The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1910-03-03
BLOCKED FOR DA VS. YET
From Railroad Advices Trains to the Sound Cannot
Get Through Inside of Ten Days or Two
Weeks--Slides Are Almost Continuous
Road Cleared to Spokane

The railroad situation in the Cas-
cades is not improving. In fact con-
ditions are rapidly getting worse. A
number of rotaries are at work and
all the available men possible are be-
ing masses to battle with the snow
and ice. Even by employing all the
crew available to clear the miles and
miles of track with from one to 20
feet of ice, snow, rocks, trees and
other debris is slow work Railroad
officials do not give out any assur-
ance of being able to clear the track
under the most favorable conditions
within ten days or two weeks. The
Great Northern is a great property
loser by the elements this winter and
it is freely predicted that should the
railroad company not undertake the
big tunnel under the Cascades this
year that a great system of snow
sheds will be provided to protect the
roadbed from the slides.
There were no trains through from
the east last night, owing to the
washout at Rock Island. This bridge
has been repaired.
No. A left Leavenworth about 10
o'clock this morning, with the ex-
pectation of reaching here about
1880, and it is thought that 1t will
be possible to get through to Spo-
kane some time this afternoon.
Reports From the Summit.
Advices from the summit at noon
today were that 1t was thawfng fast.
Slides came down all night but no
new. ones are reported on the track.
1t was clear today. The rotary has
, reached a point one mile west OF
Merritt. On account of the rotary
being broken the crew has to work
on one side and throw snow one way
only. It is necessary to throw snow
up hill from there. The crew is now
working to make Gaynor and trou-
Bile is expected with snow falling back
on the track. It is thought to be
possible to reach Gaynor today.
There are 10 slides between Chi
waukum and Drury. One of them 4
all of 60 feet deep and II telegraph
poles in length. Other large ones;
one nine telegraph poles long, 20
feet deep; one seven telegraph poles
long, 80 feet deep. There are many
other smaller ones. The snow is wei
soaked with water and it will be
hard to dig out. 1t is figured thai
it will take four days to clean the
track between Leavenworth and Chi
waukum with a good rotary. Their
the above long slides will have tt
be tackled.
Rotary at Merritt Heard From.
Rotary No 500 was heard from
yesterday afternoon. The right
quarter shaft of the rotary was bro
ken two miles east of Merritt, when
| working in ice and water-soaked
snow that was seven feet deep. But
the crew fighting the snow is con-
tinuing to use it, and with the as
sistance of 20 men have made their
way well on to Gaynor.
West of Merritt for two miles
there were many slides from ten to
20 feet deep. The snow was very
hard and contained rocks and trees.
Several big slides are reported in the
vicinity of Gaynor.
Rotary No. 500 will work on to
Gaynor. There it will meet another
rotary, will double up with 1t, and
will be reversed for the purpose OF
working back east toward Leaven-
worth. There are several slides both
east and west Of Drury that are from
80 to so feet deep. How soon these
can be cleared from the tracks is
not known.
Mud Slide Two Miles East of We
natchee.
The extra freight that left We
natchee at p. m. yesterday ran
into a mud slide two miles south of
Wenatchee. The slide was about
200 feet long and a foot deep After
ATTEMPTING to clear the mud from