The New York herald., 1873-01-22
The Terrible Tempest
in Minnesota.
A Graphic Description of the HOr-
rOrs Of the Hurricane.
Fifty Hours of StOrm---The Indian Irrup-
tion Far Less Dreadful.
Over Two Hundred Lives Lost-Drifts Higher
than Houses-Babies Frozen Stark at Their
Mothers Breasts-A Land Of Snow
strewn Thickly with Corpses

WINoNA, Mnn., Jan. Is, 1873.
While your Eastern world on the verge oi the
Gulf Stream has been lifting the hands oi despair
and voice of protest over q snowfall which made
locom0tion foot unpleasant and by morse cars
impossible for a day or two, and while the whole
country has been thrilling with horror at the in
hremation of O few ha pless workwomen in tinder
box up here, the shadeess aud shelteress
prairies, "there hath been wrought a deed OF
dreadful note" Human suffering which parallels
khat endured by the fated Franklin has been OF
hourly occurrence, and lives have been taken as
Freely as in BATTLE but with attendant circum-
stances innnitely more tragic than wait on the
parting OF the soul which is rent from the mangled
mesh by shot or Steel l was in Minnesota after
the awful massacres OF ten years ago, when the
red wave OF Indian invasion swept over the smiling
Land and LETT 1t
WASTE OF ASHES SOAKED WITH BLOOD;
but the scalping knife and bullet OF the Sioux did
not do such havoc as the SHOWS have wrought this
rear, nor were all the tOrtures OF the red nends
productive OF more agony than have witnessed
within the past ten days. What has been suffered
and how many have been slain has not YET been
Rsoertaned, for the settlements are far apart and
communication is difficult; but by every mail
come particulars that chill the blood, and we can
now fairly estimate the extent OF the calamity !;
and, inasmuch as the history OF this memorable
Polar wave must, In large measure, be derived
from local sources and backw00ds journals that
never reach the Eastern reader or editor, 1t may
not be labor wasted on the part OF tho HERALD's
correspondent to prepare succinct and Ineligible
recount OF the sad affair, to which added such
personal passages as may be most worthy Of
preservation.
Up to that fatal Tuesday, at whose mention
many heart shall ache in Minnesota for years to
Come there had been Winter weather OF the usual
Sort, clear, cold, with occasional storms OF snow,
some Of which had seriously blockadsd the rail-
roads and induced considerable suffering from
ecarcity Of fuel The epiz00ty had for some time
laid an embargo on travel. Our great Northwest
ern country must not be considered to be like Can
eda, land Of hills and valleys, thicky clad with
pine forests. great table-land. of considerable
eltitude, lying open to the winds, that sweep down
from the Northern Sea at intervals
ICY AS THE BREATH OF DEATH,
with an occasional tree, semi-occasonal clump
Of trees or still rarer belt CT forest along water
course, and an atmosphere dry and rare-such is
The Northwest 1t is largely settled by immigrants
rrom Scandinavia. poor and thrifty folk, whose
wooden houses stand singly or in little hamlets,
marking the prairie at every few miles, The coun-
try is FERTILE and in Summer smiles as the garden
p the Lord; but In Winter 1t presents bleak face
pf snow to a coudless, blue sky.
{ Tuesday. the 7th, was lovely and mild day.
Ghe sun was bright and the air baimy. Every
pulse OF the country was astr under the genial In
huence and the wild swans that changed overhead
pnce or twice from their meres must have seen
the prairie roads alive with teams. The farmers
were all out at the nearest settlement. They were
getting short OF fuel; there was but q handful OF
gour at the bottom pm, OF the barrel not scrap Of
shaggy little horses were well again, every far
mer hitched his team lor the town. In the little
cottages OF wood were women and children; the
schoOlhouses were full OF little ones Such was
the country, thus its dwelers, when the blow fell.
the savage attributes which had marked her first
children there, their careful and patient watch Tor
Rn easy opportunity and their sudden and reent-
less onslaught
THE STORM WAS TURNED SIOUX
At Wnnebago City there were sixty teams as
sembled; scores were at New Ulm. All along from
Albert Lea and Blue Earth, by Window, Mankato,
clear up to Breckinridge Belle Prairie and Duluth
the people were scattered, delivered into the
{ Between twelve and two O'Clock on Tuesday the
6ky turned ivid, the sun became merely dull brazen
ying, the south wind chopped round rapidly and
became cold, and in q very few minutes was laden
with fine frozen snowdrft that stung like shower
OF needles. SO utterly unprepared were the people
FOR The change in the weather and so suddenly did
II come upon them, that one man at WInnebago
30, and the snow came In our faces" Knowing
what this hurricane boded men leaped into their
eeighs, and with voice and lash urged their cover
Ing horses out into the storm. Then the work Of
death began. For more than fifty hours till late
on Thursday, the freezing wind and falling snow
continued, 1t was not steady fall OF snow but
A HOwLING HURRICANE,
the wind sometimes attaining q speed Of twenty
in it1u nurries, with a wild screech and singing
Mhiz The thermometer fell steadily, till at Cham
plain 1t registered ftyfour degrees below zero At
eight to forty-twO degrees below. Some OF the
Farmers who set out soon found that If they valued
te they must turn back. They were enveloped in
sheets OF snow, that blinded them. The wind came
80 hercely tnat they were fain to stop and turn
round tili momentary lull came The road-why
1he level prairie was all road now without one
track OF wheel or runner to indicate the path OF
safety. Wherever there was a slight knoll or tree
fhe driving snow-seet curled round 1t and broke
pver 1t like yeasty billows over wreck, and far to
leeward grew up drifts of eccentric FORM Then
the snortng horses that toed along pressing with
their heavng hanks closer to each other ior
warmth and dumb protection and sympathy, re-
fused 20 go forward the driver felt himself becom.
ing distress, his cold limbs were growing warm, and,
warned Of the
= SWIFT COMING OF DEATH,
he turned and retraced his steps. Happy they who
did so betimesi There were many who held on
stubbornly till II was too late. There were many
fate Of their wives and little ones. lett alone 'e in
their frai citades, forced on through the drifts
that grew deeper at every step and cold that be-
were others who grew weary OF the contest, and,
lying down In their robes, were luled by the ee.
mental rage into slumber which knew no awaken
Ing. Sometimes the horses gave out, and the un-
happy driver, benumbed ana chilled, his move.
ments impeded BY his heavy clothing, had to
moans and shrieks OF the horses that found them
selves thus deserted by their masters are said by
agonlzing to hear. And at their homes things
were no better. There was perhaps scanty
supply Of fuel In the and but days lQod In
The larder Night trod closely the heels OF nooh
Perhaps the mother was alone with her sucking
enid her husband ten miles away In one drec-
lion, her children two miles away in another.
nhese hapless parents suffered countless deaths.
.the wooden buildings creaked and
A., ROCKED IN THE SWING OF THE STORM
pKe SHIPS at sea. The timbers cracked with the
trost IKE rines Beads OF frost stood every piece
pl scs %oodwoTk the small panes OF glass were so
shlck WIN ice that there was no chance that the
LIMP set Elm IN she easement could send It's feeble light
ble to open the doors so high had the dr,rts he
come: Inc nre grew low though IL was replenished
VIII tne @ sCany furniture. Day succeeded to dark
gpesst pW tne oay was as the night Only the chin.
3ey OF the house appeared above the drifts The
poor woman knew that her children Law dead
hand In hand on the prairie, and that her husbands
corpse was somewhere entombed In a giant drift
(Ibe little baby's blue lips were laid against hnr
enpty breast: the soul had sped from hot ,s 80 80