Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-01-28
FOUR DAYS In A SNOW DRIFT.
The SufTerIngs OF Five Men i'm the
Terrible storm - Three Frozen to
Death and One Crippled for Life
A Wonderful Case of Human En-


Death and One Crippled for Life
A Wonderful Case of Human En-
durance.
From the st. Paul Press, Jan. Is.
Yesterday there arrived in this city by
the WilInar train, one of the poor suffer-
ers by the late terrible storm. This man,
whose name is Charles O'Nel, was taken
to the Sisters hospital, to undergo the OPP
erations of amputation Of both feet and
an arm. His story, as gathered
by Press reporter, is sub
stantiaIly as follows: On the morning Of
the terrible Tuesday, party of FIVE men,
Charles O'Nei, and his brothers John and
Stephen and Nike and Thomas O'Neil,
started from Beaver Falls, Renville county,
with five loads of grain for the Wilmar
market. Wilmar is distant from Beaver
Falls about thirty. five miles of open prairie,
twenty of which are without a settlec.
Quite early in the afternoon it began to
snow, but the wind was light, and the par
ty passed on, anxious to reach Wilmar with
Lo delay.
When within about eight miles Of WI
mar, the wind began to increase and blew
diIectly in their faces. They viewed the
situation with considerable dismay, an1
about half concluded to turn about and re-
treat to q house about eight miles in the
rear, and fortunate would it have been had
they done so. But about q mile ahead
was the house Of a Mr.. Meagher, and
the party finally determined to press on
to this refuge. The storm continued to
increase in violence, however, and The
wind hurled the falling and driftii g
L. a,,A ahO1f thQO1 nntll
they were obliged to turn their faces from
the storm and trust to the instincts OF their
animals to keep the right direction. Drifts
began to meet them, ard their horses could
scarcely founder through them. 1t was now
too late, and equally too hazardous to take
the back track, and they rushed on into the
bitter hurricane in the hope OF reaching
Meagher's. But now their
HORSES GAVE OUT,
and became stalled in succession OK deep
drifts. 1t was found impossible to extrlcats
the sleighs, and the only alternative was 70
build the best protection their circumstan-
cas- would allow. One sleigh-box was set
I'D edgeways, turned from the wind, and
another was leaned against it to serve as q
cover and brace. About this insecure and
fimsy shelter sacks of grain were packed,
and inside the five men were crowded, az
ter having first cut loose the horses. This
was about O'Clock Tuesday, and OF course
they had no food, and but a meagre supply
| of blankets. The snow, driven across the
prairies like stinging darts Of lightning, was
| forced through every crevice, and PACKED
AGAINST and above the little shelter, and
in upon the men, and with such force was
| it blown that 1t was packed firm as sheets
| of ice, Tuesday night passed, and wed
| nesdav. Mike Holden announced his lnten-
tion of seeking Meagher's house. LIE tried
| tn nersuade the others to accompany blm,
! buttbey considered themselves safest where
thew we're. sud declined. Mike started out,
and succeeded in reaching the house, hay-
| inc both hands frozen on the way. The
storm continued SO severe that no attempt
conld he made to rescue the others al that
time. Thev in the meantime were suffer-
In1 all the pangs cf cold and hunger, and II
;s 1nite probable that several OF them be-
came delirious, for when found they were
living out of and near the shelter.
THE DISCOVERY.
|. About 10 O'Clock Friday morning man
nassirc along the road with an OK team.
J boord shouts as of some one in distress, and
nnon making search discovered the httlt
barricade covered with packed snow, an'
was borrifed, upon disturbing several ar
parent knolls in the vicinity, to find tha
fhev contained the dead bodies Of men
He found the bodies of Thomas Holden
stephen O,Neil and John O'Neil, the frs
two quite dead, and the latter with life Al
most extinct. Upon searching under tn
cover. he discovered two feet protrudins
from the snow, and breaking away the crus
he found Charles O'Neil, alive, but in q
TERRIBLE CONDITION.
The bodies were at once lugged to hi