The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-10
FUEL FAMINE FEARED.
1000 ShOveIers Will Try to Dig a
Way Clear for Trains.

1000 ShOveIers VIII Try to Dig n
Way Clear for Trains.
DENVER, Col, Feb 9.-This was the six
teenth day of the great snowstOrm in the
mountains. The wind was blowing a gale,
filing railroad cuts with snow, and fresh
slides occurred, covering the tracks with
great piles of snow, rocks, etc, at various
points. Not a wheel was turning, and the
outlook is more serious than at any time
since the storm began The Denver & Rio
Grande Railroad was open only between
Denver and Salida. Two east-bOund trains
are stalled at Minturn. The passengers are
being cared for by the railroad company.
The Colorado Midland is blockaded both
east and west of Leadvile. No further at
tempt will be made to open the South Park
line beyond Grant until the weather moder-
ates. The Union Pacific is still open, al
though trains have been seriously delayed
by snow on Sherman kill
"A dispatch from Leadville says: 1.-TWO
feet of fresh snow has fallen in this vicinity
yesterday and to-day. The people have be-
gun to realize that the camp is facing des-
perate situation. The ordinary consumption
of coal in the camp is 600 tons day. There
were to-day but few carloads left and the
railroads were blockaded on both sides of
the city. The big rotary snow plow on the
Denver & Rio Grande was out of service,
being caught between two trains surrounded
by snow slides near Red Cliff. 1t was evil
dent that unless the Rio Grande or the Mad
land road could be quickly opened not only
must the Smeiters and mines be closed, but
the pumps at the downtown mines must
stop work, causing irreparable loss. meet
ing of mine and smelter managers was
hastily called to consider measures of relief
Col. George w. Cook appealed to the man.
ayers to come to the aid of the railroads.
not for the purpose of enabling passenger
trains to move, but in order to bring in sup
plies of coal. He said if the smelters closed
down and the water flooded the downtown
mines it meant years work would be lost
10 LeadVlile. The response was prompt. In
less than ten minutes six hundred men had
been furnished. In the morning Colonel
Cook will go out at the head of 1000 shovel
ers to clear the Rio Grande tracks to Malta,
where a train of loaded coal cars is stalled
1t Will possibly take two days TO clear the
tracks to Malta. distance of five miles
When that is finished the services of the
ShoVelers will be rendered to the Midland
The little coal on hand will be distributed
pumps. 1t is realized that if fuel is not Sc
cured much suffering and possibly loss of life
will result. On this the sixteenth day of
the snowstorm, the air was so dense that it
was Impossible to distinguish objects at a
distance of four feet
Local Forecast Official Brandenburg gives
IT as his opinion that the storm at Leadvle
IS Que largely to topography of the country.
No matter what are the wind conditions
some parts of the mountains will receive
regularly snow. The barriers formed by the
mountains themselves are opposed to the
winds which otherwise would tend to dissi-
pate the disturbance
Reports from eastern Colorado, Nebraska
and Wyoming state that high winds have
drlfted the snow, clearing the prairies in
places sufficient to furnish some feed for
both cattle and sheep. Indications are that
the heaviest losses will be in the SOUTH cat
tie OF the north and west being in better
condition to withstand the cold weather and
having more feed.