The Watertown news. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1917-1919, 1918-01-28
ADRIFT in SNOW
ON MADISON BRANCH
FOR Is HOUR PERIOD

Adrift in snow bank on the top of
Sun Prairie hill was the experience of
some of the passengers and the crew
of the Madison train which left Wa
tertown at $3.50 Saturday morning and
never reached its destination. While
the experience is not very pleasant 1t
is interesting to watch the efforts
made to get the train through and see
that the passengers are landed safely.
This was accomplished by hiring bob
sleishs and carrying the passengers
who wished to go to Sun Prairie,
three miles away, and later in the
night by a relief train from Madison
to which the balance of the passengers
who so desired were transferred, and
they were whisked away in a fanger
and caboose, brought to the rescue by
Roadmaster F. H. Buffmeier who was
at Madison during the day with the
work train.
John Clayton was conductor of the
train, a veteran in the service but
still active When the big train stalled
relief was needed and Mr.. Clayton
bravely faced 8 80 mile blizzard across
the fields to a farmhouse to summon
help by telephone We saw him later
with a shovel under the locomotive
helping to dig out the two feet OF
snow which had drifted under it be-
fore the arrival of Buffmeier's men.
He worked like trojan. The first to
arrive on the scene was Jim Usher and
his crew from Watertown. The two
engines tried to move the train but
could not bulge it an inch. Then
came a big fellow from Madison. He
buckled on, pulled out the engine
draw bar, broke the connecting chain
and failed to shake it. Night had set in
but the work proceeded. A 1anger and
snow pillow tried their hand at it and
failed. In the meantime the water in
the engines became low and force of
men were kept busy all day, all night
and Sunday shoveling snow into the
tanks, which ate it up as fast as it was
delivered, but after the coal gave out
this part of the work was not neces-
sary and the coaches cooled rapidly
and froze up. But Jim Usher's cabOOse
was heated with stoves and was COM
Portable.
In the meantime the candy butcher
was doing a thriving business and
soon sold all his wares. Then meals
were secured at nearby farm houses,
the owners of whom showed fine
spirit of hospitality to those in need of
food. Bread from the express car was
confiscated for the use of the men who
were compelled to work all night, and
thus the battle against the elements
was kept up until Sunday noon when
Billy Mclaughlin and Walt Usher with
a big engine and rs of Buffmeier's boys
hove in sight. After Earring the train
loose, Usher made a pull and started
the train which had been frozen to
the tracks for % hours, and started
with it for Watertown.
At that time there was dead en-
CINE east of the train and four en-
gines and a f1anger dead west of it,
and a snowbank north of the train as
high as the coaches.
"a feature" of the "trip" was
midnight walk from Sun Prairie to
the train, three miles away, after US
ing the telegraph at the station in an
effort so secure help. This trip was
made with biting wind blowing in
the faces of the railroad men and the
snow a foot dee between the rails.
Then there were the brakemen who
had the tagging to do to protect the
train and the engine men who were
compelled to remain in their cabs over
night in an attempt to keep them alive
The express messenger, too, had his
troubles. He had live freight aboard
and it was necessary for him to Sc
cure grain and water from the farms
nearby to feed his stock.
There was also a bridal party on
board. The groom, the minister and a
number of guests enroute to Lone
Rock where the wedding ceremony
was to be performed that evening
but there was nothing doing.