Amador ledger., 1901-05-10
Railroading In Alaska.

hd1lIOduluk III Aldshh.
SKkGwAY, ALASKA, Mar. %, 1901.
80. Dear. LEDGER: 49,
,..;s Here in Skagway, we are en-
joying pleasant spring weather, The
snow is nearly all gone from the streets,
but the surrounding mountains are still
covered with dazzling white, and seem
as if chiseled from mighty monoliths of
purest marble by the hand of omnipo-
tence. The trains are seldom on time,
and the rotary snow pillow goes out
every morning ahead of the passenger
train, Thinking the experience would
be worth the trouble, l procured passes
for self and friend, and started last
Tuesday morning for Bennett. Two
hours after leaving -Skagway we were
watching the pillow, half a mile ahead
of the train, across sharp curve, bor-
ing the,way through a cut half filled
with snow since the night before
Thirty passengers were on the train 60
ing to Atlin, White Horse and Dawson.
The drifts grew deeper as we climbed
the grades, and at the summit fierce
storm filed the air so that all sight
seeing was stopped for the time. Run
ming down the slopes at Lake Bennett,
we had to wait several times for the
pillow, but had no accident, and reached
Bennett at 2 o'clock, hours behind
time. The south bound train, due at
one, had just left Caribou, 80 miles
away.
We had an excellent dinner at the
new Railroad eating house, and went
out to view the town. Hardly any one
is wintering here except the Railroad
people, and the snow is from 8 to II
feet deep. There is not a horse in town
and footpath that runs along the
main street that skirts the Lake seems
seldom used. We got several fine snap
shots with the camera, one, of the
snow-plow mile distant, throwing the
snow upon the Lake; one, of the
second story window just visible above
the snow, and one of tunnel entrance
to dwelling. Night came, but instead
of the train came news that an
avalanche had thrown two Of its oars
off the track at q point 1a miles distant.
We waited in the telegraph Office,
swapping yarns with the officials who
had wandered here from Alabama,
Illinois, Massachusetts and Nova
Scotia. At four in the morning the
train arrived, and in ten minutes we
were on our way south. Up the noun
tain we slowly climbed, often waiting
for the pillow to clear the track. Soon
after daylight we stopped so long that
started out to learn the cause.
Climbing the bank Of snow, that was
nearly as high as the cars, I walked
along the route for half a mile where
the world seemed showed clean of
everything except the telegraph, and
in many places the snow was so deep 1
could put my hands on the top of the
telegraph poles as | walked along.
Found the snow-plow, with three large
engines behind it, stalled in big drift
that had slid down against one side so
that an attempt to start would be likely
to derail the engines. Men were at
work with shovels, digging the snow
away. l went to the little room inside
the pillow and asked the privilege of
riding to the Summit. The man in
charge refused on account of the
danger. To my suggestion that the
Company was not responsible for acct
dents to those who ride ON passes, he
replied that it would get him into
trouble all the same. So told him to
let me stay anyway, and if my neck
was broken to declare l jumped on just
as the engine started, and he dared not
put me off. He smiled and said
nothing. Soon we began to move.
The room was dark and from the
rafting, shaking, humping and lurch-
ing, Judged we were going about
mile minute. The "pilot" opened
window and motioned for me to look
out. Between the binding gusts of
snow could see that we were barely
moving, all the racket and shaking be-
ing due to the machinery of the rotary
which Is in effect, merely huge auger
that bores hole through the drifts
large enough to let the train pass, the
corners at the rails being scraped out
by pair of great chisels that threw
the snow in front of the ''auger- bits, +"
when it is all thrown over the bank, to
the right or left, at the will of the man
inside. We were nearly three hours in
running three miles, and when we
reached the Summit thanked my host
and climbed down, feeling that 1 had
been riding in hammer with three
engines hold Of the handle. We had a
very poor lunch at the summit, no incl
dents worth mentioning while coming
down the mountain, and reached
Skagway % hours behind time, hungry,
happy, and we'll satisfied with the trip.
Yours truly,
G. H. G.
Card Of Thanks.