West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1895-02-21
RowLEsBURG's RAIL readers.
Thrilling Tale Of Their Rescue From
tic Snow Drifts Around Oakland
Correspondence Of the Argus.

Correspondence Of the Argus
RowLEsBUBe. w. VA, Feb. Is, fso5.
Picturesque Oakland with it's breezy
altitude, stylish residences, and an am
bition TO force the mercury on it's knees,
sit ON IL and keep il in that position I'M
ill the Dog Star gets its back up and
lifts it from its mooring, clearly demon
strateo last week that its people are
not nearly SO frigid as the climate, and
the man who asserts the contrary in
the presence of our railroad men. will
surely experience shower of brim-
stone aud atmosphere of the blue VA
riety that will cause him to think that
he has passed through the seventh cir
Gle OF "Dantes Inferno"
Far from saying that we ever thought
our sister town folks an ungenerous
| people. Our railroad men-borrowing
the Board of Trade expression, bulls"
and "bears"-regard Oakland stock
many points higher, and the cause that
led to the advancement will be seen
| from the following brevities When
ever the snow exceeds one foot and the
| wind starts to drift it. our helpers are
compelled TO push over to Altamont,
and often belated on account of the
| snow-bound track; but never in the
history of the B. 81 o. had they great
CIR layout than that of last week. In
and around Oakland for miles engines
could be seen standing lik. huge snow
drifts, incapable of turning IA wheel,
and as water could not he procured,
the fires had to be extinguished to pre-
vent the dropping of the soft plug"
as the men term it.
The first thing the belated engineer
does is to TRY his water" after Which
he tries his dinner pail. and as those
men were on the road fifteen hours or
more, 1T would have been difficult
task to ascertain which of the three
tanks was,sthe driest. Hour by hour
passed and1many were the remarks
made, as one after another would take
up reef in his waist-band, thus bring.
ing the antipodes of his anatomy in
closer contact, and at the same time
saying nice things of the author of
beautiful Snow" But Beautiful Snow
soon ia led from their vision and the
good Samaritan soon appeared in the
person of Doc McComas, announcing
that the gooi people of Oakland had
furnished large and commodious hall
with abundance of sandwiches and a
tank full of hot coffee that wouli not
only fill them up, but would put many
inches in their engine tanks as well.
The scene was appalling Never since
the day of the timely arrival of Capt.
Greeley's relief party had human eye
behsld its equal A buffLlo stlmpeds
could not have caused greater conster-
nation. and three hearty cheers went
forth for the doctor in n key that must
h I'VE split the frozen Yough from shore
to shore. One by one they fled into
the building AMI willing hands dealt
out the provisions, and as sandwich
after sandwich disappeared, an expln-
sion OF the lately contracted waist-band
was soon in season. One man. IugaI
by name, took his snack in his hand
AMI turne his back to the fire, the
living picture of haffimished man.
The hot stove soon had his oily overalls
in blaze, and on being appraised of it,
! coolly remarked, as he gulped the hot
, coffee down, "D-.n it, let it burn; il is
the first time l have been warm to-
day" But Notwithstanding the fact
that he will have to use a cushion in
his engine for week or more, he, as
we'll as the rest of them, will long
cherish fondness for the oakland pep
pie, which fulfills the old adage, The
nearest way to reach a mans heart is
through his stomach.
j. NAIPER TANDY.