Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-30
Correspondence of the n. Y. Herald.l
Slain by Snow.
THE GREAT STORM IN OHIO AND MIME
soTA-FULLY 800 LIVES LOST.
WINoNA, Mimi. Jan. 20. 1879.


record. In this letter | propose giving
some disconnected incidents and episodes
of the fatal Tuesday which may be of
interest to Eastern readers. Some idea
of the snow drifts may be formed when
we consider that on the Wednesday the
snow was piled so high about a freight
train, blockaded on the Davenport and
st. Paul railroad, near Delaware Center
that teams drove right over the cars.
Upon the same line there are drifts 5000
feet long and fifteen feet deep. Near
Blue Earth men could pass on foot over
the telegraph wires, end at New Ulm in
one drift was found a man frozen TO
death while sitting on the seat of his
sleigh, his head being fully five feet un-
der the surface.
SEVEN SCHOOL CHILDREN FROZEN.
One of the saddest incidents is report
ed from Fort Ridgeley. The school
mistress discharged her scholars, telling
them to run home. Some escaped with
but slight injuries, but seven of the lit
tie ones lost their way in the binding
drifts and were found dead, one with
his books under his arm and his little
foot lifted for step-a step which had
proved a step beyond the confines of
life. Two others were found frozen to
death in each others arms tears, which
the bitter cold or the near approach of
death had wrung from them, standing
in little beads of ice on their innocent
cheeks. Hugh Jones, teacher near
New Ulm, kept the forty scholars of his
school in the school house from Tuesday
till Friday, risking his life, like a prac-
teal, unselfish hero, every day in two
mile tramp through drifts four or five
feet deep to get food for them.
THE STAGE OF DEATH.
The stage left Madelia for st. James,
having eight passengers and a driver. On
Wednesday morning, not having arrived.
search was made for it. 1t was found
on the road, the horses frozen to death,
the driver grinning corpse on the seat,
with the reins still in his hands, and
eight bundles of robes and clothes in the
bottom of the sleigh, each of which con-
tanned a souleless lump of icy flesh
Mr. A. K jenkins of the Cleveland,
Ohio, Bridge company, who was super
intending the building of an iron bridge
at Rock Rapids Iowa. was travelling by
the stage thence to Sibley. Arrived at
the latter place the other passengers dis
embarked He did not stir. They call
ed him. they touched him, and 10 Death
had ridden with them for some time, and
the body was already rigid. ..
SLAIN so NEAR SAFETY.
At Oshaw, about a hundred yards
from the railroad station, were found
two horses harnessed to a cutter, in
which, sitting bolt upright, were two
men dressed in warm buffalo coats. They
were frozen stiff and dead. John Haga-
meyer of Elizabeth, started to 90 from
his house to his blacksmith's shop, 15C
yards away. He was found two mile;
distant, frozen To death.
At Herman, on the st. Paul and Paci
fic railroad, a man was frozen to death
going from the station to the tankhcuse.
At Nicollet, within twenty yards OF
the railroad station, a man wss found
frozen to death in his sleigh
In the same village another man lost
his life while trying to close his barr
door, blocked by snow drift.
Mr.. Charles Deming, mail carrier be
tween NermilliOn and Swan Lake, hung
a buffalo robe over the wheel of his bug
Of this poor shelter, freezing one foot
and one hand. When the storm ceased
he found himself within forty yards OF
a house.
FAMILIES UNITED IN DEATH.
At Fort Ridgeley three brothers were
hauling grain when the storm came or
them. They sought shelter in theil
grain cribs in an open field All three
were found there dead.
Mr.. Lee and his son, aged thirteen
left their house, near Sioux City. OF
Tuesday for a load of wood On Fri
day they were found about eighty yards
apart. Evidently they had freed theil
cattle and then gone on, installing theil
way Both were thinly clad. The
boys arms were crossed, as if he haC
tried to keep his buttonless overcoa
closed The faithful dog was found be
side his dead master A widow is lef
destitute with four children, the eldes
| only seven years old.
Near Madelia a man unhitched hi
team and went to search for a house
leaving his wife in the sleigh. She be
came anxious and followed him. Bot
were frozen to death.
A Mr.. Tremis, his son and his SON
wife started from Fergus Falls 70
Elizabeth. Becoming locked in drift
| the men took the mules and went 70
assistance, leaving the woman in tn
sleigh. Father and son were frozen L
| death, and the woman cannot recover.
! A couple just married were on thei
way home, to Lemars, when the storm
overlook them. They turned the horse
loose and overset the sleigh, then crawl
ed under it and wrapped themselves il
the robes. 1t was a strange bridal room
| the box of a sleigh in a drift out on tn
prairie, but they passed two days ant
two nights there, and were finally rescu
ed alive, though badly frozen.
Near Correctionville John Sparks an
| Joseph Sanders went out to get som
wood at distance of four miles. TIL
storm caught them, but they pushed on
When mile and a half from home the
/ threw out their load to 90 on NOR
quickly, but Just beyond the road mad
curve; they passed this curve withou
turning, and so every step afterward
was step away from home. At nigh
| they camped under the sleigh, abOu
! three miles from home. A trappe
heard their shouts, but thought them bU
the hooting of owls All day Wednei
day, Wednesday night and Thursday th
men were alive and wandering up an
down, bewildered by the terrible storm
The trapper followed them all day Wee
nesday, but could not find them. 0
Thursday night their horse came HON,
and following back his tracks they foun
the two men seven miles away, abot
two feet apart, frozen stark and stiff
The dog which had accompanied thel
remained with he bodies, and had kel
them from being covered by the snow
Each man left widow and childrel
the latter all young. Sanders family
destitute. The aged mother and sistt
of Sparks have gone mad, and will PR
badly die.
Such are a few of the scores of instal
s.nln ballic