The Chitina leader., 1913-01-28

"The elements and not lack of
motive power or anything else is re-
sponsible for the long tie-up of the
railroad" said Superintendent Geo.
Geiger this morning to Daily Alas
kan representative. Mr.. Geiger re-
turned last evening from out the line,
where he has been since the begin
ming of the blockade. He left Mile
81 on Wednesday and mushed to Mile
80, where he remained over night,
yesterday walking to Flag Point
and there he was met by an engine
and brought to town. Mr.. Geiger has
been suffering from an attack of sci
attic rheumatism and although housed
today expects to be about again very
shortly.
| In discussing the railway condi-
lions Mr.. Geiger said: with three
weeks of favorable weather the en-
tire line could be opened up and regu-
gular schedule of three trans week
resumed. In three days from the
time the wind ceases blowing at Milo
81 the small rotady shoald be back
in Cordova. And this is the kew to
the situation. AS soon as the rotary
reaches here engine No. 20 vii! be
converted into a coal instead OF an
oil burner This together witt. the
other necessary repairs to engines
an rotary, as well as the time con-
sumed in loading a train of fuel for
er along the line, will take about
week. Then everything will be in
readiness for the return trip, and but
little trouble should be experienced in
bucking the snow in the canyon.
Both the large rotaries are in
good shape. The one at Mile 80 is
entirely out of fuel, while the other
one at Cleve Creek has a broken &C.
centric but this can be easily repaired
when a train reaches there. Of
course both these rotaries are dead.
The one at Cleve Greek has plenty of
f,,a oh Nd To FOL hay +p
soon as the new eccentric is received,
and under favorable conditions could
come back to Cordova, but at present
we cannot afford to take the chance
of putting her into service.
"Since December q there has not
been a day that the velocity of the
wind was less than forty miles an
hour. So far as motive power or
trains are concerned it wouldn't have
made any difference if we had doz-
en- engines in service under the condi-
tons. If there had been three en-
I
choked the rotary and prevented ii
from ploughing through the drifts.
and then again these engines would
have used more fuel and water and
thus necessitate coaling and water
ing more frequently. This would
mean great loss of time. For every
five shovels full of snow handled for
the melter four are lost on account
of the wind. In must also be re-
membered that it takes fifteen inches
of snow to make one inch of water
ION Sunday night, while at Mile
lpost So, ploughing through cut
snow fell and it was so light that it
covered up the rotary. The snow
sheds blew half full of snow the
second day after the first train left
here Slides had to be contended
with continually and it was a COM
mon thing to encounter from five to
thirty feet of snow from Mile 81 to
1913. Fortunately we found no ice to
speak of along the tracks, as we had
taken the precatution to have track
walkers on duty along the entire line
and as soon as any ice was discovered
gang of men was sent out to
pick it.
There has been an unusually
heavy fall of snow throughout the in
terror and months continuous wind.
At times we had to shelter ourselves
from the wind, after bucking drift,
by getting out of it's sweep for fear of
being covered up.
There are one hundred and three
men at Miles 81 and SIS, and this en-
tire crew will be put to work clearing