, 1899-02-11

Inc great storm OF FEBRUARY, 1899,
will pass into history as the severest
on record. 1t has continued longer,
the thermometer has ranged lower and
the precipitation has been greater
than any mid-winter storm in the his
tory of this section.
Old-timers shake their heads in a
lugubrious manner and say TIP, but
they are getting old nj one must be
charitable for their memories are be-
coming defective. If at present the
Union Pacific was equipped with the
little eight-wheel toy engines of the
early days, not a wheel could be turn
ed and there would be no telling when
the blockade would end. In the winter
of '71-2 hundreds of men were brought
all the way from Omaha to shovel
through the drifts. Now an immense
more snow in thirty minutes than 100
men could shovel in a week. Then the
cuts were narrow and filled easily. In
! recent years they have been broadened
and the snow is not given such a good
chance to cover the track. But the
| present storm is battling almost sue
cessfully with the best equipment
known to modern ~railroading. In
Colorado it is master of the situation
n ~ oil thn rnnl- 70 thn fY-A~t 80 na-,,au
have been tied up for ten days. The
Rio Grande has been compelled to turn
its passenger traffic over to the Union
Pacific and its trough traffic, both
freight and passenger, has been entire
ly suspended.
OF all the lines in the west the I'm
ion Pacific has been the most success
full in the fight with the elements. At
times the situation has been such that
human endurance was taxed to the ut
most, but the men have struggled on
and Gold Boreas has been conquered.
The brave men of the engine and train
rev have not been the only ones
whose energy and endurance have been
fully taxed during the terrific ordeal.
From the first, Superintendent E. C.
Harris has been ever close to the seat
of the greatest trouble, personally di-
recting the handling of men and ma
chinery. and his success has been phe-
nomenal. His efficient assistant super
intendent, Mr.. Charles Culross, return-
ed from his visit to Canada just in
time to get right into the thickest of
It," and during one stretch of f~orty-five
hours he never "batted an eye" and If
he has slept amy during the past forty
eight hours his associates have failed
to discover when it was. Chief Dis
patcher Stewart has been just as con-
slant to duty and all the energy of
mind and muscle possessed. by the
superintendent and the men under his
direction has been taxed to the limit.
The real storm center has been be-
tween Huttons and Medicine Bow, near
Lookout being the worst. There seems
to be a peculiar formation of the noun
tains to the west which centers a storm
at that point. During the present storm
the snow has come in binding sheets
and the wind was never weary" Yes
terday morning it was thought the
blockade was completely raised, but the
storm of yesterday added six or sc~an
inches more of the beautiful Id an
unfortunate accident west Of Rock
Creek tied up Nos. 8 and 2 for the
night. No. 3, which left here late yes
terday afternoon, passed Lookout with
out serious trouble. but her engines
were derailed at a point west Of Rock
Creek and it was impossible to right
matters again before morning. No. 2
was tied up at Aurora during the night
and did not arrive here until after IL
O'Clock today. No. l passed e at
about 6 O'Clock this morning.
Although the storm Is a record
breaker, the Overland has proved itself
entirely capable to cope with all emer-