The morning call., 1895-01-24
Overland Trains BIOckaded by the
Heavy Drifts.
THE RUSSIAN RIVER IS A TORRENT.
Houses Are Swept Away and the Rail.
road Tracks Are Broken.
Heavy Losses.


and the steady sheets of snow that had
been enlisting the services of all the avail
able men at the command of the railroad
officials have degenerated into occasional
furries th roughout the mountain regions.
But lull does not mean a cessation of
work, nor relaxation OF vigilance on the
part of the railroad men engaged in keep
ing clear the great artery of travel that con-
meets the coast with the East.
On the contrary, advantage has to be
taken of the truce with the storm king to
clear sidetracks and remove the great ac-
cumulations of the beautiful" from those
points most threatened by snowshdes.
The rotary plows have to be kept in con-
slant operation to remove the great masses
of snow that are continually breaking off
the high banks that line the road for miles
and the drifts that are constantly forming
in the narrow cuts through the hills.
Division Superintendent ]. B. Wright,
accompanied by Chief Train Dispatcher
Breckenfeld and Resident Engineer
Meeker, have been on constant duty in the
snow belt and the work of keeping the road
open has been under their personal super
vision.
This morning one of the rotaries that
was clearing the road before the two west
bound overland passenger trains 2 and 4
broke a wheel on this side of Emigrant
Gap, causing the derailment of one of the
12-wheel compound locomotives. The TO-
tary was taken to Gold Run and the over
land trains were detained at Blue Canyon.
The snow depth is as follows: Truckee,
s feet inches; Summit, 20 feet; Cascade,
10 feet; Cisco, Is feet; Emigrant Gap, 16
feet; Blue Canyon, u feet; Gold Run, feet
inches
The levee near Clarksburg, on the Yolo
side of the river, has given way and the
hamlet is inundated, the residents being
compelled to use boats to pass from house
to house.
The river is also overlooking the levees
near Rio Vista, and vast stretch of coun-
try almost as far as the eye can reach is
under water, only the tops of the fence
posts being visible
Word was received to-day from the
vicinity OF Peters Ferry requesting that
number of sacks be forwarded immedi-
ately, so that there is evidently trouble ex-
pected in that locality.
The steamer San Joaquin No. 3, with
barge in tow, went up the river to-day for
the purpose of removing the livestock from
Shulmyer's ranch, near Knights Landing.
AS far as heard from the levees surround
ing the islands in the lower Sacramento
were intact. A large force is at work be-
low CORTLAND strengthening and raising
the leyees in that locality, and residents
claim that they are entirely free from
danger.
Considerable damage is occurring down
the river in the Lisbon district-on the
Yolo side and nearly opposite Freeport.
The water is flowing over the levees and
large number of men are employed in rails
ing the entertainments with sacks of earth.
DUNsMUIR, Jan. 23.-The day has been
warm and pleasant, with occasional snow
flurries. As the promised hydraulic outfit
did not come Roadmaster Joe Mott with
300 shovelers started IN on the glacier
like mountain of snow at the foot of the
avalanche. They shoveled all day but
have made only a beginning.
A line of sentinels was posted clear up
TO the source of the avalanche to give
warning if another started. Superintend-
ent Cooley left Sisson yesterday morning
with the rotary and at II clock last night
he stopped at Bear Creek, fourteen miles
this way. 1t was hard and slow work this
morning and he footed it to Dunsmuir to
look after the work here. The rotary got
down to the shovelers at noon but is of no
use for that kind of snow. 1t cannot ad-
vance foot an hour. The men who run it
could do more with shovels, as the snow is
packed and icy and it has to be picked and
shoveled like dirt. The superintendent
says it will be open Friday evening, but it
would be better to say Saturday evening.
Everybody here has been up to see the
avalanche. 1t is grand sight and worth
a trip from the city to see. Mr.. Curtis is
expected up tonight with 100 more men.
BY an accurate measurement Superinten-
dent Cooley says the snowfall up to date is
thirty-one feet a little more than in the
famous winter five years ago. On Black
Butte summit it is at least twenty feet
more. The delayed passengers have joined
in with the citizens and are having big
ball tonight.
S1ssoN, Jan. 23.-Sunday's southbound
passenger train is still snowbound here.
Numerous slides exist between this place
and Dunsmuir. Yesterday while work
men were engaged in clearing big slide
near Soda Springs an avalanche came
down the mountain and the men scattered
right and left.
Fortunately the men were warned of
the approaching danger, and outside of
the loss of all the tools no one was hurt.
The second slide is 1900 feet long and
averages sixty feet deep, and is composed
of snow, debris and big pine trees. All
wires have been down for two days, and
sot until to-day has communication been
established with the outside world. The
telegraph line from Dunsmuir to Sissons,
through the Sacramento canyon, has been
restrung on the opposite side of the river,
entailing great loss of time, but necessary,
IS the numerous slides break the wires
continually throughout the day.
Among the passengers on the snow
bound train here is the imperial Japanese
Consul to Portland and his wife. The in
dicaNons are that the blockade will last
three or four days more and possibly
longer, as it is still showing. The fall of
snow endaR3 the last ninety-six hours
amounts to 10 feet, making 15 feet now on
The level. The fall for the season amounts