Year: 1874

Once in a while, when the storm would


tighten up, we could catch a glimpse Of


the great snow.plow, with its six en-.


gines, around some bend, driving into


the drifts with a force that it would


seem would move the world. These


snow-plows are n curiosity, both in their


construction and the manner in which


they do their work. They are immense


structures I say structures, for they


are as big as two.story house-and


weigh from $4,000 to $1,000 pounds.


In front they are shaped like the iron


PROV of an iron.clad frigate, only the


sharp vertical portion of this prov


changes into fiat surface where it APP


roaches the ground. Attached to this


flat or horizontal prov is what is called


an apron" This apron is attached to


the PROV 10y means OF hinges. 1t lifts


up and let's down directly on the track
ut pleasure, and when down it is held


there by large steel springs. When in


motion this apron slides right on the


rails, pressing hard on them, but from
the rounded surface which it presents to
them it glides over the joints and any
other little irregularities with ease.


The long prov is pushed under the
snow, the apron scraping it clear from
the rails, and lifting it up bodily it
meets the vertical section Of the plow
which divides it, and hurls it off on either
side. When running at a high rate of
speed, as is often the case, these plows
sometimes hurl the snow into the air
fifty feet, and plunge it in huge masses
into the deep chasms and canons. Some
such scene as this was presented the
other night when Mr. Fillmore, the
division superintendent, brought the
eastern-boundexpress train through with
eleven engines. The scene was one of
the widest and grandest that has ever
been witnessed on this road. Ii had
been storming all day and all night and
all the next day, and the snow had
fallen and dritted some places ten and
fifteen feet in depth. The train started
ont from Colfnx with three engines, but
at Alta it took fourth. A snow-plow,
with seven heavy 50 ton engines, went
on ahead to clear the way, but at Blue
Canon stuck in huge drift, and the
whole force of the seven engines could
not bulge it an inch ahead. After
a while the express train and
the snow train were coupled together,
making team of eleven engines, n
snow-plow and six cars. Such n sight
was never seen. The long chain of
putting monsters backed down for
mile or two and then, taking a fresh
start, came at the drift at the ratio of forty
miles an hour. The only wonder is
that the plow was not crushed into saw
dust. 1t not only stood this enormous
strain, but it kept to the track aud cut
an eleven.foot passage in the drift with
the precision Of surgeons knife.
With the power so increased the plow
cut its way through to Emigrant Gap.
At one point near there the spectacle
was magnificent. On a sharp curve on
q steep embankment the snow had been
pile up to the very height of the
smoke-stacks of the engines for dis
tance of 1000 yards. The curve was
so situated hat it was in full view of
the station at the Gap. The weather
had cleared off and the moon shone
on the snow. In the distance,
slowly forging ahead, were the eleven
black and begrimmed leviathans, while
in front of them was the great plow
throwing MP snow in huge masses like
ocean billows, and rolling it down the
sides thousands of feet
into the yawning chasm below. The
smoke and fire from eleven tunnels, the
tops of which could Just be seen above
The drifts, the horrible noise and din Of |
The putting steam, and the great gla-
,iers b ing thrown high in the air and
down the mountain side, all
furnished a scene which but who who
have Witnessed it can ever appreciate.
San Francisco Chronicie.