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Snow Blockade on the Pacific Railroad

COMMON snow fall for trains to be delayed by these almost is hardly noticed impenetrable snow drifts. by the railroad men, Sometimes it has taken snow-plows certainly not more from three to six days to cut a way than by any other through the snow, even with the aid of mortal, but when half a dozen powerful locomotives. Often Jack Frost shows trains are derailed by the ice, and several his most hideous trains are obliged to lay near a station countenance, and waiting for a chance to continue their when he so aggravates the trip. It is not uncommon for the snow case by sending a stiff north- drift to be from fifteen to twenty feet wester across the plains, then deep. they pensively shake their Trains have sometimes been detained heads. by the snow for six and eight days, and Great masses of snow are thousands of laborers, besides powerful then driven to certain points, snow-plows were engaged to remove the and the snow blockade, to- obstacles. gether with the interruption of travel Our illustration shows a snow-plow with and commercial intercourse between the five locomotives and cars in the rear try- Pacific and Atlantic, follows. ing to cut a way through the waste masses of snow. Some of the passengers have apparently left the cars to obtain a In Europe such interruptions are not of great consequence, because the country is thickly populated, and thousands of view of these mountains of snow. men with sufficient machinery are always Instances have been known where, on at hand to abate these temporary obstruc- account of having been snowed in and tions. A different thing it is with the compelled to remain a number of days in snow blockade on the plains of the great one spot, the supply of food on board the west of North America. There the rail- train has become exhausted, and the pasroad crosses almost limitless prairies and sengers have been reduced almost to startablelands, annually devastated by ter- vation. Of course, it is quite impossible rible tornadoes and hurricanes. for persons who are living in the vicinity Those who have never seen it would of the blockade, to reach the train for the not believe the height and extent of the relief of the sufferers. And it is equally snow drifts, and would consider the difficult for those on board the train to get devastations brought on by these unwel- to any village or town where they can come storms impossible. It is an almost obtain food. certain occurrence, from January to April, Moreover, it is frequently the case that (253) the snow blockade occurs at some point picking her geese" may thus have had its many miles distant from any inhabited origin. Snow is always a wonder to him locality. In the Eastern States of our who sees it for the first time, and, familiar country, snow blockades are quite uncom- as it is to us, we occasionally meet with mon, for the fall of snow is never equal people to whom it is utterly strange. to what it is in the far west. Of late Youths born in India, for example, gaze years especially the winters have been upon a snow-fall with astonishment and mild and very little snow has fallen. admiration.

There is seldom a winter, however, when there are not serious obstructions to travel in some parts of the country.

But there are wonders in the snow, with which many who look upon its coming as quite a matter of course, may be Such a wonder is pre- Snow is a luxury to boys and girls who can pelt one another with snow-balls, or sented in the phenomena of crystallizago coasting down the steep hillside, mak- tion. Snow is produced by the freezing ing merry in the moonlight. With ruddy of moist vapors suspended in the atmoscheeks, and breath that almost freezes, phere; and in very low temperatures the with shouts of laughter and all the young flakes or particles of snow are found to blood stirred with merriment, they enjoy assume the most elegant and regular forms. the sports of winter, little thinking of These are called crystals, that name being those who are seriously inconvenienced applied to all particles of matter which by the snow which to them affords amuse- take a definite geometrical shape. Snow ment. The excess of anything is not to crystals are of infinite variety and beauty. .