St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-01-26
TO LIFT THE BLOCKADE.
Supt. Egan Talks Of the Suffering at
Browns Valley.
TWO HUNDRED MEN AT WORK
! 1.-The People Of Browns Valley and
+, Beardsley Have But Little Fuel
b. and Provisions.

0A0 AVu6oAOAlOs
Supt. j. M. Egan, of the Manitoba
road, was interviewed by a GLOBE re-
porter yesterday on the blockade down
near Browns Valley. He denied some
of the statements reported to have been
made by Mr.. Stonebraker in Mime
rapelis. COZ COURSE" said Mr.. Egan
!nthe company deplores the necessity
Itilat cOmpelS the abandonment of any
part OF the road even for very brief
period, but this company does not at
tempt to control or Subdue the elements.
Dec. 20 was the last day the company
run trains over the Browns Valley line
until Tuesday last, when trains reached
Graceville, and tonight we expect to
reach Browns Valley. The storm of
Tuesday blocked up the road again be-
tween Browns Valley and Wheeler
and caused the road to start out an
other crew from Morris, "Wednesday, to
open the line from Graceville to Wheel
er, eight miles west of Morris. After
the line was blocked the best arrange
ment the road could make for carrying
the mails was by team between Morris
and Graceville, and this was resorted
to- Parties from Browns Valley sent
teams to Graceville to get the mail
there. The use of telegraph line,
which has been in operation all the
time, has not been denied any one who
desired to use it. This man Stonebraker
complains that there were seventy cars.
sidetracked at Morris that the railroad
officials would not take to Beardsley,
though the people begged them to take
them there. On Jan. % there were
fifty-five car loads at Morris, three of.
which were merchandise and the bal:
ance fuel. OF this fuel, eight cars be-
lOnged to the railroad company. There
than there were before or have been
since. For Beardsley there were four.
cars of wood and three of coal. AT Nor
ris on the 23d there were seven cars of
wood and four of coal for Browns Y al
ley. During October and November
every division superintendent Oh the
road was ordered to notify all agents at
the stations Onthe line to =. 4
INSTRUCT COAL DEALERS,
and every person who had fuel shipped
in, to request them to order their winter
supply in October and November, in Or
der to prevent any complaint, such as is
now being made by parties along the
Browns Valley branch. We know that:
these orders have been carried out, that.
the instructions have been given, and
that the requests have been made as:
stated. Up to the time of the blockade
there were no cars left over on any date
at Morris for stations ON the Browns
Valley line No cars are side-tracked at
any station except Morris. for that
branch. Up to the time of the blockade
all trains were run daily on the, branch,
except Sundays. 1t is tWenty-siX days
from that time when the: last train was
run, and only fifty five cars have accu-
mulated at Morris, which makes little
over two cars per day. and we have as
certained from wood and coal dealers
Ethat all coal and wood that has been Or
qered by people on the Browns Valley
Branch has been forwarded and deliv-
cred. Mr.. StOnebraker says that the
company claimed that there were no
more engines to spare. From the above
1T will be seen that nOs.mOre engines
lWere required to do the business ON that
line. This same man complains that
Valley division made matters worse
by telegraphing from day to
day that trains Wonld get through on
eerely and truthfully when he tele-
graphed that the line would be, opened
from day. to day. This certainly would
have been so had nOtvthe storms cOntin-
ued and followed one another in such
quick succession, as every person in
that region knows has been the fact dur
ing the last three weeks. The two
StreakS of ruSt' spoken of by Mr..
Stonebraker have been able to take
care Of all the business done Oh that
line during this year. There has, been
no accident, and if the men make fifteen
miles an hour they run as fast as they
are allowed to by time card rules, with
mixed trains on that branch or any
other portion of the road, on the main
line or branches. This same gentleman
complains that the force was not equal
to the occasion. There are in the neigh
bOrhOOd of. at the present date, 200 men
ShOveling snow Oh that branch, and this
force has been at work for the past
ten days, when the weather per-
mitted them to do so. 1t should
be remembered that men cannot be
got to work on the open prairie shovel
ing snow with the mercury 25 deg. be-
low and the wind blowing at the rate of
sixty miles an hour. Mr.. Stonebraker's
own statement shows what the railroad
people had to contend with. He says
sit is almost impossible to stir abroad
in the Browns Valley region. The
snow is several feet deep. and in many
places the drifts are eighteen feet high.
ANY sane person knows that If this, is
the case on level prairie, or in a valley,
what the situation must be on the line
of the railway. The two streaks of
rust whether they are brown OF bright,
have no effect 80 - s-.~.'s
IN STOPPING STORMS ~.
similar to those we have had this winter
in that region. The several weeks of
exile that Mr.. Stonebraker speaks of
will be reduced to minutes, as the line
will be open tonight, providing we have
no more storms. l think the officials of
this road will be perfectly willing to
show this gentleman who complains so
freely, or any other parties, the
amount of money expended in
shoveling snow on that line this
winter, and that amount will certainly
exceed sum more than the total re-
ceipts of that branch during the past
year, but Notwithstanding this, the com
pany feels that it is in duty bound to
open that line and relieve the distress
that prevails there now. The Manitoba
company has spared no expense in
clearing the track of snow either on this
or other lines during this or past sea-
sons. The storms of this year have
been exceptionally severe and numer-
Gus, and 1t is very difficult to get melt to
work. 1t seems as though Mr.. Stone
bra ker had been employed by some of
the emigration agencies of Kansas, Mis-
souri, and Nebraska to show up and pic
tIre the hardships endured by people
living in Minnesota. No doubt his in
terview will receive prominent place
in the pamphlets to be issued by the
emigration agents of the above named