Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1902-03-19
THE BLOCKADE IS RAISED.
Blockade ofthe Northern Pacific Read is
Raised this Morning and Trains
Running.
Delayed Passenger Trains Both East
and West Pass Through the
City this Morning.
Reports Of Losses of Stock Received in
the City from Various Places in
County.

OOunty.
Delayed trains from the east and {
w3st passed through the city today, /
after a complete cessation OF traffic |
on this division of the Northern Pa
cifc since Friday night. Snow plows
were busy for two days opening up the
read from Jamestown ito Bismarck. A
rotary plcw and two Russell plows
were ait work. and only last night did
they succeed in cutting a way through
the drifts. This morning at Z O'Clock.
The west bound trains began to pull
into the city and between that hour
and half past eight six of them passed
through to the west with their ac-
emulation CT passengers mail and
baggage.
The snow is reported much heavier
east of here than in this Immediate
vicinity At Sterling there is one drift
over the track six to fifteen feet deep
and from mile to mile and half
in length. The rotary pillow cut
through part Of this and the Russell
plows did heroic work. The rotary
broke down twice during the day
while cutting path through the
drifts. and one of the Russell plows
was smashed. Conductor Billy Hughes
was somewhat injured in the break
ing of the Russell plow. Without the
rotary, however, it would have been
impossible to cut through the drifts.
1 which were of great length and packed
down like sand Ordinarily a rotary
plow will wade through snow ait the
/ rite ejs fcul CT five miles and hour,
but through the present drifts they
were able to crawl along only at a
srlil's pace. Superintendent Wilson
and Train Master Blewett superinten-
dad the work personally.
There were several trains at Daw-
so'7 during the blockade. and the rail
Tr>d company did everything !rfoss:b'e
! tr make their situation comfortable
T:lore was plenty of coal, and the din
ing cars were fairly we'll supplied with
foo]. Passengers were fed at the ho-
t:ls at Dawson. and the passengers
took the situation good naturedly
| From Fargo west the telephone ana
| telegraph wires were broken down
by the weight CT sleet hanging upon
them and large force of linemen
was brought up from St. Paul to re-
pair them. One man fell from a pole
yesterday morning and broke his
back.
| Dead freight engines were to be
seen all along the line of the road,
the railroad company making no eff
fort to pull the freight trains out un-
til the track was cleared.
| There was an immense, accumula-
ton of baggage and mail on the de-
layed trains and the local post office
force was kept busy from early this
morning disposing of the accumula-
ton of mail
The worst Of the storm so far as
snow was concerned was in the vicin-
| Try of Sterling. The snow plows were
kept there from early yesterday morn
ing until late last night cutting
through the drifts. The Russell plows
''bucked" the drifts. and then had to
| hc 1oI Md MI ,oolyr I,
for the drift. N.,& NJ
The land-seekers do not seem to be
scared by the storm. Many Of them
| were on the delayed trains and a
large number left Dawson yesterday
over the snow drifts to look for land.
J. D. Mcdonald reports his cattle
4 were confined in the sheds from Fri
1 day afternoon until Monday morning,
lit being impossible to get the animals
out of the enclosure for either food or
| water, but they came through in good
shape.
A good many reports Of stock losses
are received, some of them doubtless
exaggerated. A report received this
morning Stated that at the Bratton
place near Sterling number of cattle
perished. AT the Wilton ranch sew
eral hundred head of sheep are said
to have perished. In frequent cases
I live stock perished by the falling In
OF the roofs of enclosures. and
Ismothering the stock confined there
SOME STORM NOTES.