The sun., 1890-01-21
THEGREAT SNOW BLOCKADE.
NOTHING LIKE IT ON THE PACIFIC
COAST FOR OTER TEN TEARa

San Francisco without Eastern AEaIIs FOR
Nearly "a week-Drirts Twenty Feet
High In the sIerrna-DiRRinE Ont the
Tracks-TRkInG Food 20 the snow Bound.
SAN FRANCISCO. Jan. Gothic snow block
ade on the Central Pacific Railroad near
Truckee and Emigrant Gap has become very
serloua Since Tuesday last no eastern over
land trains have been able TO reach a point
further west than Colfax. Tho east-bound
trains are at Sacramento. Colfax, and Shady
Run, while those coming west are at Emigrant
Gap. Truckee, and Reno.
At Truckee the depth Of snow ranged from
eight feet to drifts OF twenty feet. Tho rail-
road company has several hundred men at
work shovellinG east out OF town. The plough
was only able to got mile out when 1t stuck
with ten engines. Tho shovellers were called
to the rescue. who. after several hours work.
dug them out so they could return. West the
road is filed with drifts Of fifteen to thirty
feet in large cuts. A plough with Ave engines
was on the road thrty-siN hours trying to
reach the tunnel. eight miles from town. The
whole crew returned on. foot, having aban-
doned the train, as they became ravenous with
hunger.
Another Plough with twelve locomotives
started out to clear the road to Summit but
before they had run two miles they wero
securely blocked, and, snow falling back on
passengers are quartered mt tho hotels by the
railroad company. Yesterday afternoon 1t
began showing again heavily, and reports from
the blockadod trains at Emigrant Gap showed
that the cleared portions of the track were
again tllling fast. The officials declare, that
the present blockade is the heaviest and long,
est they have experienced for over ten years.
Ploughs are unable TO make much headway on
account Of the depth OF the snow.
The delays seriously affect the mail facili-
ties. NO Eastern mall has reached this city
Union Telegraph Company has iaigo force
OF men Ia the mountains clearing tbs wires of
entirely buried Under If the drts not%ihsiaSd
ing ing the wires are strung on poles thirty-hve
The report that the snow bound passengers
are suffering for want OF food is denied by the
railroad officials, Abundance of food is sup
1t would be Impossible to reach them. Expe-
rienced men on snowshoes are on the road be-
fresh beef and other nesessares. 'I and nI at no no
time during the blockade has any dihiculty
been eXperiensed @ tad in r giving the passengers
suffering from cold. and n large number OF
cases OF influenza are reported, but the suffer.
% ers are Kept warm and receive medical aid
The situation is equally as serious on tho
part Of the State The train which left here on
Tuesday evening for Portland is still ut Red
for Dunsmuir returned after forty eight hours.
An engno was brought In. Others are showed
in without ~ wood orr. Or water ANOTHER force
plough to reopen the southwark railroad.
The southern Pacific has been badly in
jured in the Tehachepi Mountains by wash
outs. and beyond Los Angeles the floods have
done much damage. The only unobstructed
road now is the Atlantic and tactic, hut as this
depends on the, Southern Pacific connections
between the Mohave Desert and San francisco,
and on the washe d -out southern Pacific line be.
tween Los Angeles and San Francisco. Iravol
on that may also be DELAYED at any moment. "a
it has been raining heavily In southern Caiior-
n In
north
ST. PAUL. Jan. 20.--A heavy storm, accom-
panied by gale, set In about 10 o'clock last
night and u regular blizzard is now raging
throughout the Northwest; AS; yet there has
been no interruption of railroad traffic or tele-
graphic communication. but the storm is very
severe, Between five and six inches oil snow
mas mas fallen on the level. and the prevailing
the southwestern portion OF the State.