The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-04-30
BATTLES WITH SNOW
HARD FIGHTING ron RAILROAD MEN
IN THE ROCKIES.

4
through drifts that IN the early days
Of western railroading would have
resulted in complete blockades. The
rotary snowplow Is one Of the mar
vels OF the railroad OF today, and It is
liberal education In the art OF snow
lighting to see one of them eating its
way through white drift that threat
eus to cut of communication between
| the east aird the west. There are sew
eral passes In the Rocssy mountains
which for six months In the year or
more form n constant menace to train
crews. These passes are situated at
the top of the Great Divide, where the
elements have full sway. Boreas pass,
IN Colorado, is n fair example. The
snow begins falling at Boreas late In
August or early In September, and II
does not cease until well into May aud
sometimes June. There will be inter
mittcnt snowstorms In the midsummer
| months, but these are trlfilng affairs
and are not TO be mentioned In the
same breath with the tremendous
snowfalls of January and February
Few men make their homes at BOrcas.
II II nothing for them TO get up In the
morning and find themselves complete
ly buried In snow. The one store Ia
usually at the end OF tunnel cut
through an immense snowdrift. The
population OF Borens during these
snowy months consists for the most
part. OF the railroad men who are en-
gagged In the strenuous work OF fight
ing constantly changing drifts. Snow
at Borcns does not fail; IL RACES. IL Is
blown about In swirls and cddles ana
Is forever forming new drifts as treach-
crously as n river that Is constantly
shifting the sand banks Of its mouth.
These drifts are not little Affairs that
will barely cover stake and rider"
fence. They are piled ten. twenty and
thirty feet high, and they spring mp In
a night.
To the "tenderfoot' IL would seem
impossible to plow a way through these
drifts ut liorcas. but whom huge ro-
tlry snowplow comes whlrling up the
track with three or four engines push.
inr vigorously behind II the tender
foot" reserves his decision. lie is
still inclined To favor the snowdrift,
but he prefers to await Developments
before committing himself With a.
rush and plunge the big rotary ls
hurled into the white mass Of snow.
Black smobe pours from the engines,
and the huge blades OF the snowplow
eat rclentlcssly into the drift The
snow shoots out of the orificc at the
side of the pillow. forming huge. white
semlclrcle constantly moving forward
One can keep track of the progress of
the plow 10y following the advance
mcnt of THIS rainbow of snow. Foot 10y
foot the rotary eats It's way forward,
and finally Il aud the engines are
buried In n huge treuch Of white. Only
the stacks of the engines can be- seen,
bclchlng their blackucss on the virgin
girb about them. liul the great white
scmicirrlc never fails to go forward
uutil finally the "tcnderfO0t" knows
thnt the drift Is being conquered.
When the rcgulnr overland limited
comes along q few hours later. the pas
seugcrs do moi know of the battle that
has Just been fought, They travel
through q canyon ~ snow as they pass
Borcas. hut they have no idea of the
tremendous force required Ia cut this
white path over the ridge OF the con
tlneut; M they go on. all unconscious !
Ia their lmllnnus. while the railroad |
men ut the next siding ahead oil the
rotary ard gird up their loins Tor the
next battle, which they know Boreas
will bc prepared 10 give them Ia few
hours
The experiences az l.oras pass dur |
Ing hard winter are duplicated at |
many other railroad passes Ia the |
Rocky mountains. to say nothing Of |
great stretches ai lower attitudes which |
have always been the favored haunts /
OF snowdrifls aud which have always /
given railroad men great trouble. IL
Is the unexpected element at these
points that brings a serious aspect 20
the situation. Al the passes over the
Great Divide railroad men are prepared
for trouble, and consequently serious
blOckades are few, but when word
comes that train has failed 10 night
It's way through the drifts 100 or per
haps 200 miles from the nearest avail
able rotary plow there Ii eonsterna-
tion. To get n rotary plow 10 the
blOckaded train takes time. and In the
meantime the drifts are accommodating
on the unused road, aud each hour
brings new menaces 90 railroad men
and passengers alike.
Sometimes even the rotary plow has
been known 10 be caught Ia a snow
blockade. one Instance occurred IN
An engineer who had a 70
tary plow on ahead aud who was max
Ing good progress during fierce snow
storm was compelled 10 run back few
miles for water. Instead OF taking the
rotary with him he uncOupled and ran
bis engine back. and IN the meantime
the snow gathered 80 fast over the
tracks that he was unable 10 hght bis
way back 10 the plow. Such instances
are rare, however, and are only owing
10 the oversight OF ROme traiumnn for