The evening times., 1899-03-15
IMPRISONED ON A
SNOW bound TRAIN
Intense Sufferings of Passen-
gers and Crew.
Story of Three Men Who Managed
to Escape.
Reach Cheyenne by Means of Snow
Reach Cheyenne by Means of Snow
shoes. But Nearly Dead
From Exposure.

CHEYENNE Wyo., March 15.-John Oape-
ley. of Aberdeen, S. d.; William Petit
grew. of Douglas, Wyo., and John Owen,
of Wheatland, Wyo., three of the passen-
gers who have been on the Cheyenne and
Northern snowbound train at Wheatland
for the past two weeks, reached here last
night.
They left the train Monday and walked
ten miles on snow shoes to meet one OF
the relief trains, and came to this city on
a light engine.
They are in pitiful condition from the
hardships they have endured from cold
and exposure, and seem in dazed state
of mind and unable to tell the day of the
week or well-connected story of what
they have experienced.
oapeley's feet were frozen while walk
ing out from the imprisoned train and are
in such condition that they will probably
have to be amputated. All of the men
have swollen limbs and are weak and ema-
ciated from lack OF proper food.
They report that all of the passengers
are suffering and ill from the meagre diet
of the past two weeks and are weak and
disheartened. Oapeley says of the expe-
rience on the train:
We left Orin Junction, one hundred
and fifty-four miles from here on Febru-
airy 2G, with a passenger car and a ca
boose. We expected to make the run 10
Cheyenne in one day. 1t took us two days
to reach Iron Mountain. a way station,
where there is nothing but small ranch
house and side track. Here we ran in o
Irff TO III, 4
were completely stalled. We had Consid-
erable food on the train. but little water.
We had five trainmen. about twenty-five
section hands and twenty-five passengers.
superintendent Rasback. of the Cheyenne
and Northern. was also with u.s.
In order 10 get water we had TO run five
miles TO water tank, and when we started
back storm came up and our engine could
not break the drifts. so we had to shovel
nearly all of the distance. We spent the
next fourteen days shOyeling snow TO try
and get through the snow ahead of US and
in rustling food TO keep from starving.
Our provisions after the third day con
sisted of bacon and beans. We had no
bread for several days until Superintend-
ent Rasback sent men on snowshoes around
I to several ranch houses and got a small
supply He also sent out his trainmen and
killed steer. The four women passengers
who were on the train were provided for
during the first week at one of the ranches
but when the supply OF food gave out al
the ranch they were compelled 10 return
| TO the train.
The only facilities for cooking We had
were the car stoves. This all-important
was accomplished by putting chatting dishe:
! in the fire, heating them red hot. The
/ food was poorly cooked, but we were 81
! hungry that everything tasted all right
! We all suffered from dysentery, and hav
| ing no medicines We're in a bad way.
The passengers volunteered TO shove
snow during the day, but the blizzard:
! and storms made this work impossible anC
useless nearly all of the time. The sec
tion hands, with us. wore out the shovels
! shoes and gloves in the fights with tht
| snow drifts and storms, and soon not hal
! OF the force was available for work. Eigh
of the passengers left the train the thirC
day of the rie-up and made their way L
! Cheyenne.
Several who had got on al way station!
! between Orin Junction and Iron Mountain
walked back on snowshoes and at the
/ present time there are but six passenger:
! remaining with the train. We had suffi
! cient fuel to keep the engine alive bu
on Monday when the fuel gave out w,
had to let the engine die. This dispelled al
hope Of getting out of the drifts, and i
was then ! started 10 walk in.
! The passengers remaining on the trair
are Mary Fl. Robinson of Oswego, y. Y.
Anna Morrison. Lizzie c. Callahan, anC
Bertha Bennett, Cheyenne and two mel
whose names don't know. They have al
suffered severely, mainly on account of tht
improperly cooked food and the colo
| nights.
We had no blankets and it was impossi-
! bic TO keep the cars warm enough for com.
fort. There were no facilities for washins
and the dirt and cold made such dscom
| fort that we were all disheartened."
The management of the road has beer
I unable TO get the road opened on acoun
of the lack of rotary plows. The only one
available are those of the Union Pacific
and these have been working constantly TO
the past month TO keep the main line O
the transcontinental road open.
The ten miles of tract yet to be openeC
! is covered with drifts of snow and ic
ranging in length from 100 yards to on
mile and at an average depth of sixteel
! feet.
The Union Pacific owing to the sever
storm now raging on its own road, ha
called for the rotary on the Cheyenne anC
| Northern. 1t is reported that the snow
bound train will be abandoned and the re
4 n1i hrn,,