The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1911-03-02
BUCK SNOW N West
Pow Used in Huge Machine
Made of Steel.
Despite Its Enormous Power Rotary
Sometimes Gets Stuck and Then
Men Shovel Il Out and An
other Run ls Made.

New York.-ln the Middle states,
where six inches is a heavy snowfall,
getting 1t of railway tracks is about
as easy for an engine as cleaning it
on the sidewalk is for the small boy.
A snow pillow, which is nothing
than a gigantic scraper, witt.
perhops an enormous horn or plow-
share in front, is pushed down the
track by an engine and scrapes and
pushes the accumulated clogging
white mass off the track to either
side.
But in the northern, and particu-
larly In Northwestern states-where,
when it makes up it's mind to snow,
everyone knows it; where the falls
are feet in depth ard in the east only
inches; where the railway runs
through open plains on which the re-
sistless sweep of the wind drifts the
white crystals into hills and valleys,
humps and hollows SO large that they
seem large even 10 a steam car
something more effective than mere
pushing must be employed.
This something says a writer in
st. Nicholas. lis the rotary snow pillow,
an invention which is in use on every
railway on which large drifts collect
In the winter and where snowsleds
and snow guards-fences built in ex-
posed places to keep the snow from
drifting on the track-are ineffec-
tive.
The snow pillow is a huge machine,
as big as a freight car and built of
steel. On the forward. end is q mon
ster wheel with powerful blades of
steel, looking like All overgrown cleo
trio fan, SO arranged that their angles
a be changed.
This wheel, which is perpendicular
to the track and revolves at right an
giles 10 it, is inclosed in a casing or
drum, also of steel and with sharp
steel edges. The top of the drum is
supplied with q pire or chute. Inside
the snow pillow is a steam engine.
which drives this huge fan wheel at
from 100 to $50 revolutions every
minute.
Behind the 10Y plow are coupled
from one to three or even more power
full engines, and behind these a car.
On the cars are many men with shov-
els, for DESPITE its enormous power
even the rotary gets stuck at times
and has to be ANONYMOUSLY dug out,
Perhaps the snow is but four or five
feet deep and the pillow as soon as it
strikes the snow bores through it at a
great rate. Wonderful to see, the
snow eaten away from the bank by
the whirling blades is tossed out of
the chute at the top of the drum or
casing in a solid stream, to fall in a
curving arch and with a thunderous
roar from 100 to 200 feet away. This
arch is frequently thirty and even
more feet high. Billows of snowdust
I'LL the air and the most beautiful rain
bows surround the falling cascade of
snow.
When the pillow gets stalled the men
tumble of the car and shovel it out
of its prison. Then the whole train
backs on a couple of hundred yards
1 oAAN .ssShSo q =. DO"A SuC II CA
it sweeps, gathering speed and mo-
mentum with every puff-puff of the
exhaust, and smash! it goes headlong
at the drift, mighty fanwheel whirling,
engines pushing, men yelling, snow
scrunching, and over all the roar of
the falling stream of snow and the
binding, cutting clouds of ice parti-
cles 1t sets free.
The drift may yield to one bucking,
In which case the men congratulate
themselves at having an easy time of
1t. But more often even the mighty
rush of the train. engines, pillow and
car is stopped by the drift, Which
looks so soft, but is in reality so
tough. Then 1t is shoveled out again
and backs of for another rush.