The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-02-05
Colorado Railroads Are Buried Good
and Deep.
FIGHTING THE DRIFTS
LOST FREIGHT TRAIN DISCoV-
Erred AT WHEELER.
Had Been Snowbound For Ten Days
Worst Weather Experienced In
Twenty-Five Years = Has Been
Showing For Seventy-one Days
Town of Independence Threatened

| Denver, Colo, Feb. 4-Trains are
again running on regular schedule. from
Denver to Como on the South Park
road, but beyond Como the rotary is
still breaking the snowdrifts in the
effort TO open the road to Kokomo and
Leadville. Between Dickey and Lead
vile are twenty-five snowslides. each
200 to 500 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
train loaded with merchandise and two
locomotives, stalled since last Tuesday.
was discovered on a siding with the
train crew still it's occupants. Slides
before and behind had penned il in.
The train had been snowbound for ten
days.
Division superintendent Zeninger of
the South Park branch of the Colorado
& Southern said today:
I'VE have had seventy-one consecu-
tive days of snow and storm between
Como and Leadville. In all that time
there has not been a single day free
from snowstorm 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
drifted to more than twenty feet. The
snow is light and drifts easily. The
altitude being so great, there has not
been sufficient moisture to form crust
and there will be continual danger and
annoyance from drifts until we have
week of sunshine and moderate weather
to thaw the surface.
There has been no suffering from
lack of provisions and fuel, unless it be
at Kokomo. They are supplied at
Breckenridge now, since we brought in
our train of supplies so that there can
possibly be no danger of suffering for
some time to come. Today 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 Lead
VILE
LIVESTOCK SAVED.
It is reported that most of the live
stock from Breckenridge and mines
Whereabouts has been driven down the
blue to near Keystone, where ample
protection and some. bare places for
feeding may be found. One rancher
there has shed room sufficient for 1900
head of stock. People are keeping very
close to home, the only ones VenturlnS
out being those at sawmills and mines
some distance from towns, and these I
have been closed down and the OPP
orators have gone to the towns to Sc !
cure food and warmth. The only mines !
open are those close to town. For six
days all communication on the high {
line has been stopped. OF the snow
bound theatrical companies Vests I
and SHAFT No. g. are still /
at Glenwood Springs, missing dates. .
but enjoying every comfort at the no. T.
tells The Denver & Rio GranCe and .
L
ing the best possible care of their snow /
bound passengers. There is little dan l
ger of further snowslides along these .
lines. a crust having formed over the /
snow.
Slightly warmer weather is predicted .
for tomorrow. The coolest point in the
state today was Greeley thermometers .
there registering IS degrees below zero. .
The Denver & Rio Grande and Colo /
RADIO Midland railways have redOubled .
their efforts to open their lines west .
Of Leadville. and through traffic over 4
the Colorado transcont inental route
will probably be resumed today or to- /
morrow at the latest. The Midland /
Terminal road has been cleared of /
snow, and traffic over this lire to 4
Cripple Greek was resumed today The /
Colorado s, Southern is making good
progress toward reOpening its line to
Leadville. but the Gunnison end of the
line has been abandoned for the pres
ant, Gunnison being reached over the
Denver 6, Rio Grande.
CONDITION OF STOCK.
While there is considerable uneasi-
ness among stockmen over the contin-
lation of the present cold wave and
storm, if there comes a change within
the next three days the losses in
stock will not be nearly as heavy as
generally expected. Reports received
by the Denver Stockman from all sec
lions of the west indicate but few losses
10 date in Colorado, Utah and New
Mexico, but in northern Wyoming and
Montana, where most of the cattle are
IN the open range, it is feared that the
osses will be heavy unless change
comes almost Immediately, as the cat
lie were not so carefully gathered in
he early winter as in Colorado and
Utah.