, 1872-11-23
THE SMOW-BL LOCKADE.
Trouble on Minnesota Hai1roads-Ads
ventures Of Passengers and Offi-


| much interest in this city and elsewhere. a
Republican reporter called at the office OF the
train dispatcher Of the Winons & st. Peter Rail-
Toad this morning Wedpesday) 70 learn the
affairs, generally, at the western end. There is
no telegraph beyond New Uln, and all conmu-
nication from beyond thnt point has to come in
the allow and old-fashionea way Of teams.
| The sEvery latest" YVES brought into New U1n,
| this morning, by a teamster. who reports that
| be saw Mr. Stewart with his snow-plow and
| shovel brigade at the Big Cottonwood, forty
| mics west Of New Ulm. It was not exactly q
| Balakla7a, but, snow to the right Of him, snoT
to the left Of him, snow front and back Of him,
gathered and drifted. Ho was literally packed
IN with drifts at the front and rear Of the train,
| unable to go either way. with the SNOW drifting
so fu1iously, on Tuesday, that it was impossible
for the shogellers to make any headway against
up faster than the SNOW could be ehoVeled ont.
To-day, the weather was calm at New Glin, with
prospect Of the wind going down enough to
give the snow-plow fair chance.
News Was also brought that one Of the con-
struction-engines had started from the extreme
western end OF the track to come east in charge
Of John Moshar, the wen-known veteran engi-
neer Of the road. He got to Marshall all right,
but there the locomotive was ditched, as if the
snow-driits we're not enough to try the patience
Of the railroaderg. This is all that could be
learned to-day. It is evident that many Of our
fel1ow-ctizens are having q rare and unenVlab1e
experience among the drifts.
The St. Paul Press has been furnished with
some very interesting incidents OF the storm and
adventures of passengers on the '9inona q st.
Peter Railroad, during last week: a party OF ex-
curaionists, among whom was Major J. Il. Don
aldsou. Of st. Paul, e.arted for trip to Lake
Khanps1s eRa g got saghMt 2 M f she @ e ot
day, and that event lg it tbegan to snoW and blow
The report continues:
"New Ulm WIS passed, and when the train
arrived at Big Cottonwood, forty miles m 8 west OF
which fell aud were whirled across the big,
almost treeless prairie, that it could go no
further. Our trains reached the same spot
il the same condition, and IT, before aast.E2ng Iong
teeao bonnd trains Taro showed naa IN t.
! midnight on tho prairie. These we're all con-
structiou trains, but on them were l25 passen-
gers. Colonel DeGraT had joined Major
Donaldson at New Ulm, on his way to the end OF
him. The night and the next day were spent IN
the cars, and then provisions were ont and some
thing must be done.
uThe passengers already repented that they
to go Vest They wanted to go home, but
couldn't, and so Major D.: aud few others
started out to reconnoitre. Four houses
were found-section houses-about l6x2|
and these we're .stormed, the whole
Upwards of thirty in each bouse-dependent for
an unknown period on the provisions on hand
for food. The case looked somewhat serious
and the ration question 1oomed up portentously
before the company Raskets aarda ana Ha4nr haa
soothing syrup, Colonel DeG-'s cough mixture,
prepared especially for the sshorse-disease, all,
Ill was gone but the hospitality Of the citizens
was larger than their accommodations, and the
hungry crowd was made welcome. Hon. Nr.
Langley and his wife and Major O. 7. Hays rep
resented Hastings in the company. As soon
as Ill we're packed well away, delegates from
each house began to make desperate sall'es' =.
ans ths o3hers te See aof S5of bo 5untsd
up Mr. and Mrs. Langley. about half mile
away, and found the honorable gentleman seated
| in corner peeling potatoes, while his wife was
assisting at washing dishes. an !Ia !lnaanlry Tor
that the little fellow was lying around up
| stairs Hunting him up, the gallant 200 Tbs.
was found playing checkers, with men impro-
YiBed for the OCCASION with jaek-knife.
sMaior D., Colonel DeGra1, and about twen-
ty-f7e othors, we're quartered with Mr. Edward
Bennett, and the Major, who arrived IN st. Paul
last evening, expressed himself as under the
greatest obligations to this gentleman and his
hospitable wife.
could not last always. There were no shove15,
so the men could not dig themselves out, and it
was twenty six miles to the nearest station Two
brave men, however, we're on hand to make this
Conductors Brown aud Goodman, determined to
get help started out, saying as they left, DO
the best you can for yourselves, and.We will not
come back till we bring You help" They went,
and, as was afterWard found, succeeded in mak'
ing the Journey, and in telegraphing the situar
ton to Wiuona. This was done On Thursday.
sit wonld make an interesting story to relate
the particulars and sero-comlc Incidents OF these
four days; to tell how those who visited the
cars held on to each others cost tails to keeE
from getting separated and lost in the binding,
+ bowling storm how they had to climb up I'M.
mense drifts and slide down them to the cars;
how, at night, roll would be called and each per.
son assigned to his couch 81 On the floor or
calmly, except one man Of faith, who in his
troubled dreams, often muttered: =" I don't care
continental Colonel De Graft says he's going
to pray here another week, and if he don't get
help then, he's got an engine Of his own"
''Friday came, and, in reply to the anxious
inquiry, Is the wind going down?' came Can.
fields response-'Yes, down the prairie like!
ssBut space forbids these details. Colonial
received 160 sacks Of flour and eight head Of
cattle, just before the storm, but this could not
last them long. So party WAS organized, OF
which he and Major D. we're members, to drive
forty miles to New Ulm, to seek assistance.
They started On Saturday morning, but, before
Stewart with his business car and working
force, coming after them. Mr. Stewart de-
serves CREST credit for his promptness and
zeal in this work. He was in the front
with his force Of eighty men, encourag-
ing and working with them. He had with him
three engines, but no snow plow, and when he
sent for one it WAS started out and wrecked By
colliaion with freight train. The train return
ed to New Ulm at night, and Colonel DeGraft
loaded up 3 supply train andstarted out the next
day behind tbs working force, determined to
spare neither pains nor expense, and willing to
undergo any hardship to get to his men at the
western end.
ssWhen Major D. left, Superintendent Stewart
hoped to reach Cottonwood by Sunday Ii 5ht,
fire up the five engines there and push on, with
the expectation that Colonel DeGraf's men with
their tmo engines would try to come and meet
/ them, in which case he expected to open COM
From tbs 81. Paul {Afizsn.) Press, lop 90.
Last night, about 5:40, very much d1sgnsted
party Of railroad oficinls disembarked from !, q
palace car at the Sioux City Depot, and silently
stole homeward with 'wearied bodies and sleep
laden eyes Said party we're the oitGeE7 7an and
Company who On Tuesday the 12tn 1e1ia,s lett TINS
Of tic road. This. party was composed OF
| Measrs. E. F.. Drake, President; Colonel