SNOW-DRIFTS ON THE UNION PACIFIC LINE.

Grey River Argus, Volume XII, Issue 1115, 23 February 1872, Page 4

SNOW-DRIFTS ON THE UNION PACIFIC LINE.

[MORNING CALL.] A mail agent on the Central Pacific told our reporter that he learned from an agent on tho Union Pacific that they had " ditched" and smashed up twenty-eight engines in ploughing through the drifts. Some passengers who started out from Cheyenne a little way "got stuck" in a bank of snow, and while trying to clear it away the snow drifted in behind them so that they could not get back. A man walked six miles to a station to telegraph for help. The company sent out forty men and a locomotive to their assistance, and, by their efforts, seconded by the passengers, they succeeded in gotting back. They had nothing to eat, and grave fears were entertained of starving. One of the ladies said, if they had had to stay there another day they would have starved. This was between Cheyenne and Laramie. The next morning they started again and managed to get through. They were obliged to pay half a dollar for a cup of coffee, and the same for a loaf of bread. The charges were exorbitant, and a great many of the passengers had only a limited supply of money, and some of them suffered for food. One gentleman who had nothing to cat for several days, became sick and gave out, and I gave up my room on the boat to him. One gentleman says — " I don't think it is possible to keep the road .'open, if we have any severe winter at all. The great trouble is the snow-sheds themselves. They fill up with snow, and it is necessary to shovel the snow into the cars and run it off a great distance. Tho snow fences are also defective. They have no snow-ploughs, nor appliances for clearing the road, atad they also lack help. They have not got onefifth as mauy.men as they need. On the Central Pacific they have six men to one mile ; on the Union Pacific they have one man to five miles." There were some poor people on the train who came from Indiana. Their, money was exhausted, and they had.no provisions except a little bread, and they suffered considerably. Some of the passengers were fourteen days on the train, but he was only seven hours behind time when he left Ogden, and they made up five hours of it on the Central Pacific. A gentleman from Ohio stated that he left Omaha on Saturday, and reached Cheyenno on Sunday. On Monday they started out and made about twenty miles and became snow bound. They laid over on the track that night, and the next day the passengers turned out and shovelled the track clear and they advanced about two mUes. The next day they advanced about four miles in the same manner. Thus they worked along to Buford, digging their way, and melting snow to make steam. The company only had about twenty-five men at work, and it was so cold that they could only work a few minutes at a time. But at length they reached Laramie, and from there the road was in pretty good condition.