Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1885-01-29
sNowsouNp FOR NEARLY A MONTH
Hardships OF Pacific Railroad Commits
| siOners.

Hardships of Pacific Railroad Commits
siOners.
From the New York Tribune.
Ex-Police Commissioner Dewitt G..
Wheeler welcomed a Tribune reporter
with a genial smile at the Gilsey house
last evening.
"Oh you want to hear something about
my trip to the Pacific do You? Well, Sir
believe me, il was the most remarkable
one ! ever took. In company with ex-
Senator Alexander Mcdonald, of Arkan-
sas, I left this city on November 20. Mr..
Mcdonald, r. B. LangdOn, Of Minnesota, |
and myself were appointed short time
before by President Arthur commissions
/ ers TO examine and report on the recent
ly completed section of the Northern Pa
ciGc Railroad between the COlumb ia riy-
er and Satas, in Montana, We had a |
pleasant trip 0rress the continent to |
Puget's SounC. We returned to Port
land, Oregon, on December Is, Snow had
been falling almost necessarily since
the 18th, but had not given us any par
ticular trouble, except from delay. We
started for hOIQe on the evening of the
4 10th. General Adna Anderson Joined
our party at Portland. We ran on regu-
larly, but not very fast, on account Of
the snow. past Bonneville, fOrty-seven
miles from Portland, and had just got
settled for a Rice quiet game of euchre
when we noticed that the speed of the
train slowly slackened, and after going
about four miles beyond this station, it
came to a standstill. We were stuck
fast iA drift at least fifty feet deep.
We got out of the drift after much tug
glng, and started back to Bonneville,
where we arrived after much hard snow
bueking. 1t looked several times as II
we would never get back. 1t showed for
the next thirteen days. On the level the
snow was was higher than the smoke
stack. Bonneville is a village in name
only, the only building there being the
wooden shanty of the telegraph operator.
On one side of the track, almost within
jumping distance, was the turbulent
Columbia river, running too swiftly to
be frozen, on the other was perpendicH
lar wall of rock 1000 feet high in some
places. We were blockaded in gulley
in the Cascade Range, the Eastern end
of which is at Dalles, town of about
5000 inhabitants. The gulley extends
west from Dalles about forty miles. We
heard that there were several freight
trains snow bound, and also passenger
train at Vienta, about seventeen miles
east OF us, and We rather enjoyed the
news as misery loves company. We had
been fed sumptqOusly till we were block
AIDED. and then our cook Brought US down
to plain diet, as we had only about two
weeks provisions on board. After ten
days in exile we got the soul inspiring
dispatch from Portland that we could
not be taken out before March 4. That
| 90 nj ah ~ oil nd m
heartbrOkVn men marched up and down
the car. The silence was impressive
and was broken Only by an oft-repeated
murmur from the lips Of General An
derson. which sOunded to our ears like,
Boys, let's put the spirits down to keep
the spirits up After one week our meat
! supply gave out, and pilgrimage was
made on SNOW shoes to hog car, and
for the next two weeks we had as maRy
different dishes of pork as the ingenuity
, of our cook could suggest. When we
got to st. Paul, may say here, that
everyone Of us swOre off from pork for a
year. We had dne collection of read
ing matter on board, and | am perfectly
willing to bear testimony that in regard
to our other amusement, when there was
1 anything interesting on the table, Mr.
Mcdonald could hold four Of a kiRd Of
= teHer than any man l ever knew or
1 heard Of. The only shadow that fell
upon us was the persistent attempt on
: the part of Messrs Mcdonald and Lang
Q don to convince the rest Of us that they
0 were born to sing. Regularly at a. M
Q they tuned their pipes and sang duett
0 i'm the most beautiful discOrd about
: "Greenland's Icy mountains" Several
times also during the day they would
I join voices in one or more Of the songs
Q Of the nursery.
n eve got reports from the sRowbound
n passenger train and heard that the PEG
Q pie were suffering from cold and hunger
q They were living on biscuit day.
II Though they had our sympathy wa could
3, net aid tbem. Lieutenant Carroll, wht
a was at Cascade Locks, about eight miles
q from them, organized an expedition Of
a fifty men who marched to the train on
n snow shoes each carrying twenty pound
J. Of bacon or flour. A few days aftsrwar'
l. an onslaught was made by the Lieuten-
y ant and his men upon cattle car.
number of steers were slaughtered ant
III carried to the starving passengers. OI
December 30 we got word that j. M
l. Buckley, of the Northern Pacific Rail
10 road, had started frsm Helena with sew
K On locomotives, and $50 men for our re
n lief. Every day We heard over the wire
ID that he was approaching US at the rat
10 Of from five to ten miles day. On Jan
Us aary 3, about O'clock in the afternoon
~ we heard the welcome sound of a wills
ID tie from an engine, and with 6na
10 burst through the gully, which threV
Il the snow at least hundred feet into tn
40 air, the train came in sight. I nssdn
say that IL was welcome. Bulklsy wa
to q much Rugged man. The task he ha
., In reaching us can be understood whs
g for miles he had to blast through twsnt
ct or thirty feet Of solid ice. The road 3