Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-01-31
VICTORY!
The Great Snow Blockade is Broken
at Last.
DELAYED TRAINS NOW MOVING.
The Mail Has Already Arrived-Now
for the Blockade on the
Shasta Route.
VICTORY!
TRAINS NOW MOVING.
NAE railroad Is at last victorious.

line railroad Is al last VICTORIOUS.
The great snow blockade, which for six
teen days has absolutely stopped all travel
over the Sierras, has been broken, and
trains are now speeding over the rails
which were buried deep beneath the snow.
The snow-storm which set in on Wednes-
day did not reach such degree of severity
as to undo the work of fortnight, as was
feared, and the army of shovelers and snow
plows easily fought off this last attack of
the snow-king.
The banks which had drifted over the
track between Tunnel Is and Truckee were
disposed of early yesterday morning, and
the special train bearing Division Super
intendent Wright, Track Superintendent
Curtis and others sped down from the tun-
mel to Truckee. The ice had been broken
from the rails throughout the bIockaded
district. and before noon word was re-
ceiVed from all points that everything was
clear.
This was what the railroad people had
long been waiting for, but they lost little
time in congratulating themselves On the
victory they had achieved.
Quick as a flash orders went over the
wires to move the delayed West-bound
trains-and they moved.
The first train, which was made up of all
of the delayed mail, consisting of six car
loads. steamed out of Truckee at 2:05 o'clock
in the afternoon, headed by five locomo-
tives, and westward was its course.
The second train started out about an
hour later. This consisted really of two
trains-those which were due in this city
on the afternoon of the 18th and the morn
ing of the 18th instants-both having been
combined at Truckee. The train was made
up of two sleepers, two emigrant cars, one
coach and one smoking car.
Then word was sent to Reno start the
trains there, and similar orders went to
Wadsworth, where there were more de-
layed trains. There were six in all at these
two places.
At midnight the entire eight delayed
trains were strung out over the road be-
tween this city and Reno, forming quite
respectable procession.
The mail train arrived in this city shortly
after l o'clock this morning. Five hun
dred sacks of mail matter were unloaded
at the depot and turned over to Postmaster
Stephens to be distributed in this city and
immediate vicinity.
The other trains will pass through this
city about an hour apart during this
morning.
Now that the great Sierra embargo is in
all probability thing of the past-unless
another storm re-establishes it-attention
will be directed more seriously to the stu
alton on the Shasta division. Matters on
this route are in every bit as bad, if not
worse, condition, than they were on "the
hill" with the one fortunate exception
that there are no snow-bound passenger
trains to look after. The road has suffered
severely from snow and landslides for
many miles. The storms which brought
about this condition are absolutely I'M
precedented, and it is still storming at
various points along the line. 1t will re-
quire fully week, even with good weather,
to break the blockade on this division.