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Snow blockade on the White Pass broken, January 1901



Highlights of History from The Whitehorse Star


The White Horse Star (White Horse, Yukon Territory), January 16, 1901.

The White Horse Star (White Horse, Yukon Territory), January 16, 1901.

The snow blockade on the White Pass, January 1901

    The photograph of the steamer Cutch as it was taken a year ago on one of her stormy voyages from the Sound, was brought to the minds of the people of White Horse today when the train arrived from Skagway after six long days' battle in the snow. The engine was a mass of snow and ice and the entire train looked like some of the old time pictures of Santa Claus' Christmas time excursions. A dozen bewhiskered and hungry passengers came through from Skagway, and barber shops, bathrooms and restaurants did a thriviag business for several hours after the train pulled into the depot.

    The train left Skagway last Thursday morning in charge of Conductor Connelly, with McGee as engineer. The big rotary plow with two engines started ahead and moved along with little or no trouble until the summit was reached where the difficulties commenced. It was stopping, digging out and starting until late Thursday evening, when, about one and a half miles this side of Fraser, two drawheads were pulled out of the plow engines and they were compelled to lay up for the night. Some of the passengers mushed up to Log Cabin, a distance of three-miles, and waited there until Sunday when the train came along again with the broken drawbars replaced, they having been brought from Skagway by the second rotary.

    Bennett was reached Sunday evening, and there was another delay of two days, first as a result of one of the rotarys leaving the track over a broken rail and then one of the engine became disabled. The small rotary started ahead of the train from Bennett and was only enabled to run five miles when she had to be backed again to Bennett for another tank full of water. Pennington was reached at midnight last night, where the train which lett here Tuursday for the south was passed and the big rotary started below ahead of her. The smaller rotary came as far as Caribou ahead of Connelly and from the latter point the track was found to be comparatively clear.

    At Pennington it was learned that there had been several big snow slides between the Summit and Glacier and there is a chance that the line through to Skagway may continue to be blockaded until the weather moderates.

    Among the passengers on the train arriving today was Postoffice Inspector James, U.S Customs Agent Idleman bound for Forty Mile - James Larkin, who is to have one watch in the prescription department of the Windsor Bar, Dr. Nicholson and half a dozen others who are enroute to Dawson. A. E. Chantler, who had charge of the advertising for the annual edition of the Skagway Daily Alaskan, and who is now with the Alaska-Yukon Advertising Co., was also one of the passengers on the belated train.




This is the photo of the iced-up steamship Cutch mentioned in the article above. Photo by H.C. Barley.

The iced-up steamship Cutch at Skagwy, Alaska. Photo by H.C. Barley., January 1901




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