Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-02-06
Several Horses Killed by a Falling
Barn-Provisions Scarce-Con-
dition of the Track.
From RBOOnD-UsIos's Special Correspondent

| try of slides, swollen rivers and creeks
deep gorges and precipitous nights.
PERILoUs TRAMP OVER THE SNOW.
One can Lot follow the track at all in
| places. on account of washouts, slides and
| fallen timber, and sometimes it takes full
half hour to make very short distance tc
| get around one of these distractions. The
RECORD UNIONS correspondent had order:
to reach and penetrate the blockade. He
is obeying orders, and the journal he repre-
sents is furnishing, through him, to the
world one of the most extensive blockades
known to the history of the State-tht
longest on record.
WRESTLING WITH sNow-sHoEs.
While your scribe is something of pc
destrian, this was his first experience OIL
shoe-shoes. The rain was falling in tor,
rents, consequently walking was very diff
cult, and more than once in going up hill
the shoes slid from under the scribe, and
each time he was nearly buried in the
snow. The latter is getting soft and heavy
and melting rapidly. There was no one
by to laugh at these mishaps, and the
snow-water that found its way inside the
coat collar and along down the spinal col.
umn became monotonously unpleasant.
FLoUNDERING IN THE SNOW.
If you never took trip on snow-shoes
my advice is don't" 1t is the most tire.
some kind of walking, especially when the
snow is slushy and cover your shoes al
every step. Walking without snow-shoes
over the trail is simply out of the question
and when ones foot slips from the shoe
down goes his leg 10 the hip, and it takes
some balancing to get rugged again for q
fresh start. "McGinty" should have
tried snow-shoes on the Shasta division be.
fore he went down to the bottom of the
sea-"
Your reporter had to rest every few yards
! and the trip to Mott took nearly four hours
| time.
A GRAND AND WEIRD SIGHT.
Going up Sacramento Canyon was 8
grand and weird sight. All the small
brush and trees were covered with snow
while the tall cedars, fir, spruce and
pines lowered aloft. No birds or animals
were to be seen, but the tracks of coyotes
foxes and other animals were frequently
noted, and the scribe kept a good lookout
for the mountain lion and the grizzly bear
who ale not strangers in this section.
THE FIRST NEWS IN A MONTH.
Mott was reached at dinner time, and the
few copies of the RECORD UNION which he
had with him were eagerly sought for by
the people in the town, who had not heard
from the outside world for nearly month
The snow at this point is about five feet
on the level, though few days since ii
measured thirteen.
TWENTY EIGHT FEET OF SNOW.
The total snowfall at this point has been
| twenty-eight feet, and the immense weight
has caused fourteen of the buildings to col
lapse, and they are now nothing but wrecks
The loss to buildings alone will amount to
several thousand dollars.
Among the structures thus wrecked are
the Red Cross planning mill, dry-house and
boiler-house, the theater building, several
saloons, five barns, and one unoccupied resi-.
dence and store house.
The damage which the storm has
wrought here will give people some idea
of the immense work the railroad CON-
pany has to contend with
SUPPLIES ARE GETTING SCARCE.
The wrecking of the barn belonging to
Mr.. Dickey killed four valuable horses and
crippled several others. This has been the
worst storm that the citizens of this place
have ever experienced, and their supplies
are getting very scarce at all points above
Delta.
The storm commenced here November
10th, with light rains and snow, and there
has hardly been twenty-four hours cessa-
ton since.
On December 10th heavy snow began
to fall, and it has been falling almost con-
stantly up to four days ago.
persisted IN THE SNOW.
So severe has the storm been at times
that man was caught cut in the heavy
snow some time ago and died from ex.
haustion short distance from home
Only the other day death occurred here
and the corpse had to be hauled to the
burying-ground on a sled over the snow.
The sight was an unusual and sorrow
full one to see few friends following the
deceased to bis last resting place, walking
all the way behind the sleigh on snow-shoes.
CONDITION OF THE TRACK.
No mail has been received here for three
weeks, and the track between here and
Dunsmuir is in such bad condition from
slides that it will take weeks to get it in or
der SO that ii can be travelled again.
There are five engines lying here and
also wrecking train and large snow
pillow. All the engines are partially disa-
bled, but not so bad but what they can be
run. They have been endeayoring to get
to the repair shop at Dunsmuir, but the
chances are that it will be long time be-
fore they get there, although the distance
is short.
OLD SOL SMILES ONCE MORE
The sun came out from behind the
clouds for short time this afternoon, blu.
soon disappeared again. Residents here
had not seen "Old Sof' for three weeks and
were glad to welcome him when he did
come out.
The rain hes ceased falling, but the sky
is cloudy. Your correspondent will push
on north to Gazelle, thirty miles distant,
to-day, if there is any possible chance.
Assistant Superintendent Pratt of the
Southern Pacific Company is at Horn
brook, sixty miles above here, and work
ing his way over the Siskiyou mountains.
SUPERIOR COURT.