The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-02-19
SNOW bound in The ROCKIES.
some of the Perls OF This Extraordinary Winter-Reco
iections of Some OF the Oldest Inhabitants.


ard had Sled. ere on TOP OF tie Other
Forty or fifty feet ~ Snow would drsst
IN on them. ard sh~y wauld not BE ss~n
until the snow melted. The winter travel
ers In these days I'D not suffer so much.
Tor there were stage stations ten Ys,sles
apart. whsfs there xas always plenty OF
nay ard fuel. and some of the old cara
vans would sometimes reach from one
station 10 another
Dave Cook. another oii-ttrner gives
among HE "reminiscences some r-eftv ..fr
statements which eau be subssantgates
ia ING ne was with the regular cavalry.
and they were In tsnts that winter. Their
worst JOB was hauling wood. for which
tney had TO go swaive miles. During a
cold snap. with the Thermometer G be-
Tow, which lasted hffseu days. he was one
OF the number pgt on detail for the work
Win feet wrapped IN burIap and cap--a
tied over their ears they lived 10 tell the
tate. bat ears and feet were SO badly fro
xsn that IL took weeks OF hospital treat
snent TO recover. All kinds of fdg game
was killed on the plains for hides, and
the resh was shipped into Denver and
soic Tor what 10 would bring. Buffalo
meat was dirt cheap and sold for zi.e a
pound. when beef was tse ard not very
good at thar. Mr. Cook SAYS he believes
We will have ioss OF real cold wea Their yet
as the snow On the mountains IL an in
spring FOR tbs sGow 10 melt. and the
winds blowing OF the range viii Of course
De very cold. Up near the frontier that
winter ha tells Of herd Of 100 cattle and
nearly S1 Of them were frozen. q large
number of them stood stiY and dead WITH
out falling TO the ground
Dave Day. the Ignaefo Indian agent
can wsi3 remember the great blockade in
issS, which cut or Southern Colorado for
three months. and has never since been
eaUaled IN the state. Ia those days the
Hanger was rot known. and the rotary
pIow was not even thought OF 10 the I'M
aginssion. The only way Ia open 4 road
VAS by means OF a shovel IL took a force
of $50 extra rhoseisrs for eighty seven
days before the tracks were cleared.
Such a thing now would be wholly Inn
possible, for the snow pIow has wrought
such "a mighty Improvement Mall com
fnunieation was almost entirely cut OF.
for just az soon a road vas about
opened II WAS showed up again. A train
could only travel few miles a day.
Heavy loads could rot he carried under
any circumstances Durango had plenty
III substantial provisions but the people
up at S.iserton managed to avoid starya-
ton by paying 80 for every hundred
pounds OF f0uF. Then by dlnt Of borrow
Ing or stealing sugar and other things
from the Indian agency. the whites got
Col Day tells an interesting story of an
engineer Of the narrow guage whose
train ran iato slide In the Conetcs range
and remained there for two months. The
wind blew fuTiousiy "a great part Of the
time, and TO prevent the train from being
blown down the sides Of the mountain
the trucks Of the cars were fastened 10
the tracks by mans If chains. The en-
giuesF understood the rules. to the effect
that rs long an engineer remained
with his engine and kept her alive he
could expect his pay. So with the assist
ance OF the fireman, no cut wood in the
vicinity and kept up the fire continuously.
making 500 per month. for those were the
days OF high salaries In the mountains
The conductor Of the train aud one OF the
trainmen decided 10 try 70 walk out t.
one of the settlements on 0ashoes. The
shoes were accordingly made and the men
started The snow Was So deep that when
they set tired they sat dowr the cross
PIECES Of the telegraph poles
The continuance 81 the storm has pat a
stop 10 the transmission Of malls to many
81 the mountain towns. In some Of the
places III Is the impression that Uncle
sam Is under obligations - deliver the
mail regardless If the obstacles that ma
ture may Present. This Is not the case.
but under some extreme circumstance
when mail has been DELAYED for some
a
mail service H. sometimes authorized e.
organize snow-Ehos carriers or ~ send
tn the mail on the hacks NJ pack animals
tntjl railway communication can be open
Ell The custom has been 70 send the mai
to the point re8ehed by the railroad near
est 10 the snowad-tr region. and there u
allow the mali ~ RcCumulata until the
road Is opened. A malt clerk Is placed IN
charge. and If he be in car he IA ex-
peCted % stay with the car even il II
requires all winter. mail clerk has iust
returned to Denver who waz tied up al
breckenridge for fifteen days.
\ story rs told 81 a young clerk who
fifteen years ago had jus: reached Duran
80. the time Of the snnw blockade which
lasted three months He remained man
fully at his post. though he had been mar
ftet bat two weeks and WIS almost dis
traetgd over the separation from his bride
~ the close of his Imprisonment he hast
eHea back with aii possible speed ~ tina
thar his bride had flown with another af-
mlrer after selling his house
The present Intense cold has assumed a
new Importance in the West With thu
thermometer ranging So low IA - i is a
question hnwto keep the locomotives alive
for In spite ~ the closest attention thew
wl'l fTFe9e up. rot IA the hosl-rs bat IN
the faei~pipes. IN the tenders and ia the
afr brakes II has been found necessary
. Is wrap up many ~ the smaller f,fpss
. ~ Blankets fdr thc FIRST tIgne ~ the big
tory AZ railroad engineering IA Colorado.
The engines freeze w in theIT round
honse ard as n Instance Of thA severity
/ az the weather & has frequently happened
;aat huge stee} draw-hsr> snap OF like
giass with ihe 3smparf Of COUPLING
John ". Springer - pOrts "a the Nation
~ 1--we stock Association LOSSES from a
- - par cent IN the open range This i~
. rather 3ss6HartHnirE - the Styec kTueE7 afr
cyer tha West Sc tnCs are stfainlng every
nerve q keep thelr cattle 81 sNape rt3}
warm weather returns. a frxt~a3sss chi
nook would i'e received with 10y aaa
would now h~ worth thousands ~ so3Iav~
The coIG rortaeTs are what - re rs3cs.
: daas age. ard there have te~n many ~
5NTf1. II does nat F}e&a g. few dead eAts2e
/ scattered evc~ tho s,~A.r4sv bag erraf
plies ~ them. ia means dead cattle Ia
80 - z -. =