The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-02-27
conoR1po,s SNOW nlocKApE.
How the LeadvilIe Miners Dug Themselvei
Out-A Freight Train Lost.

DENVER. Feb. 22.-The great snow blockade
OF the railroads in Colorado has not entirely
been lifted. The Denver and Rio GrandG Rail
way has succeeded In getting through by rea-
son Of its advantageous right OF way. and yet
it, operation Is attended with considerable
caution TO avoid accidents. Down through
Eagle Canon and the canon OF the Grand
track walkers are spread out on every mile OF
the dangerous part OF the road In order to give
alarm In case Of unexpected slides. In places.
and often for several miles at a stretch. the
trains wind their way through a narrow trench
cut out by the rotary snowplough Just wide
enough to permit tho passage OF a passenger
coach.
The Colorado Midland is stln fighting the
great drifts along its route over the main
range. Traffic west Of Leadville by this line
has boon abandoned for nearly a month. The
snow has fallen to such a depth. while the ter
rife windstorms have continued to be so vlo-
lent. with the mercury away below zero. that it
has been practically impossible for the railway
people to make much progress In breaking
through the drifts. Tho rotaries strike slides.
a piece of machinery is broken on a big rock.
and before repairs can BIO made the gales
have filed the roadbcd once more with closely
packed snow. The blockade of the South Park
line was once broken az far as Como. and
dDOuI my pctbpuS' WIN - nhO" "a DV'i
showed in for nearly a month, were brought
into Denver. The road closed again when the
wind came W; The towns Of breckenridge;
Robinson and Dillon are still lost to the world
save by telegraph and the snowshoe route.
A feature OF the great fight made by the rail-
way companies was the campaign waged by the
the thermometer went to 30 below zero and
not a wheel was turning In the tTatlroad yards.
40 low that it was seen that all the great mines
must close down and b. ruined by the intowof
yater, unless rsiief was speedily obtatned Col;
George W. Cook teleRraphed to the railroad
break the blockade il the officials would aG-
way officials lost no time. In giving their
consent, Cook announced In Leadyille that
prepared to make a hard fight without consid-
ering the eiGht-hopr law. The men were on
hand before O'clock in the morning OF a day
out On Lr With al t fSsG skill i Of a General general. s Sup If1o
men received orders, and the men. armed with
sharpe1sd picks and s9uareL end rt sho vel
S ws. f2 bIewin nPon a {nHiF nnfa TIE TTs sn rRs c %ins
down in sheets. and stung like a blow from
a fist where it struck the face: Ice had formed
dreds Of men worked for hours along the
most incased in Ice. and not a murmur was
heard; AS fast as the track was cleared in one
down to another. On the, first day s74, men
volunteered their aid. and on the third day
their number had been reduced only 100. The
railway companies supplied the workers with
hot coffee. furnished from a baggage car which
followed in the wake of the working gangs.
accomplished the purpose sought. for the rail-
way was opened up Malta Hill and stalled trains
loaded with fuel were rushed Into the camp,
ending the coal famine. The railroad tracks.
however, were only paths between snow,hanks
a %lii b s' rsps s a r f".l the &, SP Riocf tad s9R VIII iast
long may be doubted, but they are certain to
continue until the great, snow masses have
broken from their unstable fastenings, on the
canon walls aud have run down to the bottoms
OF gulches and the beds Of streams;
4 freight train Is buried completely from
view by huge snowbauks on Boreas Pass and
train crew that abandoned it several weeks
ago. Wrecked engines and overturned cars
are scattered about, the mountains in a most
reckless fashion. but the companies are too
busy fighting snow to think OF recovering roll
Some OF the mining CAMPS present a most
dreary appearance from the train. There Is a
dark streak over the snow that indicates where
a road may be, while a narrow path Is cut from
snow cover the buildings, while the frowning
mountain sides show other masses awaiting an
invitation to come down and bury the town:
In many OF, the CAMPS the snow lies so
heavy on the mountain sides that slides
are liable to come at any moment. One
from a mountain Just, below Ophir last Sat;
s ! y S burr ia a m fbs 6 snd 5ha and h fat6er OF
I" ~ S'b "hf'
ianche. but could not give the alarm. They
saw the mass slowly start from near the sum
nit OF the mountain, and as it gained in size
It appeared to be a hundred feet IN height;
like a great tidal wave. With q roar it flashed
past the cabin. licking up the shaft house
and min as a gust of wind would carry or a
feather.
Nearly all the men Of Robinson camp have
come out on snowshoes in order to leave the
women and children more PROVISIONS; The
trials of the journey are such that only tho
most sturdy dare undertake it. Phil Baker.
with his family. two or three teamsters. and
fifteen horses. undertook to leave Robinson on
Sleds. They had to shovel out a roadway so
often that before they had gone five miles they
gave up the task and, tried to return. but a
snowslide had come down behind them. cut
ting of their road. Two days and nights were
spent BY the party in this situation. until. their
provisions giving out. a boy was sent over the
| snow on snOwshoes back to Robinson. whore
a rescue party WAS formed. and the snowbound
travellers were eventually returned to the camp.
The stories told by the snowshoe travellers
from isolated camps are almost beyond belief:
They tell of snowbanks forty feet deep and
great slides that have filled gulohes "A hundred
feet deep. while every mountain slope is buried
with deep masses OF tightly packed snow
formed in dangerous combs and reefs that
threaten disaster below,