New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-04
DAKOTA SNOWDRIFTS.
HOW THE GREAT ROTARY PLOuGHS Or
THE RAILROADS DEAL WITH THEM

The long delay cd breakup has come at last NAT
snow Which has 4 fallen in the Northwest since early
in November. 1t has been the most snowoound d
known since 1881 At this time year ago the
streets Of Minneapolis dusty and bicycle races races
and century runs under way To-day tnere
two feet OF and Ice on the ground. and as
late Monday. March Is, Il was six degrees Pc Pc
low On that lay various places In the Dakotas
experienced the coolest weather MAT they ., nave S
forty below. and Bismarck saw the mercury go ~
thrty-six below. With such intense cold, and with
higher." tie Whole people OF North Dakota were
prepared to expect winter to last all summer.
startling change. A Chinook wind from the Pacihc
Coast found it's way across the Dakota prairIes,
IS degrees above zero2a change Of 81 degrees. The
Chinook continued eastward and reached East,
Wednesday it raned as It did in the days Of Noah
The weather authorities concede that spring prime mas
come at last but It Is spring which VIII long ha'f
the appearance OF winter.
RAILROADS WREsTLE WITH SNOW.
People in the East and South cannot realize the
extent of this winters snowstorns and the sreal
obstruction that they have been to railroad .rs ,,b
the winter lSs0s1. The transcontinenta raiiroau
lines running out from enG the Pace
have known hardly week in the whole winter IN
rams from few minutes to forty-eight hours
and the Soo-Paoidc has often been tea up OF,
through traffic for several davs at a tine Such
Minnea polls Dakota lines the various short lines
Of the Northern Pacific and Great Northern. the
Hastings and Dakota division OF the dvsioS Of the
Mnnea polls and ST. Louis have mao con. .ua !
SnG MIMI Falls lire and the
Hastings and Dakota have often been usn up 10, a
nIouchs were unknown TIE bockades would have
lasted for months On some Of the local roIas ~.
this Writer. The last heavy storm of the season
that of March l1-l2-recuted IN blockades wh zen
middle of March on March l6 the first train IN a
month passed the north end OF the milwaukee
davs before the Great Northern will be running
trains between Huron ard WATERFOWL and ihe ere
several Dakota lines whicn propapiy VIII "o'
be opened until they are thawed out.
sNowDRIFT WORTH $4,000
Snow ploughs have been busy every month this
Writer and all the railroad companies have been
compelled to hire large crews OF shoveers h,t ~
from the world nearly half the winter counting al,
the different peroSs al wnSh !, have worked
great hardships Communities have suffered TOT
lack of fuel and provisions and business mas oee'
The biockades, too, have caused many laughable
Incidents For instance. take the experience or the
express agents and National Guardsmen who were
conveying the funds OF the South Dakota treasury
The Populistc Legislature Of South Dakota de-
clared that the retiring Treasurer would nave 70
corroborate his statement as to cash on hand by
100000. II deposited in various south Dakoea
nerintendent OF the American Express Company
na nv Of south Dakota militia guarding the treasure
il was conveyed In lump from Huron TO Pierre
After the Populists had counted IT Mr.. Danie
started back With the treasure. but the train was
caught in a blizzard II Highmore. half way BE-
a PeT IN the end dirty NTH its and
say nothing Of ne Who w ney rsspensb
Tor the money but the snow ploughs at last broke
through the drifts.
HARD TO KEEP TRACKS OPEN.
If 1T were not for the way the snow fills up IN tn
would not last long before the modern rotary snow
plouChs which clear the track from heavy snow q
that in the deep cuts the walls OF snow thrown "
by the roaries on each side OF the track eventuals
reach such a height that the snow falls back wher
il IS shot out from the cutting knives Of the rotary
In ordinary winter that neyer sw have Ih
in places and the wind had heaped It into drifts
fifteen and twenty feet high the deep cuts aIts
/ nm In such cuts there is nothing TO do but rein
force the snow poughS with trains OF nacaTs avn
onto the cars and drawn out OF the cuts In SOM
in the Dasotas so5 Ta Wss ai Of snow s hG
as the coaches and not more than I'VE or SIN
r. tbe railroads. have suffered what shall be sale
! Of the country wagon roads and OF the farmers
In some cases communication with towns ~, mas peer
entirely cut off except by means of skids There ma.
! been so much snow that during the winter there
was general revival of the pastime Of snow-boat
ing. These snowboats are simply light three-run
ner sleighs which rugged with big sails exactly
! like those OF sailboats.
DRIFTS THIRTY-FIvE FEET HIGH.
In Harlem Township near ForemansN p ther'
| ster drift accumulated over farmers we'll It
! draw water the farmer has been compelled 10 adc
thirty-fve feet OF tubing 10 the We'll
A. Havana " D.. the sloping roof Of a large
warehouse is the upper part OF splendid tonog
The roof In this neghborhood a windmill on 4
tventv-foot tower completely covered by the
snow and the owner had to remove ten feet Of
/ m Several have been reported o.
stock walking onto the roofs or snow-covered oar1
falling In d %
their houses through second-story windows Aftei
neiIed r. make cuts through the snow TO get TO thu
doors of their houses and barns
To those who have not travelled through IN
ble but If the snowfall as officially recorded BY tn
local United states IN ss ba thsy are not ex
aggerations. At Minnea polls the records Of tn,
oTs shOT tbs hat n ybn f qeM
there were twenty-five inches of closely packed
h the sun on e the ays
and over large stretches OF country 1t lies az
depth OF three or four feet. Strong winds blowing
drifts d@hf s1''''''''' " -'
HOW THE PLoUGHs ARE OPERATED
The old buckins type of po1sShs s is S reS SSe
NAV be described as strongly built car, which has
ut It's forward end series OF @ FL p ~
does into n hoard In this car Is powerful sta
onary engine which whirs the KNIVES c at ,ne I'VE
knives whrlinr is pushed into the snow by TWO en-
gne Where snow is rot more sr ,nan a Ionp OF
~ 80 ~ rom six to ten miles hour, without
stopping and backing up 10 buck The knives
draw tie snov, into shafts on either side OF the
ioryb from which Il Is shot out with great velocity
md 70 a considers bic distance. rotary plough
nesrc through A deep drift makes splendid spec
tacia as IL throws out great columns OF snow,
wbich mix with the smoke from the engines.
HSEEUL INDIlN LORE