Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1886-01-28
THEaBLOCKADE.
The Snow Siege Raised.

The Snow Siege Raised.
After nearly weeks time the snow
siege was raised. The passenger train
of Tuesday, of last week, encountered
a snow drift in the huge cut six miles
east of the city. The weather remaining
cold and the continual drifting snow
rendered the position still more mex
tr1cable. The train was nearly reliev-
ed of its distressing position on Thurs
day evening, when another blizzard
swept down upon us with almost the
same force as the preceding one. The
wind reached a velocity of 40 miles per
hour, and accumulated snow to the al
ready ponderous drifts. The situation
at the train blockade was becoming
serious one. The train contained a
large number of passenger, and the
means of making them comfortable was
extremely slim. On Friday the women
and children were removed to this city,
and provided with quarters at the hotel.
The train, a portion of the time, could
not be reached by rail, wagons being
used to relieve the beleaguered passen-
gers. On Sunday, about 300 men were
employed in shoveling snow from the
encompassed train, and the blockade
was imminently raised, and at Clio in
the evening the train arrived in the city
amid the deafening cheers of the JOY
Gus passengers and the no less gladden.
ed citizens.
Conductor John Bender had charge
OF the train. John struck the snow
drift at 5:1O p. m, Tuesday, the 10Th,
and arrived in Dodge, Sunday evening,
at 6:10 o'clock, making the unprece-
denied time of six miles in FIVE days
and one hour. There were number of
passengers on the train, and their con-
dition was made as comfortable as cir
cumstances would permit. Cold vlctu-
ais were pleasant refreshments, but the
coffee was kept warm by red hot Inch
pins, which were heated in the stoves.
Two passenger trains went east Mon
day noon, and train arrived from the
east in the evening, making continuous
blockade Of six days. A happy lot of
passengers went their ways rejoicing.
Five passenger trains had arrived in
the city, from the west, and after the
blizzard of Thursday night, the track
west of the city was blocked, and re-
NAMED so until Monday.
There were 100 ticketed passengers
for the east and 80 tlcketed passengers
for the west. This number did not in
clude a number of people who had ar
rived here, intending to 60 either east
or west.
Provisions in the city we're becoming
scarce, some articles in the grocery line
being nearly exhausted. The railroad
company's coal pile replenished our coal
dealers supply. Until yesterday there
had been but one local freight train
from the east since the 1st. Feed was
scarce, but -four was plentiful.
Messrs. Vancil 4 Mcdonald, photo
graphers of this city, photographed the
''cut' and the snow-bound train, max
ing three views of the scene. They
sold several hundred of these views to
passengers on the train.
The passengers on the snow bound
train united in the following testimo-
NAL:
We, the undersigned, being partial
list of the eighty passengers on board;
most of the ladies and children having
been transferred to more comfortable
quarters at Dodge City, hereby tender
our sincere thanks to Superintendent
Nickerson, Train Master Woods, Resi-
dent Engineer Earl, Conductor Bender,
Brakeman O'Rouke and Eskenbaugh
and Baggage. Master Mccall, also to
express messenger, mail clerks and all
employees for their unceasing and never
firing energy that they manifested for
our comfort and happiness while in
their care, while lodged in snow bank
six miles east of Dodge City, on the
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe railway,
where we have been for 121
hours. The train consists of four en-
gines, five coaches and one sleeper.