Year: 1868

The following editorial article from the Sacra-


mento Union of December 25th, contains sup-


eestions which cannot but be interesting to the


reader at the present time and under present cir


cnmstances. Thousands of Californians who for.


merly lived along the great railroad routes of the


older States will read with pride how the Cen


trail Pacific Railroad Company have overcome OBJ


stacles which by paid croakers were pronounced


insurmountabe in the early history of the road


The means resorted to to protect their road from


the heavy SHOWS encountered in the Sierras are


new and novel, aas well as expensive But Cal


ifornia enterprise heeds no obstacles


PHANTOM ExPLoDED-One of the strongest
arguments against the practicability of railroad


ing over the Rocky and Sierra Nevada noun


tains, up to the present Winter, has been the


impossibilty of keeping the track clear of snow.


1t was plausiby reasoned that, if a snowfall of
three or four feet, in the course of thirty-six


hours, stops the trains for several DAYS in the


densely settled regions of northern New York


and New England, a snow fall two or three times
as great in the uninhabited solitudes of the
Sierra Nevadas, must shut up the railway for at


least a fortnight; and when it was remembered


that we are liable to such SHOWS as often as once
month during the entire Winter, the chances
1 n
ming of the snow-belt on the west to the Valley
of the Truckee, between the months of January
and April, appeared very small indeed, In our
most favorable Winters these mountains aeon
mulate from twelve to fifteen feet of snow on the
level; in extraordinary ones, such as 1888


lS6l-2, and such as the present promises to be,
the snowfall is generally found to measure, say
on the Goth of March, about twenty-five to thirty
feet. We have seen it twenty eight feet in a
level valley, where there was no drift or slide
snow deposited at any time. These vast accu-
mutations are for the greater part made up from
but three or four different storms, averaging say
from forty to fifty hours each in duration-a sim
gle storm sometimes depositirg ten to twelve
feet Such deposit at the East, if it were pos
sible, would be likely to close up all the rail-
ways for month. On level ground they could
not remove it, and they would have to abide the
influence of warm rain and sunshine to enable
them to renew travel on the railroads. 1t has
been reserved for Californians to teach the world
lesson entirely new in railroading, to the great
confusion of nearly all the old theorists. The
management of the Central Pacific road during
the severe storm just ended shows conclusivelv
that human ingenuity, backed by proper energy,
can master this dreary theoretical obstacle and
keep the raod open and clear of snow, so that
trains may pass from this city to the summit
every day in the Winter without fear of obstruc-
tion on this account


From Saturday to Monday morning the fall of
snow between Cisco and the summit could not
have been less than six eight feet vet the
cars made their regular trips without impedi-
ment from this cause. The company had taken
the precauton to cover all the level stretches of
the track with strong sheds, capable of sustain
ing any weight that is likely to be deposited up
on them. Stretches of road along steep hill
sides or over high embankments are not so pro-
tected The snow-plow does the work for these,
rapidly turning the obstructng element right
and left off the track and hurling it into the
deep ravines below. Between these two pro-
tectlve means, it is now practically demonstrated
as was always predicted by the Union, that the
railroad across the Sierra Nevadas need not nee
essarily be closed by snow for twenty -four hours
together even in the worst of Winters. 1t is
probable that during the present winter that part
OF the road running from Cisco to the summit,
a distance of twelve to fourteen miles, nav not
be used. 1t is perfectly new, the eastern end
havng been completed and the rails laid down
but fortnight before the late storm. In many
places, therefore, the embankments are still in
secure, and the track needs a good deal of set
tiing before it can be considered safe for Winter
travel. But another year will make it as solid
as the western end of the line, and by that time
we feel confident the iron-horse will be able to
make his trips from Sacramento to the Truckee
Valley with as much punctuality every day the
trips are now made between here and Colfax or
Newcastle or Folsom.


The Union has never doubted the ultimate tri-
umph of engineering skill and practical railroad
management over this and every other obstacle
set up by theorists and interested parties against
the success of the Central Pacific Railway. Yet
we did not expect to see complete success in all
things so soon demonstrated. Those who found
their hopes of South Pacific and North Pa
cifc Railroad upon the failure of the Central
route account of its snowy obstacle, while
swallowing their disappointment in part, need
not be entirely discouraged. The complete tri-
umph of this route ought rather to inspire them
with energy to push ahead and unite the two
oceans with three iron bonds They will find,
as this company has found, that difficulties dim
inish and disappear as they are more closely ap-
preached and grappled with. They will have
the advantage of valuable experience here to aid
them, and neither route is likely to encounter as
great obstacles as the one on this route, which
has just been proved to be not much of an ogre
after all.


PARTY LINEs-How do the Union and Demo-
~: 6ox -;,r TO