Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-23
OFT OF. THE SNOW
The Story of One of the Snow BounC
Passengers.

The Story of One of the Snow Bound
Passengers.
One of the three men who left the snow
bound passenger train at Emigrant Gap at
6 o'clock Monday evening, after being
blockaded since early last Thursday morn
ing, arrived in San Francisco Tuesday
night. The men were the first to get out
since the long blockade on the Central Pa
cifc began, and TO do it they were obliged
to improvise rude snow-shoes, upon which
they made much of the fourtPen-mile Jour
ney to Alta, where a special engine met
them and took them to Sacramento.
I'VE left thirty-ive people at Emigrant
Cap" said the informant TO a reporter,
'and they were all very anxious to get
out There was no suffering, however.
The supplies of canned goods in the buffet
cars were not exhausted when left The
hotel near at hand also had plenty of sup
plies. The cars were moved back and
forth at our request, so as to reach the
hotel. When not opposite the hotel we
were lying in the slow-sheds.
There were three sick people on board,
one of these being DR.. Foulkes, of 2l7
Geary street. He had been i'll with fever,
but was convalescing when l left and
Wduttu ~ SSl up LIT " as SIl1l IN
bed. Two men in the back car were sick,
too. One had mashed hand, aud the
other had taken cold. Both were attended
by the company's physician.
Among those on board are A. G. Free
man, the fIuit-packer, and Mr.. Hutton and
Mr.. Barnum, of this city; w. A. Barclay,
of Battle Mountain, and Mr.. Pike, of Wads-
worth. Our train consisted of two sleepers,
one coach, a smoker and mail and baggage
cars. 1t was tie first of all the west bound
passenger trains that got stuck. conse-
quenlly it has been in the snow longest.
1t met with no impediment till it arrived
at the Gap. There the snow was so deeD.
that it was impossible to proceed any
further.
1T was not excessively cold. Fortunately
we had plenty of coal.
1--WE grew very tired of our snowy prison
and concluded We would make herculean
effort to get out John J. Jennings, the
representative of the New York World who
was one of our passengers, was as anxious as
any of US. or more so. On Monday night
we set out on long runner snow-shoes.
I'VE advanced to Blue Canyon, FIVE
plow. 1t had been three days getting from
Emigrant Gap to that place, so deep was
the snow.
THE mountains and gulches all about
there, as at Emigrant Gap, were covered
with very deep snow, and we had pretty
hard work getting along. We pushed on
for four miles very YEARLY, for our snow
shoes did not work very well.
Then we managed to pull ourselves to-
gether and get on to Towles, four miles
further, and finally after a pretty severe
experience, a mile further to Alta.
THE snow all about there is very deep.
,a obab fpat
the cuts on the track it is a great deal
deeper.
There was only one rotary snow-plow
at work. Besides the rotary, there were
several ordinary plows. There were gangs
of men everywhere shoveling. l was told
there were 500 men within a.Gistance of
fourteen miles. We certainly saw a great
many. The men all had plenty to eat, but
they did not seem to hurt themselves
working.
"We passed two eastbound passenger
trains on our way out. One was in the
sheds this side of Prospect Gap and tia
other at Shady Run. one Of our men went
over and talked with the passengers. They
said they had enough to cat, but were i'm
patient to get out. Both trains left this
city last Wednesday, one in the morning
and the other in the evening, and they had
been about five days there.
There vera a grea: many passengers
aboard. We passed one train jus: few
moments aster midnigAs last night aad the
other at O'Clock this morning.
SO deep was the snow and so bard to
get over, that it toss US at one time four
hours to. 20 four mites.
The supplies which the passengers have
are canned goods which they have in the
buffet cars.
~ think the passengers viii be very
lucky if tt ey get out to morrow. You may