The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1903-02-20
BATTLES WITH SNOW y
HARD FIGHTING FOR RAILROAD MEN
!! IN THE ROCKIES.

IN The ROCKIES. = rs
| Notary SnowpIows md the men
Who Run Theni--Duclking Through
the Monster Drifts That Pack the
Mountain Pnssos.
Every western railroad is equipped
witi' large force Of snow fighters.
Rotary YnowpiOws und men who know
how to run them can cut their way
through drifts that III the early days
of western railroading would have
resulted in complete blockades. The
rotary snowplow Is one Of the ma r
rels OF the railroad Of today, and 1t is
n liberal education In the nrt of snow
lighting to see one Of them eating it's
, way through white drift that threat
ans to cut of communication between
The cnst and the west There IRE sew
cral passes in the Rocky mountains
which for six months in the year or
more form a 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 fair example. The
snow begins falling at Borcas late In
August or early in September, and 1t
does not cease until we'll into May and
sometimes June. There Will be inter-
mittcne snowstorms In the midsummer
inonhs, but these lrc trlfllng affairs
nMi are not to be mentioned in the
; came breath with tho tremendous
snowfnlls Of January and February.
Few men make their homes ut Boreas.
1t Is nothing for them to get up In the
morning and find themselves complete
~ buried in snow. The one store is
usually ut the end Of tunnel cut
through m Immense snowdrift. The
population Of Borcas during these
snowy months consists, for the most
pait, !. Of the railroad men who are en-
gagged In the strenuous work Of fight
ting constantly changing drifts. Snow
81 i!oreas does not full; 1t rnges. It is
b!own about fn swirls and eddies and
Is fu:ever forming new drifts rs treach-
erously rs river that is constantly
shifting tie sand banks Of its mouth.
These drifts nrc not little affairs that
, Kill barely cover n ''stakc and RIDER
fence. They are piled ten, twenty and
thirty feet high, md they spring up In
night.
20 the "tenderfoot" it would seem
impossible to plow way through these
irirts at Borcas, but when q huge ro-
tarv snowplow comes whirling up the
tiapt. with three or four engines push
!ns vigorously behind 1t tho "tender-
loot reserves his decision. He is
stlil inclined to favor the sIowdrift.
hut he prefers to await developments
bc;ore committing himself. With q
rush and plunge the big rotary is
hurled into the white mass Of snow.
BLACK smoke pours from the engines,
aud the huge blades Of the snowplow
eat zelcntlessly Into the drift. The
Snow shoots out OF the orifice ut the
side Of the pIow. forming q huge, white
acu,iclrcle constantly moving forward.
one IAN keep track OF the progress of
the t,low by following tho advance
n!ert Of this rainbow Of snow. Foot by
l.faot the rotary cats its way forward,
and finally 1t and tho engines are
hurled In huge trench Of white. Only
The stacks of the engines can be seen,
'''~' NJ thc'r r'nck'.ess az III; v,TTii,
about lte1k Iut thc ,,raat white
nenl'ccc4 ucyer fplis q r. foiwarlt
ultii daily SN!i. aalcrfaCf NlowG
lth0t tlic drift r haug CONQUERED.
. When fic rt1llar ageri,nd linit.6
cones nlcng y tew hrli:s IHter, the PAS.
-s. gs - 10. l,l.W 0: ne battle that
has Just been fought. They travel
+! through can. ol Of snow as they pass
! !Uyeas, but they have no idea of the
( ti@tTendous force required to cut this
Wj.,ta path over the ridge Of the con.
iil,ert; SO thoy go on. all unconscious
! ~ tlleir Pullmans, while tho railroad
! men ut tho next siding ahead oil tho
/ ,otiry and gird up their loins for the
neys battle, which they know Boreas
/ viii be prepared to give them In q few
| hours.
Tie experiences at Boreas pass dur
iipE q hard winter are duplicated at
l1.nay other railroad passes in the
! Rocky mountains, to say nothing OF
| srent stretches ut lower attitudes which
(. have always been the favored haunts
/. OF snowdrifts and which have always
riNon railroad men great trouble. II
he unexpected element at these
| 9o'uts that brings serious aspect tt
! the aituntion. AT the passes over the
! Great Divide railroad men nre prepared
f1c trouble, and consequently serious
! blpchades are few, but when WORD
comes that q train has failed to fgh
!! .l ny through the drifts 100 or per
/ h.,ps 200 miles from the nearest avail
aDlp rotary plow there is consterna
/, ir. TO get q rotary plow to thu
! h'pciaded train takes time, and IN thu
iJncnntime the drifts are accumulatin(
~ The unused road, and each houl
ocinys new menaces to railroad mel
and passengers alike.
Sometimes even the rotary plow hn!
i been known to be caught in q snow
blockade. Ono instance occurred II
wyoming. An engineer who had ro
iary plow OIL ahead and who was max
inr good progress during fierce snow
siDtm was compelled to run back few
niles for water. Instead Of taking th'
rotary with him he uncoupIed and raI
hie engine back, and in the mcantim,
i Inc snow gathered SO fast over til,
tracks TINT he was unable to fight hi
way back to the plow. Such Instance
nre rare, however, and arc only owinI
\ 50 The oversight Of some trainman, TO
q rotary snowplow with sufficient pow
or behind it can ent its way through
Almost anything In the shape Of drifts
New York Tribune.