The railway was faced with inclement weather each winter, and the snowfall was often enough to hamper its schedule, at times forcing trains to a standstill. In 1916 a snowplough and train were forced to a stop about a mile south of Pemberton in MacDonald's cut, where there was about 20 feet of snow. Because the railway was the only way out, the trainmen were stranded. The train crew managed to walk the mile to Pemberton, but it took them almost 2 hours to struggle through the deep snow. The snowplough crew came up later and stayed at the Pemberton Hotel. As there were no freights moving, it was not long before the extra guests taxed the stores at the hotel. The townspeople too were feeling the pinch of the lack of supplies.
These railway men, who were enterprising fellows and hardy types in a tough business, decided to get out of Pemberton; and those who didn't have or couldn't get snowshoes, made skis from split cedar and laced them on with buckskin thongs purchased from the Indians. When the were shod for snow travel, they left Pemberton and headed out for Squamish. They finally arrived at Rainbow Lodge, where they stayed overnight and enjoyed warm beds and good meals. When they left the next day, it was eight degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Fred Clutterbuck, an older man, remained at the lodge for three days to rest up after the first part of the trek. Supplies at Rainbow were running low. Mrs. Phillips decided to go out with the railroaders, as she had planned to travel to the coast anyway. She donned skis and kept up with the men all the way. It was so cold that the eggs which they had purchased from settlers during the trip froze solid. They traveled to Brandywine, twenty-eight miles from Squamish, and, to their delight, an engine had bucked the weather to come to meet them. |
