Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-28
THE ROTARY.
Fighting Snow in Banks that are Thirty
Feet Deep.


Feet Deep.
Cisco, January 27th.-Your correspond
ent, who went up with the rotary plow
from Cisco TO Cascade, last night stayed
with her until early this morning, when it
was found that further proceedings in the
dark would be useless, and work was sus-
pended until daylight. The plow was
backed by four powerful engines. and the
first snow was struck in the shed Just this
side of the open space of mile and a half
The engines and rotary had previously
taken in a supply of coal, wood and water
in the section shed, and work was begun
in real earnest about o'clock at night
The troublesome task of cleaning out the
shed was at last accomplished, and the
huge bank at the beginning of the open
space was then struck. The night was
cold, but the
STARS sHoNE OUT BRIGHTLY
In the heavens. First the rotary engine
set to work, and in an instant the knives
were whirling at terrific rate, and sparks
were shot up from the smokestack of the
rotary engine nearly 200 feet in the air.
Descending, the millions of glittering
sparks spread out over an immense space,
ana lii ~ sne uIIIs aGJslUeuL as II Il power
ful sun had just dawned. The sight was
one of the most beautiful and awe-inspir-
ing one could hope to see, and made a
grand pyrotechnic display.
While the rotary was thus straining
every effort the four engines backing her
were pressing on with all the power they
possessed, endeavoring to keep the huge
machine pressed into the bank of snow.
Progress was slow, although the powerful
locomotives were kept trembling and
strained to their utmost, ever pressing on,
and moving forward inch by inch.
Whistles to go ahead" back" or stop"
were being blown constantly by each en-
CINE, and a person in the distance who
might not have known what was going on,
would surely have been led to believe that
the Internal regions had opened up in all
their fury, and were bent on dealing death
and destruction to all around. a distance
of about 200 yards of snow bank
FIFTEEN FEET DEEP
Was gone through in the first couple of
hours, and the engines and plow then
steamed back to the sheds again to get
fresh supply of fuel and water.
The start was again made with the
RECORD UNION reporter on the rear engine
(the only newspaper man aboard), taking
a view of the scene. The bank of snow was
again met, with a dash and a roar, and
about thirty feet was cleared without
stop. The engines then backed up for
another start, but this time in coming for
ward they did so with too great force and
speed, and the result was
HEAVY JAR
As if solid rock had been struck, the
violence Of which nearly threw your
correspondent through the cab window
OF the engine. An effort was made to
back up and pull the plow out, but this
was unsuccessful. The plow was stuck
fast. Men were sent to the front and the
rotary was found almost completely buried
in snow-to such an extent in fact that
an effort to get her out that night was
abandoned. The engines we've uncoupled
from the plow and backed up into the
sheds, where they remained during the rest
of the night until dsybreak. The fact that
there were no snow shovelers in the rotary
gang necessitated the delay until some
could be procured from Blue Canyon or
Emigrant Gap. Your reporter seeing that
no further work wss to be done until
morning, boarded an engine and was
taken back to Cisco, arriving there at 8
o'clock this morning. AS
THE SITUATION
Then stood, about $50 yards of track had
been cleared, and 100 yards further would
have opened the way to the bridge. On
the other side of the trestle, however, the
snow is still deeper, and in places in cuts it
has drifted in to a depth of nearly 80 feet
The wires were down beyond Cisco at this
time, and nothing could be learned of the
condition of the road beyond the blockaded
space. 1t was reported that nearly 70 feet
of sheds were down near the Summit.