The Anaconda standard., 1895-12-22
WORK FOR SHOP MEN
Locomotives Have Been Doing Heavy
Work of Late.
SNOW TO CONTEND WITH
The First Wreck on the Baltimore
g. Ohio-Mixed Trains on the Bit
ter Root Branch-News on
the Division.

Missoula. Dec 21.-The falling of in
railroad business. which always sue
ceeds the ante-holiday rush has oc-
CURED on the Northern Pacific and the
trainmen who have been on the jump
for two months have more time at
terminals than they have been getting.
Two crews have been laid off on this
division and those that are still run
ming are not as busy as they have
been One good result will follow this
decrease. The mechanical department
will now have time to make the neces-
sary light repairs to the engines that
have been in almost constant service
since September. There will be plenty
of work for the shop men for some
time. as some of the motive power Is
in bad shane. The statement that this
condition of the motive power is due
to bad management and mistaken
ideas of economy. which was quoted In
the Standard this week is denied by
some railroad men who say that the
condition of the engines is the natural
result of the unusually severe strain
that has been put upon them during
the past two months and that this
will be speedily remedied now that
there is time to lay up some of the en-
gines for repairs.
During the past week the dispatch
ers have watched the weather reports
with some anxiety. as blizzard has
been threatened for several days. But
the storm has failed to make its ap-
pearance thus far, and there is but
little snow on the main line of this
division. except at Blossburg, Mis-
soula and Hope. On the west end
the fall of snow was very light and
was not sufficient to delay traffic in
any way. There has been a little ugly
weather east of the Mullan. tunnel, but
trains have run nearly on time all the
week. On the Coeur d'Alene branch
the snow is piling up in good shape
on the summit. but the rotary has
kept the track clear without any diff
Guilty. At Lookout there is now be-
tween three and four feet of snow,
which is added to daily and the divide
will soon be buried in its usual deep
covering
The Idaho and Cascade divisions,
according to the reports of passengers
and trainmen. have had much more
snow than the Rocky mountain. At
Hope and Immediately west of there
the fall on Friday was one foot in
eight hours. Yesterdays east-bound
train was delivered to the Rocky
late. as result of snow and bad
weather.
Local railroad men will remember
Frank Leek. who was a train man on
this division a few years ago. He was
also well known in this city among
the business men. When he left here
he went to Ell Paso, Texas, where he
secured a situation on the Santa Fe
as conductor. About Is months ago
he was married at Lincoln, Neb., to
Nellie. daughter of Conductor Gilbert
of the west end. Mr. Gilbert received
news yesterday of Mr.. Leek's death
at Ell Paso on Dec. IL. No particlars
of the sad affair are known, except
that he was killed in a train accident.
This news will occasion sincere regret
in Missoula among the friends of the
unfortunate man. who was very popu-
lar among his fellows.
In speaking the other day Of acci-
dents to engineers well known local
railroad man gave a Standard reporter
the following account of an occurrance
in early railroading: AN old time ma
chinist. who now lives in Milwaukee.
told me years ago of the first accident
that ever happened on the Baltimore &
Ohio. 1t occurred, naturally enough.
to the first engine. This engine once
had a race with an old white horse be-
tween Baltimore and Elicott's mills,
where the cotton factories are. 1t was
20-mile run and the white horse won
In those days they did not have the
exhaust out of the stack, and the en-
gine smoked without putting. The
forced draft was secured with a sort
of bellows that worked with a pulley
by hand The engine was getting
ahead OF the horse when the belt ran
off the pulley and the outfit had to
stop for repairs"
Passengers on the Bitter Root
branch mixed train, which has succeed
ed the double service of the summer
and fall. find the trip not so disastrous
as they had feared from experiences of
former wears. 1t is true that for a
few days after the mixed train was
put on the passengers were given a
regular old-time shaking up every time
the train was stopped or started. Their
necks were wrenched and their backs
were strained. while their baggage
was scattered all over the cars. The
agony reached its climax one evening
at Hamilton. when the drawheads of
several cars were wrecked and the
passengers were given an excellent H.
lustration of the effects OF a head-end
collision That brought the matter to
the attention at headquarters and
since then the train starts and stops
as gently as IL IL were an overland
limited.