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Show i v,- w . r. , . ;;sa KLADt' TOR 5E.RVLCE HERE are those among us who tsee nothing idealistic about the snow. The varied and exquisite ex-quisite forms assumed by the frost particles on crystallization, crystalliza-tion, ' revealed in their fullest beauty beneath the lens, are lost to their un-appreciative un-appreciative vision. To them "the fleecy snow" and "the beautiful snow" are absurdities. The only form of snow-inspired poetical effort that appeals ap-peals to them is the parody, "The snow, the snow, the beautiful snow. The 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 Minne-sota and northern Iowa 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, Nebras-ka, level as a table for great distances, are often difficult tn manAPfl In mid- cases large damages uave been collected col-lected by the victims. Great Mass of Whiteness. The huge snowdrifts that some times rise in a single night are fre quently ten, 20 or even 30 feet in height. To one who sees such an accumulation ac-cumulation of snow for the first time it seems impossible that any plow, even the most improved rotary, can penetrate It. With a rush and a plunge the great plow Is hurled into the mass of frigid whiteness. Black clouds of smoke pour from the engines, en-gines, and the huge blades of the rotary ro-tary begin to eat into the drift. Tho snow shoots out of the orifice at the side of the plow. As It is distributed It forms an Immense white semi-circle which is constantly moving onward, on-ward, showing the progress of ths plow. Slowly the rotary excavates its way forward, and finally the plow and its engines are buried 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 the snowfleld. The 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, block-ade, and for six or Beven months of the year an almost ceaseless battle is going on. Every railroad traversing these regions re-gions 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 daysi of railroading would have established a complete blockade. The 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 communi-cation between the Atlantic and Pacific Pa-cific northern terminals. Menace to Railroading. There are several passes in tho areat divide region of tho Rocky mountains which for about half of the yt-ar offer a constant menaeo to railroading rail-roading in their vicinity. The snow begins (o fall late in August or early In September, and It continues until well into May and sometimes June. There are also Intermittent snowfalls during I lie summer, but not enough to inula) serious trouble. The great falls are during January and February. The roads that cross the great divide di-vide must expend enormous sums iu great white semi circle moves steadily onward, and In the course of time it becomes apparent that the drift is being be-ing conqueied. It is eventually overcome, over-come, and the passengers on the regular reg-ular 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 discover that they are moving rapidly through a narrow canyon whose walls are snow, but they do hot realize the mighty force that has enabled them to cross the ridge of th continent It Is the element of the unexpected that sometimes adds largely to the seriousness se-riousness of these occasions. At fhe passes over the great divide adequate provision against trouble has been made, and long blockades are few. Now and then, however, word comes that a train has not been able to force its passage through a snow accumulation accu-mulation 100 miles or more from tho nearest rotary plow. Then there is consternation indeed. To got a plow to the blockaded train will take time, but it must be done. In the meantimo tho drift may be growing on the unused un-used road, and each hour is bringing fresh menaces to railroad men and passengers alike. When a rotary plow itself Is caught In a snow blockade the situation becomes be-comes even more complicated. Such instances ore rare, but it has happened. hap-pened. Such a thing can only bo possible pos-sible through the carelessness of some workman, for a rotary plow with sufficient suf-ficient power behind It can eat Its way Ihroiigh a drift oT almost "ny dimensions. in i i r annual conlliet Willi the slow. 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 (he man with the shovel was the solo dependence. IiiNlio early days of the transcontinental railroad, j thousands of laborers wip e kept on the pay rolls dimply as snow shovelers. The snow sheds erected by these linen havo cost a mint of money. The wind swept stretches of Wyoming and other oth-er slates 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 aH the snow king, but they servo their purpose admirably, ad-mirably, f 1'iiqi.ienl ly preventing a Moekaile, In spite of the greatly Improved methods of snow fighting, blockades are still of frequent occurrence on theHH mountain roads. It Is not at all unusual In Colorado and Wyoming for a train l.-j ho stalled between stations for hours and perhaps for days. Those who have hud experiences of this kind do not wax enthusiastic over them. KlomotlmcH provisions are lacking, and the luckless passengers are In actual danger of starving. In those lonely Hi retches there Is not a ranch for jiiIIch. Ah a rule the i-oihIh lake extraordinary ex-traordinary precautions ngaliiHl block-dili block-dili of tllH description, for In several |