Year: 1869

We clip the following pointed and web con.
sidered article from the San francisco Herald
of the 18Th ult., and commend il to the care
ful cOnsiderntion of our readers.


The great storm Of February 10th to 18th,
that visited all parts of California, extended
% Che east Of the Sierra NeTada, ragged with
violence in the White Pine country, and
blocked the Union Pacific Railway for dis
tance Of three hundred miles through the
Rocky Mountains, with such an accumula.
tiou of snow that all the force and all the
loeOn0tiveAs and all the s0ow,plows the com
pany could put to work, have been unable to
clear it so as to permitthe passage of Through
trains up to this time. 1t is not to be ex~
pected that the Company have neglected any
resource or any appliance that ingenuity or
Unlimited means could command, for their
road was on trial, aud this winter was to de-
termine whether il could be kept open the
year through, as was claimed for it.


A month of diligent labor has passed, and
hopes were INDUCED that the obstruction
was about to be removed. Bear in mind that
be season has been siugularly mild aud free
from storms during the past month-no rain
or snow falling in this State or in Nevada
during that period-and everything was fa>
vorable for the removal of the snow blockade.
Just as this was about to be accomplished,
the rains of the last two or three days set in,
turning to heavy snow storm in the Sierras
and in the Rocky Mountains, and all the la
Dor expended has been lost, and once more
the road is impossible. 1t would cost too
vast sum, and would be only waste of
energy to attempt to clear it second time,
so that we need scarcely expect the effort will
be made. There is nothing left to us but to
wait until the sun gains power sufficient TO
melt the snow aud clear the track.


We are reluctantly driven to the conclusion
that for at least four months of an average
year, the Union Pacific Railroad cannot be
relied on for through freight and travel
But why fix the period at so lung time, it
may be asked, when the blockade has lasted
only for one month to date, and may not
reasonably be expected to continue for more
than a month or six weeks longer? The
answer is that this has been remarkably
open Winter. The rains did not set in until
close on, to Christmas, from five to six weeks
later than the usual commencement Of the
rainy season.


Had the season opened in the early part of
November, with heavy rains turning into
snow-storms in the mountains, the Union
Pacific would have been then blockaded as
it has been since by the storm of February
10th, and with the accumulations Of later
snow-falls, would have remained impassable
up to this time, and probably into April
In an average winter, therefore, this road
cannot be relied on during the mouths Of
December, January, February and March.
This, OF course, is serious misfortune and
heavy loss to the company, and apparently,
to the people of this State, but only sppar>
emily, for as we showed yesterday, we think
even from this disaster some grains of COM
fort may be extracted. The Central Pacific
has demonstrated its ability to keep its road
clear during the entire winter, throughout
its whole extent as far east as Elko certainly
and doubtless it could do the same we're it
completed to ogden City, the terminus for
Salt Lake. The people of White Pine would
starve, if they were compelled to rely on
Chicago for supplies duriag the winter
months. San Francisco Herald.