Year: 1874

the Central Pacific Railroad


Once in a while, when the storm would
| tighten up, we could catch glimpse OF
the great snOw-plow, with its six en-
gines, around some bend, driving into
the drifts with q force that it would
seem would move the world. These
snow-plows are a curiosity, both in their
construction and the manner in which
they do their work. They are immense
structures I say structures, for thev
are as big as a two-story house-and
weigh from 45, 900 to So, 900 poun s.
In front they are shaped like the iron
Prov Of an iron clad frigate, only the
sharp vertical portion of this prov
changes into fat surface where it ap-
reaches the ground. Attached to this
fiat or horizontal prov is what is called
an "apron." This apron is attached to
the PROV by means OF hinges. 1t lifts
up and lets down directly on the track
at pleasure. and when down IL is held
there by lsrseN steel springs. When in
motion this apron slides right on the
the rou1is1eis f.,,s.,.
them it glides over the FONTS 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 high rate of
speed, as o 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
,,eEopv, I f-aS I,
eleven engines. The scene was one of
the widest and grandest that has ever
been witnessed on this road. It had
been stOrming all day and all night and
all the next day, and the snow had
fallen and drifted some places ten and
fifteen feet in depth. The train started
out from Colfax with three engines, but
at Alta il took a fourth. 4 snow-plow,
with seven heavy 50 ton engines, went
on ahead to clear the way, but ut Blue
@anon stuck in a huge drift, and the
whole force Of the seven engines could
not budge it an inch ahead. After
shoveling a while the express train and
the snow train were coupled together,
making a team of eleven engines,
snow-piow and six cars Such a 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 rate 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 and cut
an eleven-foot passage i'll the drift With
the precision OF surgeons knife.
With the power so increased the pillow
cut its way through to Emigrant Gap.
At one point Dear there the spectacle
was magnificent. On a sharp curve on
n steep embankment the STOW had been
pile up to the very height of the
smoke-stacks of the engines for a dis
.tance of /, 600 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
brightly 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 up snow IN huge masses like
ocean lilloNs, and rolling It dow the
sr.10aEss siEl,.s . son eleven furnels. The
tops of which could just be seen above
the drifts, the horrible noise and din of
the putting st am, and the great gla-
ciers b ing thrown high iusthe air and
tumbling down the mountain side, all
furnished a scene WHICH but who who
have witnessed it can ever appreciate.


San Francisco Chronicle.