The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-01-23

Sacramento. Cal, Jan 22.-It seems
as if the route of the Central Pacific
were laid through the lines of the
greatest snowfall. With drifts 40 feet
deep and snow % feet deep on the level
at the summit, the utmost energies of
the railroad people are put to the test.
The r0taries are tossing snow in con-
tinuous streams from the roadbed,
but from Gold Run to Truckee snow is
falling at the rate of an inch an hour.
Luckily the wind is not blowing, and
the situation is not complicated by the
formidable land and snow slides that
so often make railroading ard even ex-
istence in the high Sierras perilous.
In places hardy mountaineers in the
smaller towns communicate by means
of tunnels through the snow. Rabita-
tions- are obliterated. and the reign of
the storm king, magnificent but desc
late, is supreme.
Trains rcoceed cautiously through
perpendicular banks Of snow like mar
bic walls towering above the coaches.
The rotaries Drecede them in ceaseless
toll, cutting the way that a couple of
thousand men had prepared. The snow
is falling SO fast that ii is not certain
that the push plows and the Hangers
Will not have to be invoked to keep
the way open.
the latest official reports received
show that during the previous "a hours
the snowfall was as follows: TrucHee,
Inches, on the ground feet and 8
inches; Summit, "a inches, on the
ground 20 feet and inches; Cascade.
80 inches, on the ground Is feet; Cisco,
20 inches, ON the ground 16 fect 3
inches; Enllgrant Gap, IL inches, on the
ground Is feet; Blue Canyon, II inches,
on the ground feet 8 inches; Shady
Run, IL inches on the ground 10 feet;
Towles, inches, on the ground s feet
5 inches: Gold Run, inches, on the
ground feet 10 inches; Co}faH. 1
inches, on. the ground 8 feet.
There is no flood in the valley. OF
course the -tules and low basins are fill
ed, but the streams are well in their
banks and at present there is no danger
of washouts.
If the storm continues it will severely
test the leyees q warm rain on the
mountains of snow now would bring a
greater body of water on the valley
than in 1S61-62.
Word was received early this morn
ing that the snow on the summit OF
the mountains had reached to a level
with the cross arms on the telegraph
poles and that four more inches Of
snow would prostrate every wire over
the mountains.
Despite the enormous snow fall and
the drifts caused by the heavy winds,
the railroad officials have been enabled
10 keep the road through the Sierra
Nevadas entirely clear, and passenger
trains are moving nearly on time.
Shasta Route stopped.
Travel is temporarily stopped on the
Shasta route on account of the enor-
nous avalanche that occurred on Mon
day in the canyon near Castle Crag.
The railroad company has q, large force
| of men engaged IN clearing the track
and the officials hope to be able to for
ward trains today. Local trains be-
tween this city and Red Bluff are run
ming by way Of Marysville without him
drance.
A heavy washout in the vicinity of
Willows has caused that line TO be
abandoned temporarily.
At present the track where the wash
out occurred near Dunnigan is en-
tirely covered with water and it is sim
ply impossible to ascertain the amount
of damage incurred or the necessary
| time that VIII be required to make
needed repairs.
There is a remarkable similarity be-
tween the present storm and the one
that occurred in January, 1890 Both
began on tine same date-tte 15th-and
statistics show that nearly the same
amount of snow fell on similar dates.
The storm of 1890, which caused such
an absolute blockade in the Sierras.
lasted fifteen days and by present ap-
pearances it VIII be equalled, if not
surpassed, by the one now raging.
To SIufce Out the Snow.
The railroad company will tonight
send up from Oakland a force of one
hundred men with hydraulic pumps
and other apparatus to sluice suit the
snow that now dams up the canyon of
the Sacramento river and the railroad
in the vicinity of Castle Crag near
Dunsmuir. Monitors will be turned
upon the snow banks until they are
cut through.
The small ranch 1evees on the Yolo
side of the river some miles below here
are said to be giving way and that the
back water of the Tule basin is creep
ing up toward Washington. 1t is ex-
pected that some of the lower portions
Of that village will be covered with
water.