Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1917-01-25
LETTER RECEIVED
IS INTERESTING
SOME OF THE EXPERIENCES
OF D. H. SNOWBERGER ON
HIS WAY TO HUNTINGTON,
Ind. WHERE HE WILL VISIT.

sisU.. WilLllL Ill UiLL HUI,
The following is letter received
lby Mr.. Venable from d, II. Snow
berger, dated at Huntington. Ind,
january 8, 1917:
Dear Sir:
arrived in Huntington, Ind
Jan. 5th. | will tell you some of my
Experiences along the way. l ar
Iriyed in Salt Lake Dec Gath at 10
a. M. and it was raining and snow
ing and continued so all day and
next morning it was the same and
in a short time it turned cold and
snow and wind increased and by
lnight all street car traffic was at
stand still. / began to think that
if | wanted to be sure of getting
through, | had better be making an
effort to move along. so in the eve
ming | started for Denver We got
along alright until we reached Echo,
Utah. Soon after we left that place
we ran into a snow Slide and never
moved a wheel for five hours. Fin
ally there were trains there i'm
bunch. We got started again and
made pretty fair time for while
and then began to slow down and
1 h. M
good and dead We never moved
from there for "a hours. Within 5
miles of us there were twelve pas
senger trains and one freight train.
This was near Rockriver, Wyoming.
The worst feature of the situation
was that the engines died and we
were without the steam heat for
the coaches and the wind blowing
lat a 50-mile velocity and showing.
One could not see the second tele-
graph pole and the mercury below
the zero mark We kept the four
women close to the stove and there
was still room for one more so we
took turns using this place and then
get in line, walking the aisle of the
car with our wraps all on. l will
give you an idea of the temperature
of the car On the opposite side
of the coach from the stove, the
sweat from the car window ran
down over the window sill and
formed an icycle two feet long For
tunately We had dining car on
our train, but two of the thirteen
trains at this place that l know of,
had no diner-the one in front of
us and the one back of us. The
brakeman tried to carry food tol
them but had to abandon it, Hell
said man could not live and face
that storm for half a mile. Finally
they got up to us from Rock River
with the snow pillow and four engines
and the first thing they did was to
give us water and coal. Then they
began clearing the track back of
us and switched us over on toI
the cleared track. The freight train
had to be pulled out one car at a.
time.
We had a jolly train crew and the
were all jolly, except
one old duffer who was continually
telling us how smart he was and
how much he was worth.
There was man travelling thru
one time when it was
showing and he asked an old timer
it showed very much there.
The old fellow said he didn't know,
but he did know there was lot
of it passed through there.
Since | am out, l am glad / had
the experience. | would not have
missed if for anything, but
give three cents to see it
again. We all got well acquainted,
and | would like very much to meet
every one again but not in midwinter
on the mountains of Wyoming.
We arrived in Denver about SO
hours late and weather below zero
and moving pretty briskly. l had
Intended to make side trip to
Pueblo and Colorado Springs, but
when ! heard the road was all clear
east, | concluded while the going
was good, had better be going ON.
arrived in Chicago Saturday morn
Ing December Both. The Following day
attempted to board street
car and was little too late so had I
to wait for the next one AS | was
boarding il policeman came up
and ordered the conductor not to
as the other car had gone
through the bridge across the Chi
cago river, then boarded the ele-
gated car and after | got off, /
hadn't gone more than two blocks
rom the depot until one coach left
he track and rolled over on its
side and injured several passenger
in my way up town several of us