The sun., 1894-10-26
6o-62 West 23d st
snow EIGHTY FEET DEEP.
How the Railroads Guard Against Sno,
Slides In the Mountains.


II Ia the custom Of most of the transcontinen-
tai railroads to make an accurate measurement
Of the snowfall for the winter in those places
where 1t is always deepest. This is in the noun
tains. OF course and at the highest elevations.
Although few Of the roads are bothered to any
serious extent In these days by enormous snow
falls owing to the invention OF the rotary snow
plough, they make every preparation TO meet
unexpected emergencies. The snow In the noun
tains begins to fall in the middle of September
on the peaks. 1t is not till October that IL is OBJ
servable to any extent In the passes such as the
railroads use in crossing the mountains. Before
that time however the ploughs nre put In order
and made ready for use at moments notice.
Probably no road that crosses the Cascade
range has more serious struggle with the snow
each year than the Great Northern. the newest
and furthest north of the American lines to the
Pacific coast. Like some other OF the through
lines when first built this road crosses the Cas-
cade range by switchback system Of tracks.
i is there that the greatest snowfall occurs;
From Oct. /, 1903. to April ]. 1924, the snowfall
on the Great Northcrn's switchback was. by
actual measurements, ri feet AMI inches. II
sten tbn bn fs Gser s foct II in three hors Sill
delay of more than an hour or two on account OF
snow, even in the severest weather, is unusual.
Three tremendous rotary snow ploughs are kept
in constant motion during every storm, and these
keep the tracks practically clear. One of these
sixty feet, and so rapidly that the flying snow
actually makes 1t dark to those who ride di-
of the road, who had much TO do with the
switchback, said to Sun reporter recently:
coping With snow fails. either in the Rockies or
in the Cascades. The chief danger Is from snow
slides. As you pass oyer the mountains you will
notice that here and there may be seen enOr-
nous pathways from 100 TO 200 feet wide. run
ming from the top OF a peak peal straight aH down
a pass below. These paths are as clean as IL
moved with monster knife. The snow starts
with a slow glide that changes To tremendous
speed before IL reaches the bottom. and IL cuts
the timber before II clean. When II all piles up
Il would require days and days OF the
most laborous work 10 clear the tracks
Of ahs Z q Gs Of s
engineering problems in constructing q railroad
there to build sheds where these slides have
taken place. and where there are indications
that they will take place again. Frequently the
slides go laundering down the slopes, strike on
tons and then go on their way down to the val
leys. There is now very little difficulty from
the railroads many thousands OF dollars"
On the Great Northern there are probably
score OF these sheds In the Cascades: They are
tressed with the stoutest timber that can be cut
and worked In the mountains, and The roofs are
built clos close under the highest part Of the roofs
slope. When a slide comes II shoots over these
smoothly rooted sheds with the ease of a water
fall over a precipce. A train passing through the
shed at the same time that slide was going over
would scarcely feel the effect. There would be
a tremendous roar and an earthquake rumble,
but beyond that the passengers would scarcely
know that anything unusual was taking place.
However. II takes as much engineering work
and rs much computation of fweights and strains
to build one OF these sheds as Il does 10 build a
complicated trestle. and the engineers are just
as proud OF them they are of the finest tres
tie work. From now on 10 spring the civil en-
gneers will be busy watching these structures
and in assuring themselves from day 10 day
that they are safe and sound in every part.