St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-29
FIFTY FEET OF SNOW.
The Blockade in the Sierra Ne
vada Mountains Worse
Than Ever.
Warm Rains Set In and There
Is Danger Of Snow
slides.
Twenty Pupils in an Illinois
School Injured by an Ex-
plosion.
& Waiting Blast Blows Care
less and Ignorant Work.
men Into Atoms.

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Jan. 2S.-Sena-
tor Stanford this morning received a
long dispatch from the general superin-
tendent of the Central Pacific railroad
at San Francisco, giving an account of
the terrific snow blockade in the Sierra
Nevada mountains. The dispatch says
that the situation has not materially
changed for the better, and that it is
impossible to start any of the delayed
West-bound trains. On both sides of the
mountain the snow is piled up till
it is from three to four feet
higher han the cabs of the locomotives
on each side of the track, and push
ploWS and plungers are of no service
whatever, as they cannot throw the
snow out of the channel. The steps
have had to be taken off the cars to
prevent them from dragging on the ice,
and the snow is so deep that the sides
of the cars are pushing against the
high banks. The dispatch states that
very heavy snow and wind storm has
prevailed in Eastern Nevada and Utah,
and that two engineers and three fire
men were killed by the engines
becoming derailed by the wind.
Several trains have LETT Oregon for
the East, but all have been deraiIed
after going a short distance by the ice
on the tracks. West Of Summit the
snow is piled upon the sheds from fif-
teen to twenty feet, and great danger
is unprecedented that the immense weight
will crush them in. East of Summit the
snow on the sheds is even greater, and
the telegraph wires at Cascade are
buried from ten to twelve feet, although
the tops of poles stand twenty-five feet
abone the ground. Heavy
LAND AND SNOW SLIDES
have occurred at Delta and north of
DunSmuir. To illustrate the nature of
the storm, the dispatch says that at
point about mile north of Upper Soda
Springs a snOwSlide came down the
mountain and damned up the river so
that its bed was dry for half an hour
below the dam. a portion of the slide
crossed the river, breaking off trees
at the stump, two and three
feet in diameter, like pipe-stems. The
dispatch in conclusion says that several
hundred men are digging among the
snow and rock slides south of Duns-
muir, and that it will take them some
days to complete the task. The line
north of Ashland has been blocked four
days, and all passengers have been sent
back TO Portland. A severe storm setin
again yesterday, and the superintendent
expressed grave fears that the worst
is yet to come. Another dispatch
from Vice President Croker, of the
Central Pacific, says that he has been
blockaded in the snow ten days and has
just reached San Francisco. The storm,
he says, has been the severest since the
road was constructed, and never before
have trains been detained for more
thon twenty-fOur hours by falling snow.
Twenty-Five hundred extra men have
been employed to combat withAhe ele-
ments, and great difficulty is expert
enced in provisioning them, as all sup
plies have to be carried by means of
a snOwshOe service and at an
enormous expense. In places on
the line of the Central
Pacific the snow yesterday was from
$50 TO 200 feet deep on the tops of the
snow sheds, and it is feared they will not
Withstand the strain. The snow has
been falling from Ogden to Cotton since
Dec. 20. and in Nevada has been heavier
than ever known before. In many of
the cuts and narrow ravineS the snow
reaches depth of from forty to fifty
feet, and snow plows are wholly una
valuable. In many places the trains are
covered out of sight, and no commune
cation can be had except on snoWshoes.