The record-union., 1899-02-05

Midland Railways have redoubled their
efforts to open their lines west Of
Leadville, and through traffic over the
Colorado transcontinental route will
probably be resumed tomorrow at the
latest. The Midland Terminal read has
been cleared, and traffic over this line
to Cripple Creek was resumed to-day.
The Colorado Southern is making good
progress toward reopening it's line to
Leadville, but the Gunnison line has
been abandoned for the present, Gun.
nison being reached over the Denver
and Rio Grande.
Trains are again running on regular
schedule time from Denver to Como on
the South Park road, but beyond Como
the rotary is still bucking the snow
drifts in the efforts to open the road
to Kokomo and Leadville. Between
Dickey and Leadville are twenty-five
siicw slides, each two hundred to five
hundred feet in length and eight to ten
feet deep, and at the present rate of
progress Kokomo will not be reached
until tomorrow. At Wheeler a freight
tt ain loaded with merchandise and two
locomotives, stalled since last Thursday,
was still stalled with the train crew
and its occupants. Slides before and
behind had penned it in. The train
had been snow-bound for ten days.
Division Superintendent Zeeninger Of
the South Park branch of the Colorado
and Southern said to-day:
1--WE have had seventy-one con-
secutive days Of snow and storm be-
tween Como and Leadville. In all that
time there has not been a single day
free from a snow storm and high winds.
The old settlers state emphatically that
this winter has been by all odds the
most severe in twenty-five years. The
snow is seven feet deep on the level
from Boreas to Climax, and in many
riaces drifteo to more than twenty
feet. The snow is light and graduated,
and drifts easily. The altitude being so
great there has not been sufficient
moisture to form crust, and there
will be continual danger and annoy
ance from drifts until we have week
OF sunshine to moderate the weather
and thaw the surface. There has been
no suffering from lack of provisions or
fuel, unless it be at Kokomo. They
are supplied at Breckenridge now, since
we brought in our train of supplies, so
liltl liirIe Cdu pOSSiUly Ut udIe5S- VI
suffering for some time to come. To-
day is the first really good day we have
had, there being no wind and a clear
sky. We have the road open between
Denver and within twenty five miles of
Leadville."
It is reported that most of the live
stock from Breckenridge and ranges
whereabouts has been driven down to
near Keystone where ample protec-
ton and some bare places for feeding
may be found. One rancher there has
room sufficient for 1000 head of stock.
People are keeping very close at
home, the only ones venturing out
being those at the sawmills some dis
tance from towns, and these have been
closed down, and the operators have
gone to the towns to secure food and
warmth The only mines open are those
close to town. For six days all conf
munications on the high line has been
stopped. Of the three snow-bound the
atrical companies Gay Coney Island"
succeeded in reaching Grand Junction
and went to Salt Lake via the Rio
Grande Western; Vests Ministries and
SHAFT No. 2" are still at Glenwood
Springs.
The Denver and Rio Grande and the
Colorado Midland Railways are taking
the best possible care of their snow
bound passengers.
There is little danger Of further snow
slides along these lines, crust having
formed over the snow.
Slightly warmer weather is predicted
for Tomorrow The coolest point in
the State to-day was Greeley sixty
miles from Denver. thermometers there
registering 38 degrees below zero.
While there is considerable uneasi-
ness among stockmen over the -cOntinu-
alton Of the present cold wave and
stern, if there comes change with
the next three days the losses in stock
will not be nearly as heavy as gem
orally expected. Reports received by
the Denver Stockman'' from all sec
tions of the West indicate but few
losses to date in Colorado, Utah and
New Mexico, but in Northern Wyoming
and Montana, where most of the cat
tie are on the open range, it is feared
that the losses will be heavy, unless
a. change comes almost Immediately, as
the cattle were not so carefully gath
cred in the early winter as in Colorado