Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-09

"Oroville is looking brighter than dol
lar just now" said a gentleman who has
Just returned from the scene OF the recent
successful display Of the Northern Citrus
Belts products. at has turned quite warm
up there and everything looks fresh and
green from the effects OF the late heavy
rains.
But, by the way" continued the gentle
man, dropping dime in the slot for him.
self and the reporter, Il captured some
news up there, which you can have, and
which may prove interesting to Sacramento
people. w. R. Strong & Co., the we'll
known nurserymen and fruit growers of
this city, have purchased the celebrated
Onyett ranch, On the Feather river, near
Oroville. The ranch contains 67S acres of
the finest land in the world. According to
the conditions Of the sale the entire tract
be set to fruit trees within five years,
s.,otrong & Co. agree 10 start in by set
ting out 200 acres this year. | can't state
whether Strong Il Co. intend to set mainly
citrus or deciduous fruits, but understand
that all kinds will be planted, as well as
large vineyard.
81 look run up to Chico a couple OF
DAYS ago." said detective Ben True of the
railroad to a reporter, as they were riding
toward the depot, land | heard of an Incl
dent which occurred at the branch State
Normal School recently. which has kept
me smiling ever since, owing, perhaps, to
the fact that am well acquainted with all
parties concerned. I'll tell it to you, but
without the names.
You see, they have class there at the
Normal School in Morals and Manners
and one branch of the duties of the pupils
is to compose original brief sentences con-
tanning some suggestion of how 10 be per-
feet in morals and manners. Well, the
class was at work recently, and the pupils
were reading their compositions. Finally
young man, who ranked nearly at the
foot of the class, was called upon for his
little contribution. With 8 great splurge
he arose and ratified off: Never put your
ear to the key-hole when mamma has
beau The professor was shocked, and
reported the young man to the Faculty.
The latter were going to expel the young
man. and there was great hullabaloo gen.
orally, as it was considered that the dignity
of the school had been willfully insulteG.
Finally, however, one of the Professors,
more generous than the others, suggested
that the young man might be excused, as
it was quite probable that he had been pun
ished at home for putting his ear TO the
key hole under circumstances similar to
that suggested in his composition. This
had the desired effect, and the offender was
let off with a severe reprimand."
Il am Just commencing 10 feel like N.Y.
self again after the long seige we bad dur
ing the big snow blockade" said one of the
L. 4. nfalNo ,snr, 10 fhn
porter, who had just taken a seat beside
him on J.--Jaet car.
Yes; ane IS you are not the only
one who lost a ple of weeks sleep on
account of the ade,' said the news
paper man.
catch another very soon. They are rot the
incest things in the world
NO, indeed. Bat, by the way, you have
been connected with the road long time;
give me something in the way of a resume
of the company's experiences with block
ades"
"Ah, now you have struck the right per-
son in me, for it was only the other day
that l was going through my scrap-book
for just such information, and made notes
of the various dates, and so on, which /
have here in my ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS"
The gentleman produced his book and
then continued:
when the Central Pacific was in course
of construction the danger of snow block
AIDES became apparent, and before the track
had reached Ogden great difficulty was
experienced in keeping it open, even for
construction. In 1869, when this road be-
came the main artery of commerce with
the East, the danger was even more obvi-
Gus. Delays for a day or two were fire.
quent, but it was not until March, 1874,
that the first serious blockade occurred.
Snow had been plentiful all winter, and
late in February series Of very heavy
snow-storms set in, which lasted until
nearly the middle of March, by which
time the road was at the mercy OF the ele-
ments. Heavy drifts at Colfax Blue Can
yon, Emigrant Gap, Summit and Truckee
completely stopped travel. Snow plows
and thousands of shovelers fought bravely
all through the storm, bat they made little
or no progress until the storm was over.
1t required eleven days of the hardest kind
of work TO open the road after the weather
had cleared off.
Then in 1876 another blockade &C.
Cured, nothing like the former one, but
still bad enough to close the road for
week. In April 1880, the road was blocked
again. The trouble that time was mainly
on account of the sheds being crushed in
by the enormous weight of the snow on
top of them. Trains were held at Truckee
for five DAYS. In March, 1882, there was
also a blockade of few days but since
that time there has been no serious trouble
with the snow king until this last block
ade. This was corker, though, and made
up for all the time since 1882"
Police Captain Karcher hoped on to a