev'succeeded in getting some little
distance from the train.
You, being city man, would naturally
ask why We didn't get out and walk back to
Smethport, but when I tell you the snow
was neck high to tall man and as soft as
feathers you will not wonder that we were
helpless. We could do nothing but 90 back
to our fires and baked apples for the third
night. The men sat up half the night in
their car discussing a way of escape.
Stranger, I am proud to say that not sin
gle man thought Of himself; it was all for
the young lady. We could see that she
took the imprisonment and the delay very
much to heart, although she never uttered
word Of complaint. 1t was mighty hard
to think of her shut up there in q snow
bank when she should be attending her own
wedding, and the boys felt nearly as bad
about it as she did