FEBRUARY 8 -Rotary No.1 with Engines 71 and 10 , accompanied by engine 256
was called out of Shops at 5:30 AM. Departed Shops at 7:30 AM, arriving
Glacier at 9:50 AM. Engine 256, headed south, was coupled to rotary fleet
out of Glacier. At Mile Post 16.5 draw bar was broken in baggage car 203
and engine 256 brought car back to Glacier. Rotary returned to Glacier for
water at 1:10 PM and departed Glacier going north at 1:55 PM. Working
their way through drifts from 6 to 16 feet deep they made favorable
progress to the American Shed where two car lengths of drift was
encountered inside the shed. Rotary was stalled at this point and, while
endeavoring to back away, broke casting in draw bar of engine 71 and pulled
out draw-head of rotary. They were successful in patching up rotary and
moving it back to a point about 500 feet north of Bridge 18 A. Engine 10
ran out of water and fire was killed and engine drained. Engine 71 and the
rotary were kept alive by shoveling snow in the tank but it finally became
necessary to kill engine 71 account of shortage of coal.
Engine 62 rerailed at Fraser Loop switch at 4:15 PM. Both engines 81 and 62
were out of coal and it was necessary to use ties to keep engines alive.
Had to shovel out snow from the north Fraser Loop switch back to Fraser ( ½
mile) in order to get engines and rotary back to Fraser for coal and water.
This required all night February 8th and the early morning of February 9th.
Engine 256 returning to Glacier with coach after pulling out draw bar,
stalled in snow at mile post 16.5 where engine was kept alive for some time
by shoveling snow into the tank but it finally became necessary to kill
engine and drain her.
Summing the situation to date, we have one rotary at Fraser without
sufficient coal to move forward and snowed in back of rotary so that we
were unable to return to Log Cabin or Bennett for coal; one rotary 500
feet south of the American Shed alive with draw bar out of south end;
engines 10 and 71 dead at north end of steel bridge; engine 256 dead at
milepost 16.5.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/09/2014 02:17PM by m.j.peltier.
