Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-02-15
Experience i'm q Sand. Storm.

The Southern Overland train which should
| have reached San Francisco the afternoon of
| January only arrived at $50 the light of the
| I'd, having been delayed at Sumner by a terrific
| sand-storm that ragged through the Mojavo
| desert and spread out over portion of the
surrounding country. The storm began in the
| early morning. and when the train reached
| Sumner, in Kern County. had become regu-
lar simeon. The wind swept across the sandy
wastes with such violence that the train
swayed and rocked under the fierceness of the
blasts and seemed ready to plunge from the
track. The moon had become overcast in the
early part Of the night, and the journey was
continued in a darkness that rapidly increased
until the day began in Stygian gloom. The
passengers, who had been aroused from their
sleep by the fierce assaults of the wind and the
dashing of the sand against the windows of the
train, looked anxiously for the appearance of
the sun, but no CLEAN of light relieved the for
bidding darkness of the east. Night MAIN
tanned her sway, and the blackness of the
heavens grew intense with the morning, until
the strong headlight of the locomotive almost
failed to pierce it. The small portion of the
desert which was exposed by the engines
lights only served to discourage the travellers
The track was lost under the pillows of sand
that were being tossed across the rails by the
angry storm. The desert moved like a sea,
and when the waves Of sand struck the SILVER
ing sides of the train they scattered like spray
and filled the air with dust which made free
breathing impossible.
The travellers fears of being stopped by
sand-drift were soon realized. After leaving
Summer, which is 3l4 miles from San Francisco.
the train moved cautiously for ten miles
. through the shifting waste and then stopped
with a crash. The alarmed passengers hardly
dared to tace the driving storm to learn the
cause of the unpleasant halt. The few intrepid
persons who ventured into the binding
simeon found that their express tram
had run into a freight train which had
stopped in an impossible sand-drft. The
slow rate at which the express was moving
enabled the engineer TO stop the train
in time to prevent serious accident. and
the collision was only sufficient to cast the To-
connective from the track. The paSsCnger-carS
remained on the rails. 1t was then ten o'clock.
so slowly had the express proceeded through
the bin ding storm after leaving Sumner. The
darkness of the night had only increased, and
nothing was visible except within the focus of
the trans lights. For five weary hours the
passengers were compelled to remain on the
detached train while relief was beng obtained
from Sumner. Assistance having arrived,
the track was cleared of sand sufficiently
to enable a relief engine to pull the
express back to Sumner, where the pas
sengers found slim accommodation until
the storm blew over. Toward five O'Clock in
the afternoon the darkness began to disap-
pear. but the simeon Maintained its vigor I'M
til nightfall. In the morning the unfortunate
passengers proceeded on their journey, the re-
mainder of which was made without Sensa-
tional incident as gangs OF Chinese had been
at work all n ght and had cleared the track Of
the accumulated santdrift. AT Tulare the
press, which was due at 2:40 p. M, January 2,
overlook the belated and weather-beaten ex-
press, having passed with slight discomfort
through the tail of the simeon. The breaking
of pston-rOd delayed the first express still
further at Lathrop, and the two trains came
Simultaneously to Oakland wharf. the first
over thirty hours behind time and the second
over six. All hands, however. soon forgot the
unplet santness of their adventure and laughed
over lt.-Sdn Francisco Examiner.