Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-01-14

| THE GREAT SNOW STORM
The Chicago papers contain full accounts OF the grsa
storm Of and wind which swept greater part
of tho Northwestern States Thursday and Friday the
last day Of December and the first Of
blockadpg travel by the railways ard causing IleDse
suffering There has been nothing approaching it IN So
verify since the memorable winter Of 1855 The follow
ing particulars from the Chicago Times and Post Of
Monday: 4sf
/ EXTENT OF THE STORM. s-'tsh g2k M
The great Storm which ID in this vicinity
about hafpast O'Clock Thursday morning, seems to
have extended tract Of country second only to that
visited by the memorable storm Of 1855. The recent
storm was not accompanied in any locality with the i'm
falls Of which formed the great feature Of the
storm of 1855 neither the tract o country visited by
it 40 extensive yet It possessed features which made it
more terrible than any that has occurred for years
The greatest fall Of to have been III Illinois.
the quantity gradually decreasing until, ut Ceveana
the east there little and at Omaha Nebraska in
west but three inches. Here it was about eight and
| half inches. at Sap eAf ~
s THE INTENSE COLD. WEATHER II 8lse ~
On Friday the ceased falling. but the atmosphere
became intensely cold Two thermometers in the city
marked - degrees below OF the mercury
| was governed by the exposure We hear Of one that
matked % which probably the lowest in this city
The wind aud the cold continued terrible all day Friday
It vss dangerous to travel any distance One gentleman
bad his ears frozen going from Rudolph street to tina Ire
mont House-n0t seventy yards Not only hundreds but
thousands Of people had part Of their bodies frozen
Hundreds of citizens business who reside mile
so from their places Of business could reach their
places Of business from Thursday night to Saturday
ing he street railways were blocked up, and hands
could not turn out for fear Of freezing to death
About forty women and children, who we're in at
tendance upon the Catholic ladies bazaar in Metropolitan
Hall remained in the hall all night unable reach their
homes Shortly after daylight slsghs and othor convey
ances procured and the half starved aud half
women and children carried home in as comfortable
| q way practicable on that terrible morfin g.
On New Years day no. stIeot moved in any
off hA cItV hAdt hat haan
to render movement possibe il could not have been done
neither beast could have endured tho terrible
| cod-twenty to thirty degrees below zero
About every other visible the streets New Year.
day presented frozen pair Of frozs ears frozen
cheeks or complained Of frozen toes or fingers Such
cases slight however, in eomparson with some
others Three soldiers were picked up by the police
Thrsday night who were rapidly freezing To deab One
was found in the public square, with both feet 20 badly
frozen that s feared they will have to be amputated
Another had his face and both hands frozen badly
The third was less seriously injured al
Aman was carried into Purmee's barn badly frozen
that it thought he would die One Of the carriers az
the Post while delivering bis papers Friday morning
beyond Union Park badly frozen that he had to be
carried into house and provided with medical aid His
| case, we learn, is not dangerous at nsp so .ag,
There report current in the city that six mon had
frozen tn death at Camp Fry. There il truth in it
There much suffering among the men, OF course but
no deaths They are now comfortably qnartersd
1t also reported that forty prisoners were frozen TO
death ut Camp Douglas The number was subsequently,
DO true The prisoners provided with barracks which
are certainly sufficient to prevent freezing We should
have been surprised the guards had frozsn and the
suffering among them must have been terrible
AN AWFUL NIGHT ON A PRAIRIE t.
The train the Michigan Central railroad which was
due here at half past ten o'clock Thursday evening
proceeded with great difficulty until within four hundred
yards Of the Michigan Southern Crossing some seven miles
out There. at six O'Clock on Friday morning almost
eight hour. behind time thetran plunged into
drift
locomotive pushed ahead right royalty at first scattering
the snow 10 gttsrng clouds upon each side oasy al
ship would part the foam Further and still further into
the drift and slower aud still slower the engine 1t
labored and struggled il 10th to give up the contest but
a0aly stepped The faithful engineer then sought To back
the connective But the powerful engiae was within the
grasp Of giant 10 whose hands its strength but that
OF child The wind swept AROUND the IN fatsd train and
brought it closer within tho chilling coils Of the mercess
Drift The traiD far from assistance Imprisoned IN
the snow The scee when the passengers realized the
pers OF their situation terribly real as To bsfs
all description There hundred passengers
on board many of them being women and children with
but short supply Of wood. N
DEATH under any is 80 terrible that the
strongest and bravest pale when they realize that thew are
IA it's presence But when men compelled to sit and
watch its coming and note the fight of each moment
which brings it's icy touch and nearer there
something in it grnndy terrible that while there is the
antest hope Of avertng " the weakest nerysd
with giants strength and the ntest hearts with bravest
resolution, One by out into the binding storm went
those who able and, digging down through the snow
difts which were piled them they the fences
the road and brought them fuel to the cars Here
was something which would provide warmth until they
could be rescued from their perous situation The boards
broken up and tina fast cooling soon gave on
generous heat The wind il rushed along drew the
flames mp through the kind,ng pine, until stove and pipe
we're heated red. Then peril broke upon the pas
ayers The roof Of the took fire from tho heated
pipe aud the wind caught the 4mes they roared and
cracked and curled do rnward towards the
as i 10 mockery Of their misery The snow was banked
almost to the bottom of the aud to separate it from
tho others by hand, utter impns-ibiily If the
flames got fairly under way tho whole train would
be consumed. and it's living freight turned out upon that
bleak prairie without shelter. aud at the utter mercy of
| Tho piiess storm That we're certain death.
In this moment Of peril the women We'd with the men
IN their Efforts Tor the safety More tht one
fair hand now eagerly grasped the gttering snow mo
bt before regarded their greatest peril and hailed il
~ the angel II their deverance Some &c the men, with
batcbets mounted the top Of the and commenced cut
ting away the portion fire other and the brave
women carried aud dashed it from the inside and
from the outede upon the burning roof it seemed
rs IL all hope were vain bat energies not slackened
or hearts unneryed The contest brief but
and resulted in the flames being queed The wind and
rushing in ut the great aperture In fe roof
and the car longer tenable All the passengers
then withdrew to the next Proper were
taken against similar disaster there But the ashes had
been, unfrtuatey entirely removed from the stove in
the car, and, when anticipating danger the or o the
oar took fire from the bottom Of the IL was much