, 1872-12-16
THAT "W00D-FAMlNE."

THAT "W00D-FAMlkE."
| Along the Line of the Sioux City d.
st. Paul Railroad.
From the St Paul (afinn.) Press, DEC. 10.
Readers of the Press will remember state
ment, made short time since, that, in view of
the fact that numberless complaints had reached
him OF suffering on the border on account OF .
| scarcity OF fuel, Governor Austin had gone in
| person to investigate the matter thoroughly and
to apply whatever remedy he might find neces-
| sary. Els journey was to the towns on
hs hso as Of sna a' sen3 City a2es,y 4 s. tRos5 Pa
lying s1ong the 1ate blocEaded section sn
! between st. James and Worthington. On Satur-
day night the Governor returned, after having
| 1oundered in the snow-drifts, and experienced
all the r1gors OF that hyper-borean region for i
week. He has been duly interviewed by Press
follows
The region Of country in which fuel-famine
WAS feared lies west of st. James to and includ-
ing. 'Worthington. This country is q naked
prairie, and has been but lately settled It's
settlers depend altogether upon the railroad
company for fuel They we're inexperienced in
the West, particularly so the coloniets at Worth
1ngton, and threw themselves, thousands OF
fam1lles OF them, out upon the naked prairies,
exposed to the bowling demon, winter,
and looking to railroad company almost, if not
quite, as inexperienced in the uncertainties of
| No
when the late sudden, unexpected, premature,
and ntogether nnprepared for blockade came, it
ca caught the people and the railroad by the hip.
Inc prospect looked dubious, Of certainty, for
the condition of things was like this The road
had limited quantity Of wood along this e1-
posed sectlon, but not enough to last longer
tnan Cnr1stmas, ana a5 all Of the wood supply
came rom me Hie woods at this end the block
ade cut of that base Of supplies. The hue and
cry then went forth that there was to be fuel
famine, ana as me story Travelled 1t Increased IN
magnitude, until it reached its present absurd
proportions Ii the Eastern journals. As far as
me Governor could learn, there has been no
ectua! suffering for want Of fuel. A few poor
families that would have been in want had there
oeeh plenty r. Of fuel haze removed to timbered
a fuel sufficient to supply al. The only question
Bpective continuance, with possible permanent
eutI1ng on OF al supplies The present condition
Is, that the road has wood enough along its
oofoer nne to Last, with the strictest econ
pmy, nntu Christmas, for in the face of 8
me people, and has managed to keep the line
beyond Worthington open and wood and coal
Trans running, and as fast as the track could be
cleared TINS way wood has been showed in. The
help the people ont Of their strait, and have
kept prices down as low as possible. Soft
wood has sold at $3.50 per cord, and aoft coal at
and through train vii leave tits % city t6is
morning. Every facility viii be crowded to
stock up the country with wood az soon as possi-
BILE, and the only danger to be anticipated is
The prime cause was, of course, the blockade.
But CREST many things have been Iearned this
year, which has been a crisis in the matter Of
border prairie occupancy. In the first place. the
road runs in an extreme Instantaneous direc- |
tion, l. e., southwest, thus being exposed to the
fury OF the prevailing northyest wind Aeain. |
it is built upon sort Of ridceway, and oyeP he !
worst prairie; from Lake Crystal to Worthing- |
ton it runs on high altitude, somethino like 9S0 |
feet higher than at st. Paul. Thus tic rosd is
very badly exposed to storms, and was taken ali I
unprepared BY the late one. not even hawinr ita |