The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-26
OF TRANSCONTINENTA
ROADS
ARE HOURS OR DAYS BEHIND TIME.
What the Official Reports Tell of the
Weather Along the Big
Roads.

late.
They tell me the water is freezing
in the boilers of the locomotives in
North Dakota replied Policeman
Andy Call
The storms and the unusual cold Of
the past three days have demoralized
the entire Northwest train service to a
large extent and northern Minnesota,
North and South Dakota have felt the
blasts with more severity than any
other portions Of the country. The cold
has ranged from As degrees below zero
to degrees above along the line of the
two great transcontinental systems.
Such an extreme cold temperature is
seldom seen and has net been exper-
fenced since the siege of 1898, when
the whole Northwest saw ninety DAYS
of Arctic weather The cold wave is
very extensive. The reports received at
the railroad offices show that it ex-
tends from Portland to Pennsylvania
and from Winnipeg to Dallas. Texas
where it was reported as being but
16 above zero yesterday, an almost I'M
precedented temperature for the "s1n-
ny South"
All trains were more n less DELAYED
yesterday. 1t was said around the
union depot yesterday that the st. Paul
q Duluth road took the banner fCr reg
uIar trains, and that the Eastern Min
nesota came next, but as both lines are
short. 1t was natural their trains should
be on time. The Chicago trains arrived
generally on time, some of them. h. W.
ever h6jnO L.
thing which delayed the Chicago trains
was the extreme cold weather and the
oililculty IN maintaining adequate
steam.
Inc Great Northern and the Northern
Pac1flc have experienced great difficulty
in getting their transcontinental trains
through. A record CT the movements Of
the trains is kept at the union Gepot
on public bulletin beard, but the
board does not tell the story by half
IL reports that certain train will ar
rive IN the city five hours late The
number of the train is given. but the
board does not announce that the train
winch will arrive five hours late is the
train which should have arrived dav
or two beforehand. The fault has been
that the trains have been late. as the
olilcIaIs nave been using all the arts
known TO railroad science to keep the
INES open. In the far Northwest the
trouble is caused by the violent snow
storms of last week rather than the
nara cold of the present. However. the
blockades on the roads would have
been raised by this time had if not
been for the violent cold The officials
declare that they can do little as long
as the weather continues as cold as If
is. They will not start crews of mon
out at work in the Arctic atmosphere
and high winds, as it would mean IN
told hardship and probably death to
many OF the labOrerS. Then, again. the
intense Geld has concealed the huge
drlftS into Veritable ice blocks. In MANY
places, it is said, the snow is from
ten to thirty feet deep in the drifts.
The remains Of the three billiards.
which swooped down upon the North
west during December are to be seen
on every hand in towering piles of snow
along the right Of way. These points
are where most of the delay has &C.
CURED during the past few days, as the
lying snow has settled down between
the walls and frozen.
Some idea of the temperature may be
secured from the daily reports received
at railroad headquarters The reports
received at the Great Northern showed
the following for yesterday.
Willmar division, % below.
breckenridge division Is to % below
Fergus Falls division, 81 below.
northern division, 25 to 50 below.
Dakota division, % below.
Montana division, 80 to As below
kalisPel division, 80 to is below
Cascade division, II to % below.
Freight travel on the Eastern diyi-
sion of the Great Northern main line
is moving with fair regularity, and the
passenger service is getting better every
hour. The Huron, Watertown and
Aberdeen branches are still under the
snow, as they have been for the last
ten or twelve days. No effort can be
mace to dig the lines cut until it be-
comes warmer. The Great Northern
train No. 10 due to arrive at 1855 yester-
day morning did not arrive until 3:15
or whereabouts, yesterday afternoon
The Great Northern trains DELAYED in
North Dakota in the vincinity of Grand
Jerks, and trains which should have
gotten through Saturday morning. are
just getting past the blockade line.
On the Northern Pacific, matters
have been in very bad condition for
the past two or three days, but are
getting better now. Two delayed trans
| continental trains arrived in a bunch
Sunday. Last evenings train, which
! should have arrived about 6 O'Clock
was said during the evening to be from
| seven tC nine hours late and losing
| time on account of the intense cold.
| The WeSt-Eound overland train on the
| Northern Pacific passed Jamestown
Sunday about fifty hours late and an
| east-bCund train from the coast passed
| the same point during the night about
! forty-five hours late.
| The record Of the weather at differ
| ent points along the Northern Pacific
! is as follows: ST. Paul % below: Nor
| irs, 25; Ashland, 20; Duluth, rs; Staples.
! 20; Fergus Falls, IS; Minor, 49, Detroit
| Lake, %; Pembina, 20; Grand Forks.
%; Winnipeg. "a; Fargo. 20; James,
! town, IS; Darlington, wires down; Man
! dan, 80; Dickinson, 25; Glendive, IA;
| Miles City. Mont, 20; Billings, 70; Liv--
! ingston, IS; Bozeman, 0; Helena, is:
| Missoula, Z. From this point west the
! temperature commenced to grow war
mer. At Hope it was 2 above, Spokane.
| 5 above; Martin, 10 above; Tacoma. 81
above, and Portland, 20 above. The
| Northern Pacific is having trouble On
| nearly all Of it's branch lines.
| The Milwaukee and the Northwestern
are having much trouble in the Dako-
4 tas, where there is intense cold and
! deep SHOWS, but the Northwestern re-
! ported yesterday that its trains were
running, but many Of them late. The
/ Milwaukee line to Aberdeen has been
| closed since last Friday but it is hoped
| to get communication open in a day or
| two, The Great Northern line TO tha