Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1864-01-14
The Great s,orm at the West,

The Great StOvlm ut the West.
The Chicago Tribune of Monday de-
votes seven columns to an account of the
blocking snow storm and intensely cold
weather which have been experienced in
| all the Western States. The railroads
were blocked up in every direction, many
trains being stopped midway of their
| journey, and the passengers exposed to
great suffering from cold. A train on
| the Michigan Central road got stuck
thirteen miles from Chicago, and the
Cleveland Herald gives the following
account Of the suffering of the pas
| sengers -
+" The cars on that road are provided
| with patent stoves, which will burn only
! when the cars are in motion, and conSe-
| quently when the cars stopped the fires
went out The weather was intensely
| cold, the Thermometer being thirty-one
| degrees below zero, and the sutferings of
| the passengers became intense, particu-
larry those of the women and children.
No fire could be started for a sufficient
length of time to do any good. The top
of the pipe would become red-hot and
set fire to the top of the car several times,
which was only put out by cutting away
the woodwork.
There were five passenger cars in the
train, we'll filled-about one hundred
and fifty in all, large number of whom
were women and children. What added
to the dreariness of the scene, as the
night wore on was, that the lights as
well as the fire gave out the cold increas-
ed in intensity, and the snow became
four or five feet in depth, in huge drifts.
BY this time all the passengers became
completely chilled through. The women
and children were elevated on tep Of the
seats, where the air was warm, and
everything done for their comfort that
could be- but without fire lights or
food, out on black prairie, their suffer-
ING was terrible.
They lay there from Thursday after
noon till Friday morning, when train
on the Michigan Southern road arrived,
which also became blockaded, and could
proceed no farther Preparations were
Immediately made to remove the pas
sengers to the Michigan Southern cars,
where warmth could be procured A
perfect stampede occurred, passengers
fearing they would be left. Many of the
women and children were unable to help
themselves and had to be carried from
one car to the other They remained on
the Michigan Southern cars till Satur-
day night, suffering from the cold and
want of food. They Were finally taken
off by sleighs and carried to Chicago.
There were none frozen to death, but
large numbers were badly frost-bitten,
some so severely that they will lose
their hands or feet. The officers of both
trains did everything that could possibly
be done under the circumstances for the
comfort of passengers, and the two con
ductors are thought to be so badly froz-
EN- that they will never get over it.
1t was impossible to do ANYTHING to
relieve the trains from the blockade, as
no human being could stand the severity
of the extreme cold for more than min
ute or two without becoming entirely
benumbed"
The transfer of the passengers to the
Michigan Southern train is thus describ-
ed by correspondent of the Chicago
Tribune
"a distance of three hundred yards,
more or less, was to be traversed. The
snow was deeply drifted. The snow and
frost laden wind was sweeping the path
like storm of grape. But it was an
nounced that the passengers would be
taken to the city if they would instantly
make an effort to reach the Southern
train. Haste was necessary in order
that the engines might not freeze up be-
fore we could get started Don't a man
of you start without taking a woman or
child with YOU shouted Carter Wrap
up, wrap up close shouted Butterfield,
who in his anxiety for Others forgot him
self and froze his face, nose and ears
and women and children undertook the
terrible passage. Cold as it was in the
car, those who had not had occasion to
expose themselves to the storm previ-
ously knew little of the ordeal through
which they must pass In order to reach
the other train. Strong men fell by the
way--frail women dropped down unable
to step, and were caught up in the strong
arms of men and hurried to the cars in
sensible. Children, halfclad, were res
cued half frozen" 81 mos "a 81
Few who attempted the journey es-
capped being frost bitten. White noses,
ears, faces, and hands marked most
of the Central passengers and many
Of the Southern ones, who had nobly
rendered aid in the transfer. The scenes
in those cars, as the frozen passengers
were helped in, beggars description