The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-01-04
THIS STORM
is QUEER.
Weather Men Say the Blizzard
Is Peculiar.
Small Pointed Particles of Snow
Like Dakota Billiards.
SELDOM SEEN HERE.
All Railroad Trains Are Late
From Drifting Snow.
Santa Fe Engine Pushing Snow
plOW EEDied'' on the Track.

SIMULTANEOUSLY WIN Ine DIrIn OF the
year '97, Kansas has experienced, if not
the most severe, one of the most dis
agreeable storms in her latter day his
tory. The question of extreme cold
did not enter into the storm, and in
10 part of the state is the tempera-
ture reported to have fallen lower than
the zero mark, but the elements ap-
peared to combine to make their pres
ence particularly noticeable.
Weather authorities state that the
storm was peculiar. They say that
the fall which commenced over the
state generally Saturday morning was
more ice than snow, and that the small
pointed particles which Stung the faces
of pedestrians and others exposed to
the storm were of the particular kind
that make the bliZzardS of the Dako-
tas so fatal to human life. A similar
fall has not been known for years in
Kansas.
Throughout the state the fall of snow
varied from two inches to eight inches
up to yesterday afternoon. This depth
of snow alone would be perfectly harm
less to railroad traffic, but the north
wind which accompanied the snow
storm increased in velocity Saturday
night and all day yesterday amused it
self in hurting the snow in immense
drifts making formidable barriers to
railroad travel.
For ten hours Sunday morning not
train moved on the main line of the
Santa F'e west of NickerSon, Kan. On
was delayed to some extent, and when
trains moved it was with two engines
attached and a locomotive with a snow
plOw preceding them on the ROCK
Island lines a similar condition existed,
although the greatest delay was but
matter of four hours. The Liberal line
of the Rock Island west of Pratt, Kan,
was entirely blocked, as was the Pan
handle line of the Santa Fe south of
Woodward, o. T.
The delay of ten hours on the main
line of the Santa F'e was not wholly due
to the snow blockade. At O'Clock sat
Ilrday night a. heavy Baldwin lOcOmo-
tive with q large snow plow attached
was started west from NlckerSon TO
clear the track as far as Dodge City.
The progress of the locomotive was
necessarily slow, but by 2 o'clock in the
morning it had reached point five
miles east of Dodge City, and was bid
ding fair to clear the remaining five
miles of track in short order. 1t was
Just as the engine started to move faS-
ter in response to a pull on the throttle
by the engineer, and the hreman was
piling the firebox of the engine high
with coal in anticipation of quick run
that the plow the front of the en-
gine struck an immense drift The big
iron horse quivered and reeled for
moment, and then came to a standstill
without leaving the track, but never
theless sustained a loss which stalled it
as .effectually as if it had been ditch
ed In the reaction OccaSlOned by Str1k-
ing the drift the door of the firebox
was torn from it's hinges
Neither the engineer or fireman know
or can tell how it happened, and were
hurled some distance away in the snow
drifts With the door of the frebOx
gone, it was impossible to keep suffi-
cient fire in the engine even for a dis
tance of five miles, and nothing could
be done other than allow the engine to
die This the engine did in a very
short space of time
Train No. 5, which left this city Sun
cT1I tho Inn, 1fe1fea
ly behind the plowing engine, and the
engineer and fireman of the stalled 10
comotive made their way back to the
train and told of the accident. Aid was
then telegraphed for from both Nick
erson and Dodge City, but it was over
an hour before it arrived, and by that
time the snow had drifted so completely
around the dead engine as to make its
removal impossible before the snow
could be shoveled away. Men and SHOW
els then went to work, but 1T was hours
before the snow was cleared away and
the stalled locomotive coupled to an
other engine and pulled into Dodge
City.
Trains Nos and 6, which should
have passed through this ely yesterday
afternoon, were, in consequence of the
accident, held at Dodge City and passed
through this city about o'clock this
morning. The Rock Island trains into
Topeka were not delayed more than
from two to three hours. All freight
traffic on all roads was greatly delayed.
Today the snow is reported to be still
drifting heavily over the state gener-
ally. but especially in the western part,
and the officials of the operating de-
partments of the railroads fear that
considerable delay may be experienced.
All trains running today have two en-
gines attached, and locomotives with
snow plows are out on all divisions en-
deavoring to keep the tracks clean
The big rotary plow of the Santa Fe
which is stored at Nickerson and has
not been used for several years, was
yesterday afternoon started over the
cut off line from Hutchinson to kins-
ley, and will be used on the middle di-
vision and also the western today.
So far no accidents have occurred on
the railroads as a result of the storm
If little snow falls today the railroad
people think that all trains will be run
ming on time tomorrow.
MERCURY SEEKING ZERO