Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-10
How Passengers on Snow-Bound
Train Amused Themselves.
WERE BLOCKADED FOR THREE DAYS
But the lime Did Not Hang Heavy
on Their Hands.
BRIGHT PEG PL E ABOARD


Written for The Evening star
There's poorer fun than being snow
bound said the man with the shells of
two broiled live Holsters on his plate. I've
been snow bound four times. and ] was
never bored for a minute on any of these
occasions. Had more fun than you could
shake stick at the last time l was hemmed
IN by the beautiful and was stalled for
three straight days and nights. at that
was going from Omaha to Denver early in
February, 81. 1t was a pretty swell train,
although 1t didn't cut any ice for speed.
The engineer thought he was cutting dog
in two when he pulled her wide open and
logged thirty-five miles an hour. There
were three sleepers, three combination pal
ace and observation coaches. two tourist
sleepers an ordinary day coach and just
as ordinary a smoker. All of the cars were
loaded flush up. and We started out from
Omaha with the a-shining, the skies
all turquoise and nary an iciele even on
the whole outfit. 1t was O'Clock in the
morning when We got under way, and we
had the sun with US until along toward
O'Clock in the afternoon. Then, when II
lolling on the edge OF the horizon IL
was suddenly blurred out by the SnoWlest-
looking cloud / ever saw, and In two min
utes the snow was coming down so thick
that we couldn't the telegraph poles out
of the windows. 1t was genuine, hooting,
rip-snorting prairie blizzard. but we were
all so warm and cozy inside the train that
We just looked sassy at each other and
said Let 'er bliz" 1 turned In at mid
night. and by that time the train was
squeakng over the track in a way that
talked of snow and plenty of it. The en-
gineer plugged along however. banging
away against the drifts when he came to
them and letting out swift link when he
had straight-away stretch of clear track.
and so when got up in the morning we
were only a couple of hours behind the
schedule. 1t was still showing like the
dickens and, as l had been up against
three games of similar sort on previous
occasions. Denver looked long distance
away to me.
Kept on Going.
Along toward noon We pulled up at the
little town Of Mirage, Col, and we all
jumped off-the men, that is-to see what
was doing. The fat-faced, reliable-looking
engineer followed the conductor into the
telegraph office to see what the orders were
going TO be. and so did lot of the passen-
gers.
Well jim said the conductor hastily
glancing over the dispatch that was await
ing him. were TO keep on a-movlng.
All right said the engineer. but l
think it's a bad job at that The super
ought TO know that it's no snap to keep up
steam when it's IA below. but orders is
orders. and it's up to him. It's cinch
that we get stuck before we do another
thirty-mile stunt, though. Then how,s this
big bunch o people going tC be fedE
e Well. Jim. orders Is orders. you say
the conductor replied, and the engineer
went up forward to his engine to supervise
the reCOaling of the tender and to move
her boiler under the water-tank hose when
the coaling was done. There was a little
eating room in the Mirage station shack.
and the steward of the dining room, being
Informed by the conductor that the train
was liable TO get stuck hard and fast be-
fore going very far, appropriated for his
car practically everything eatable, cooked
and uncooked. from the eating room, even
sweeping all the shelves and cases of the
canned grub. Meanwhile the word had
passed through the train that we were or
dered to proceed and take chances on get
ting stuck, and the super's orders were
unanimously approved
Big Drift Ahead.
I'VE got away from Mirage close on to
o'clock. and the engine made good bluff
at blowing through the huge drifts for an
hour or so. getting over about fifteen miles
of track. Then the train pulled up grad
ually. and We all hoped out into the snow
to see what the matter was. The engine
was only about 100 feet this side of drift
fully u feet high, right smack IN the mid
die Of the track. The engineer was stand
ing down beside the cab, sizing up the drift.
& Think you can punch through that?'
the conductor asked him.
Maybe. II it's not too thick replied the
engineer Trouble is you can't see from
make stab at 1t, anyhow
I'VE hustled back into our cars, and
then the mightiest snorting and growing
I ever heard reached US from the engine
The engineer backed up couple of hum
dred feet and then, pulling the throttle
wide open, set sail for the drift Then. when
the engine struck the drift, there was a
crunching and grinding and the engineer
tried to get his locomotive to back out. The
locomotives whole length back to the cab
was stuck fast in the drift. however. and
nary bulge could the engineer get out of
her one way or the other.
In for n Blockade.
THE wind was still blowing great guns
and the snow coming down like 1t was
never going TO stop. and I knew that we
were in for a blockade The engineer hop
ped down and told the conductor that the
drift was about a mile long and not to be
penetrated by anything short Of a triangle
plOw. Then the engineer renewed his eff
forts to pull the engines nose out of the
drift. and after about half an hours hard
work succeeded.
Guess might as well sneak back to
Mirage To get into communication with
headquarters, said the conductor.
so back We started. the brakes standing
on the rear platform for signaling purposes
We hadn't backed more than two miles be-
fore the brakes on the rear platform whis-
tied for the air-brakes, and then 1t was all
up. The wind had formed another mighty
drift behind after we had passed and
there was no such thing as getting
through il.
Took 1t PhiiosophicaIly.
II didn't hear kick over the situation.
The women in the observation cars and
sleepers rather looked upon the thing as a
lark. and the men kept the buffet porter
busy, munched cigars and looked uncon-
cerned. whether they felt that way or not
Inside Of an hour or two the whole length
and breadth Of that train. with the excep-
ton of the day coach. which was filled
with emigrants, was one long poker layout
The company OF dough boy soldiers who
occupied OF the tourist sleepers and
We're bound from Omaha barracks for For,
Logan, near Denver. caught the infection
and played poker with small bareback fol
chips. I'll bet more women learned the
gentle art of bluffing on that occasion thar
could be punched together the stage
of the Metropolitan Opera House-whicf
reminds me that from the time the trair
left Omaha a lot of the younger mer
among the passengers in the sleepers anC
observation cars had been making all kind.
o. Sleeps eyes at a party of a couple o
dozen or of mighty pretty girls who KEEP
a. 81 .r,, oil saY,ll