Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 January 1914 — REALISM of SNOW [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

REALISM of SNOW

THERE are those among us who see nothing idealistic about the snow. The varied and exquisite forms assumed by tbe frost particles on crystallization, revealed in their fullest beauty beneath the lens, are IOBt to their unappreciative vision. To them “the fleecy snow" ana “the beautiful snow" are absurdities. The only form of snow-inspired poetical effort that appeals to them is the parody, “The snow, the snow, the beautiful snow, Tbe more you don’t want it the more it won’t go.” is not meaningless to them, for they are the men who must battle with It. Such, for Instance, Is the railroad man in any part of Uncle Sam’s wide domain in which the ice king disputes his sovereignty. The Dakotas, Minnesota and northern lowa are favorite haunts of the wayward monarch, and in those regions it is that he holds some of his most fantastic revels. The wind swept prairies of Kansas and Nebraska, level for great distances, are often difficult to manage in "mfiF winter, but they do not possess the essentials of a great snow country. The general contour of Minnesota and Dakota is rolling, so that on most of the railroad lines there are many cuts, ten to the mile in some places. This is the ideal spot for the snow blockade, and for six or seven months of the year an almost ceaßeleßs battle is going on. Every railroad traversing these regions is equipped with a large force of snow fighters. Nowadays rotary snow plows in the hands of men who know how to operate them can cut their way through drifts that in the early days of railroading would have established a complete blockade. Tbe rotary plow is one of the marvels of the age. It is a liberal education in The business of snow fighting to watch one of them eating its way through an apparently insurmountable drift that threatens to cut off all communication between the Atlantic and Pacific northern terminals. Menace to Railroading. There are several passes in the great divide region of the Rocky mountains which for about half of the year offer a constant menace, to railroading in their vicinity. The snow begins to fall late in August or early in September, and it continues until well into May and sometimes June. There are also intermittent snowfalls during'the summer, but not enough to make serious trouble. The great falls are during January and February. j The roads that cross the great divide must expend enortnous sums In their annual conflict with the snow. Special crews are provided for this work, and special engines are held in reserve to be put behind the snow plows as needed. Before the rotary was invented the man with tbe shovel was the sole dependence. In the early days of the transcontinental railroad, thousands of laborers were kept on the pay rolls simply as snow shovelers. The Bnow sheds erected by these lines have cost a mint of money! The wind swept stretches of Wyoming and other states are guarded by wind breaks consisting of high fences built across the most exposed points. These fences seem to be fragile barriers against such a mighty foe as the snow king, but they serve their purpose admirably, frequently preventing a blockade. In spite of tbe greatly improved methods of snow fighting, blockades are still of frequent occurrence- on these mountain roads. It is not at all unusual in Colorado and Wyoming for a train to be stalled between stations for hours and perhaps for days. Those wbo have had experiences of this kind do not wax enthusiastic over them.’ Sometimes provisions are lacking, and the luckless passengers are In actual danger of starving. In these lonely b(retches there is not a ranch for miles. As a rale tbe roads take extraordinary precautions against blockades of this description, for in several

cases large damages have been coP lected by the victims. Great Mass of Whiteness. .The huge B&owdriftß that some-* times rise in a single night are fre-i quently ten, 20 or even 30 feet inj height. To one who sees such an a<w cumulation of snow for the flrtt time; it seems impossible that any plow, even the most improved rotary, can, penetrate it. With a rush, and ai plunge the great plow is burled into the mans of frigid whiteness. Blackclouds of smoke pour from the engines, and the huge blades of the rotary begin to eat Into the drift. The snow shoots out of tbe orifice at the side of the plow. As it is distributed' it forms an immense white, semi-cir-cle which is constantly moving onward, showing the progress of the plow. Slowly the rotary excavates its way forward, and finally the plow and its engines are burled in a trench of white. Only the smokestacks can be seen, and they continue to belch forth inky clouds that settle in a coat of; smudge upon fits -snowfleld. The great white semi-circle moves steadily onward, and In the course'of time it becomes apparent that the drift is being conquered. It Is eventually overcome, and tbe passengers on the regular express train which passes that way a few hours later knows nothing of the snow battle that has made their further progress possible. They may discovej- that they are moving rapidly through a narrow canyon whose walla are snow, but they do not realize the mighty force that has enabled them to cross the ridge of the continent It is tbe element of the unexpected that sometimes adds largely to the seriousness of these occasions. At tb* passes over the great divide adequate provision against trouble has been made, and long blockades are few. Now and then, however, word,come* that a train has not been able to force its passage through a snow accumulation 100 miles or more from the nearest rotary pkrw. Then there is consternation indeed. To get a plow to the blockaded train will take time, but it must be done. In the meantime tbe drift may be growing on the unused road, and each hour is bringing fresh menaces tb railroad men and passengers alike. When a rotary plow itself is caught In a snow blockade the situation becomes even more complicated. Such instances al) rare, but it has happened. Such a thing can only be possible through the carelessness of some workman, for a rotary plow with sufficient power behind It can eat Its way through a drift of almost any dimensions.