The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-02-22
RAa0UG0R 10 8,
Ana In siege in Beaver Canyon.
showed in on The 1ocdeo-

| vas O18cered - DIIOW9 :
Conductor, Date EvAns:.
! Engineer, Scott;
/; Brakeman, wilIord 'Chsttert6h
Fireman, Nye.
The earnest efforts Of these four men,
| in whose hands rested the safety and
comfort Of the passengers on train No.
3. will be long and gratefully remeal-
bered by all these who were locked up
with them in the snow blockade.
Beaver Canyon, III miles from Butte,
was reached on schedule time, ut forty
,ninutes past noon Thnrsday.2 There
exme snow was found - the track, and
the conductor. knowing that b woun
find more snow in the canyon proper,
sent back for two extrS engines and a
snow pillow, which reached the train
about 40 p. m.
Then commenced the
JOURNEY THRU THE SNOW.
The tremendous snow plow went first,
with three engines. and Passenger No.
; followed with four engines, two In
front and two behind. From Beaver
Canyon station to Pleasant Valley, the
next station north, the distance is be-
tween 1--WE and six miles. Here came
the tug Ut war.
About three miles up the canyon the
train came to . stop, finding two feet Of
snow on the track. From three O'Clock
Thursday afternoon until about three
o'clock Saturday afternoon the entire
outfit was
GAGGED IN THE CANYON.
At first everybody thought the atf,ir
y joke, and many witticisms were ex-
changed among the passengers, but Us
the torty-eight dreary hours wore away,
and fuel and water began to give out,
aud bread and meat lAramc in demand.
the joke ceased, and all realized that
they faced stern reality. The road bed
was cut on the right hand side Of the
stream, in the face Of the hill, coming
north, and ~ fast q the track WAS clear
c,l the piercing wind would rush down
the canyon and sweep drifts from the
hillside right on the track.
saturday afternoon the train NOV
I'd again, aud all lreatlIed FREE
~, thinking their troubles were
almost ut IN end. After going about a
mile, however, it again came to = stand
still, ut point mile and u half south
Of Pleasant Valley. Here the train re-
manned completely blockaled and shut
of from the outside world until sunday
morning about $ o'clock. At this point
they found
SNOW SIX FEET DEEP
along the track. Hunger had already
asserted it*clfso str'ngly that box Of
provisions consisting II crackers and
canned goods, which had lxen thought
fully provided by the railroad company,
Was completely demolished. Here Con-
dl,ctor Evans left his train, and apprc-
ciating the necessity for immediate ac-
ton. alone and Oh foot, tramlH'l down
the canyon and elcgraphesl for aid.
Not only this, but he engaged twenty
section men ut Beaver Canyon, vino
brought up on their hacks IN abundant
supply Of fresh biscuit, hot coffee, ten,
sugar and other things furnished ny the
company for the hlockatlcl passengers.
1t is needless tc say that all these deli
caci,s, for such they were under the
circumstances, were highly appreciated.
In the meantime the brakeman had
found it extremely difficult to keep any
fire In the stoves, ~ the coal was about
exhausted. and the engineer and fire
men were kept constantly 1T work
sh"ve,iny SHOW int" the boiler u furnish
, steam, the water having given ont c,m-
plctcly. The wind all the while blew
about south, and the thermometer
! showed Tic temperature t" be sinut |"
degrees below zero. Finally they sEc-
; rer,lel Sunday morning in
: RUNNING THE BLOCKADE.
and reached Spring Hill at twenty
/ minutes past ten, coming through from
, that point ut the rate o.: twenty-five
miles an hour. The only delay after
this was an hour spent ut silver Bow
waiting for !: helping: engine, and Sun
day evening al'"!t dark the Ion. OK
| pectc,! i':t~>,,,.:,- 49, 3 rolled up IT, the
Butte depot.
\ more dr!.,or:..iZc.i looking train one
could scarcely Sc. The very engines
looked tired and sleepy, and cold, and
hungry. anil thirsty. What they look
cl everybody else felt, but all united in
u selling Of gratitude that the long siege
WAS over.
The southern bound train. passenger
and express, No. I should have met No.
Sat M"nitla At thirty-tivc minutes past
QUO O'clock Thursday. Not hearing
anything OF The trr,ant train, No. ! re-
turned I" Spring Hill, where it took t.
itselfa snow p!ow. and three engines