Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1905-02-09
AN UNUSUAL
EXPERIENCE
Santa Fe Central Train c, ught
in Raging Blizzard on Ess
tancia Plains.
BOUND BY DRIFTS
High Wind Fills Deep Cuts With Snow
and Combined Efforts Of ITO Men
Necessary to Clear the Way.

| Yesterday afternoon about 2:3O
O'Clock blizzard swept over the Es-
tancia plains, extending as far south
as Torrance. AS result the cuts
along the line of the Santa Fe Central
Railway were filed with snow and all
traffic was blocked.
AT the time OF the storm the Central
had train of eight cars of sheep en-
route to Santa Fe and was loading
several thousand more of the fieecy
animals at Estancia and Torrance pre-
paratory to shipping them to Santa Fe.
The blizzard assumed such proportions
and it became so cold that the work
of loading had to be abandoned until
today.
The train that was en- route to this
city was snowbound eight miles from
Kennedy and fourteen miles from San
ia Fe and it was found necessary to de-
tour the eight cars of sheep from Lamy
over the Santa Fe to this city. Tonight
six more cars of sheep will arrive here
over the Santa Fe Central and tomor-
row the remainder of the Sylvester
shipment, consisting of thirty-five cars
will arrive. The sheep are destined to
Monte Vista, Colorado, and will be
handled from this city to that point
over the Denver & Rio Grande.
Tracks Soon Cleared.
Early this morning a special left
over the Central for Kennedy, having
on board sixty laborers, who were
used to clear the track. Another de-
tachment of fifty laborers was engaged
on the other side of the snow blockade
and the two gangs worked toward each
other. This morning at the offices of
the Santa Fe Central in this city, Gen
eral Manager S. B. Grimshaw stated
that the track would be cleared this
fic. This is lightning swift work in
the face of great difficulties.
Walked Eight Miles.
Conductor J. A. Carlyle walked eight
miles in the face of the binding, driv-
ing storm from the point where his
telegraphed a full report of conditions
to his head Office at Santa Fe. Later
when the sheep were detoured over the
Santa Fe via Lamy, Conductor Carlyle,
who is an old Santa Fe man, acted as
pilot for the detoured train.
Men Promptly Respond.
George H. Shone, superintendent of
machinery, G. w. Fay, train master, L.
M. Williams, roadmaster, and j. A.
Knox, travelling freight and passenger
agent, with all their employees, made
prompt response to the call for help
and facilitated the work of clearing the
track of it's burden of snow. Last night
Mr. Grimshaw got fifty men together
in a few minutes, but it was impossi-
BILE to get them to the scene of distress.
However eight of the men went out on
a hand car and worked like Trojans
all night in the bitter cold. The wind
was blowing at rate of about forty
miles an hour. This morning with the
sixty men who went out Mr.. Grimshaw
sent breakfast for all the men at work
and for the passengers and they
got a good Harvey House system din
ner at Kennedy.
An Exceptional Shipment.
Yesterdays shipment of sheep, to-
gether with the one today and another
tomorrow will bring the total of these
animals handled by this road the past
two days up to 10000, one of the larg.
est shipments at one time in the his
tory of the road.
The eight car loads that arrived here
last night from Lamy were transferred
today to the narrow gauge cars of the
Denver & Rio Grande and this was
quite job.
General Service Demoralized.
Train and mail service in and out of
the city was badly demoralized yester-
day and there was not much improve
ment today.
On the Santa Fe the connection train
with No. from the east reached Santa
Fe about 1880 this morning and No.
also from the east arrived here about
noon today Train No. 2 from the
south and west was five hours late.
On the Denver & Rio Grande, the
train which left here yesterday at
IL o'clock for Antonito and Denver en-
countered heavy snow drifts north OF
Tres Piedras and was compelled to
return to this city last evening. Yes
terday's train from AntonitO south got
only six miles when 1t was also
stopped by snow drifts. A snow plow
and large force Of men were put on
and the train which left Santa Fe at
IL o'clock this forenoon will likely get
through at least SO thinks Agent NC.