Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-01-21
A sNow-IMPR1soNED TRAIN.
A Thousand Men aud 20 Locomotives
Unable TO Release 1t.

A Thousand Men and 20 Locomotives |
Unable to Release 1t.
The experience of the passengers on the |
snow-bOund train on the Oregon Railway |
and Navigation COmpany's road, says |
Portland Oregon letter of to the |
New York Sun, is probably without a |
parallel in this country. The train be- |
came fast in the snow on Dee. IS, and the |
efforts Of more than COO men, a score of |
locomotives, and half a dozen snow |
pillow have been powerless thus far to !
release it. Snow began falling on the |
18th, accompanied by a high wind, and |
before night the Columbia and Willamette |
valleys were completely buried. The |
west-bOund train Of the Northern Pacific |
came along with about $50 passengers on |
board. and had no great trouble until it |
reached the Dalles, though the snow was
three feet deep At that point snow |
pIOw was sent on ahead, and the train |
followed. After leaving Hood river the |
plO became stalled when about four |
miles the ether side OF w yeth, and the |
train was forced to come to a stand. Every |
abIe-bOdied man on the train took a |
shovel, ard repeated efforts were made to |
clear the track. The wind WAS high and |
the snow dry, and shOyeling was found |
to be useless. Repeated snow slides from
the mountains soon convinced the con-
ductOr that there was imminent danger OF |
the train being buried, and he backed up |
to a trestle, which had only just been |
gained when a tremendous slide occur !
red, covering the engines ana baggage |
cars almost out of sight. The snow storm |
continued with undated violence, and |
the wind, which soon became hurricane, !
was intOlerably severe. With the loco |
motives covered and the track ahead of |
and behind them buried to a depth offOrty |
feet in snow and ice, it became evident |
that a long siege was at hand. There !
was little food on the train, and great |
CONSERVATION prevailed for time, more |
especially among the ~ omen and children, |
of whom they were many.
The next morning the conductor sent |
two train men to Cascade Locks for food. |
The distance was eleven miles, and the |
trip in the binding snow and cutting |
wind was one OF great dltticulty. When |
they arrived at their destination the men |
had much trouble in inducing any one to |
make the return journey with them, but !
they at length found men willing to I'M |
dertake the errand, and succeeded In |
reaching the train the next day at 2 |
%. m, with several hundred pounds of T0- |
visions on tobOggans. In the express car |
We're found lot of jack rabbits, two |
oysters in cans. These were cooked and !
served along with the other rations, each |
passenger receiving regular allowance |
twice a day. After this the railroad com !
Dany organized expeditions at Cascade |
Locks every two or three days to carry |
food to the beleaguered train. The prOyi- |
sions taken were such only as could be |
packed easily and were carried on poles, !
a man at each END. The suferngs of |
these messengers i'll making the trip were |
frequently terrible. Several of them |
were overcome by fatigue and cold and |
had to be carried by their companions.
After this had been going on for a few |
days the authorities notified the pas |
sengers that food could not be furnished /
for so many in that way, and that all |
able-bOdied men would be expected to /
abandon the train and set out for Cascade |
Locks on foot. Twenty five started the next |
morning in a driving snow, storm and all |
made the Locks that evening except tour, |
who had to be left at a farm house. Many |
suffered from frozen faces, hands, and |
feet. The next morning thirty-tiVe more !
started. and all made the journey safely, |
although some of them were ia pitiable I
condition. The snow was from five to |
fifty feet in depth, and much of the way |
the path lay along hillsides so icy that a
misstep would have ended at the river far |
below. In some places the travellers had |
to cut holes in the icy crust for their hands
and feet, and crawl along with the great
est care. Some other small parties left |
the train afterward. The women and |
children wept pitifully when the men left,
fearing that they were to be abandoned
to starve and freeze; but the assurance of
the conductor that they would be safely
guarded by the train hands and the men
who were not Thought able to make the trip
after time put them at ease,
Thus relieved OF one half OF the pas
sengers the transportation OF food be-
came less difficult problem. Several
times during the last two weeks it was
thought that the shOVelers and snow
pillow would be able soon to relieve the |
train, but just as they appeared to be
gaining on the snow and ice little
fresh storm would set in, and then things
would be worse than before. The train is
surrounded with snow, and the track at
that place for about four miles is covered |
in many localities to depth of 40 feet
with solid ice. During the high winds |
the spray from the numerous falls was /
blown upon the tracks, and this freezing |
caused the formation Of hills of ice, which |
could only be removed by blasting.
In the cars the passengers made them |
selves as comfortable as possible. Thus |
far there has been no sickness, though there |
are scores of children aboard, and, the |
opportunities for exercise are necessarily |
limited. When the coal gave out the |
brakemen went out ana chopped wood, /
which was found near by in abundance. |
Hundreds of men have been working on |
the track with picks and shOyels, and F!
there is now hope that the blockade will |
soon be raised. 1t has been found that |
the only way to make permanent progress |
without destroying the track is to pick |
the ice out in chunks and carry them |
away. At first there was plenty of |
whisky and tobacco on the trains, but |
when all the travelling mems samples had !
been consumed the people who used these |
luXuries had to do without, for the men |
who packed provisions to the train re-
fused to be loaded with anything but |
necessaries. Although the prospect that
the train will soon be released is now
good, it is not forgotten that things have |
appeared equally favorable many times |
before during the past sixteen days. Ii
we have no more storms or severe cold it |
will not take long to omen the road. The
passengers on the train are as cheerful as
could be expected, but the experience Is
one which they will never forget.
Most of the men who walked to
Cascade Locks continued on to Portland |
in parties of 10 or -, also on foot. The t
distance is 55 miles, and much of the
route is very dangerous. Nearly all of
them have arrived here in bad condition.
A few are laid up at farm houses on the
way. One party took the railroad track, |
and by clinging to the telegraph wires
most of the way, the snow being so deep |
that they could easily reach them, they
made the trip without much trouble. The
blouckade has cost the railroad company |
about $1,000 a day for shOvelers and |
pillow, and has caused an entire sus-
pension of business by the Northern /
"A