The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-01-28
Four Days I'm a Snow ssrffs-1Ttac Suffer
i,gs OF Five Mon IN the Terrible
Storm-A Wonderful Cnse OF Human
Endurance.

from the ST. Paul Press, Isth.1
Yesterday there arrived In this city by the
Wiimar train one Of the poor sufferers by the
late terrific storm. This man, whose name
is Charles O'Ncil, was taken 10 the Sisters
Hospital TO undergo the operations Of ampu.
tatirn Of both feet and an arm
MS STORY.
az gathered ny Press reporter. Is substaD.
italy as follows: On the morning Of The ter
rihic Tuesday IL party Of five Invertebrates
O'Ncil and his brothers John and Stephen,
and Mike ana Thomas Hcldcu-s,arted from
Beaver Falls, Bcntvlle county. with five
loads Of grain Tor Wimar market. Wilmar
is distant from Beaver Falls about tbirtv-tive
miles of open prairie, twenty of which are
without; Il settler. Quite early in the after
noon il began to snow, but the wind was
iiehi and the party pressed on, anxious to
rclclI Wilmar with no delay.
When within about eight miles Of Wilmar
The wind began To increase, and blew d.
rcclv i'll their hicc>. They viewed the situa-
ton with considerable disnay, and about
huf concluded 10 turn about and retreat to
a house about tish, miles in the rear, and
fortunate would il have been had they done
So. i:,it about mile ahead was the house
i"IIni,lcG to press on TO this refuge.
TIE STORM
continued Ia increase in violence. however,
aHI the wind hurled the Filling and drifting
particles OF ice against and about them until
;hcy were Obliged to turn their faces from
ti" oioIm and trust to the instincts of their
animals {" keep the right direction. Drifts
rr1an to meet them, aud their horses could
az ,Iy,,. 4.
too iaiy and equally too hazardous to take The
bark l;..cL, and they pushed on into the bit
ter hurricane in the nope Of reaching
Nca2EgT's. Eut now their
HORSES GAVE OUT
and became stalled in succession of deep
dril>. /; VA. found impossible to extricate
tie -fri.,.>, and the only alternative was to
5ilI ttc bed protection their circumstances
would allow. One siCigli-hoX was set up
rd-eway<, tCrurd from the wind, and an
nfAcr Was leaned against it 20 scfveaS cover
and hrayr. About this insecure and 1lmsI
shelter sacks al grain we're packed. and inside
lie ave rA"h were crowded, after having first
cul lDr>" the hcr-c~. Tbi. was about
FOUR O'clock TUESDAY,
and Of course they had no food and but Il
n,u@re supply Of blankets. The snow, dri-
ven urrcss tie prairies like stunning darts OF
:rhin:n@. was forced through every crcylcc,
and packed against and above the little shell
ter, and in upon the mcE, and with such
fore" was it blown that it was packed firm
a sheets oil ice. Tuesday night passed. and
"Wednesday Mike Holden announced his in
tcn:ou Of seeking Mca@her's house. He
ui.d TO persuade the others to accompany
him. but they considered themselves safest
where they were. and declined. Mike start
cd c"i wnd succeeded in reaching the house.
hlN,.s H0jh lruds ircIeu on the way. The
>.uYa, continued So severe that no attempt
rur.l l.. r,ati" 10 rescue tic others at that
| iin... try il Tie ii.eHT time We're suffering
! Ill tie irni"S al rci,t and hunger, and it is
u;l;tr rirrhi,. That several Of them became
| d,l;iuu>. for wien found they were lying
| out @! ana! near the shelter.
THE DISCOVERY.
About ~ o'vinch Friday morning man
Ir,~~;My along tine road with an oX-tcam
beard shouts is ui some ono in distress, anti
'ir"n i.,g!iing search discovered the little bar
ri.aGr covered with packed snow, and was
I.ulitird upon disturbing several apparent
1.nui> ~ The Vicinity H. find that they con-
;:inyl the dead L0.iIr, Of men. He found
H." hutli,~ ri Thomas Holden, Stephen
g. Nrii. ana John U'Ncil the first two quite
dead. and the latter with life almost extinct.
Upon searching sin!trr the cover lie discov-
| cred wv lc"t lToirGding from the snow, and
'.rrtkiE@ away lie crust he found Charles
D'N"iI. alive. hut in Il
TERRIBLE CONDITION.
The, bodies were at once lIg-ed TO his sled
auti r"Uvrycd tn N"aEhci>>, and thence 10
i iinAr. Ju,iu B'Ncil dying before reaching
HAT place Tie details of the suilrriuss OF
rh1gi,~. O'N"i are horrilying and almost in
credible II seem, that he had lain down
Immediately >unn entering the cover, mud
il,d, lille il this position, been fastened
down iy the terrible weight Of the snow
which iiil"l mpnn thin. or rather upon the
| a.,istr i3or,l"u uI H. body. II was 50 heavy,
! Gr rid II. ~ ":su%" almost unhcarablc torture.
| Nlrr he !oiHId h" WAS unable to rise, and
| th,g g." -n"W Wls covering hi, head, lie feared
| -itiioratiaii: and to kcyi, that member free he
rua,;nu;,y raised aud lowered it. and in this
ullnurT, y bill" he could not prevent the drift
| ,nu, !ugnin. over il, IL formed an air-clmm.
| h".. = t,.r.. prevented ,,iio,ation. In his en-
,i,rtrar to licc his head The poor fellow nc
tua'iy
TORE THE HAiR
almost entirely from IL" scalp. Here he lay
with ni+ iy;t r;i','>;tl 10 the air and frozen
~liN. alid wifi lrrI';l,I frost slowly creeping
Gp his limbs. and Unable 10 move scarce 4
nr>c'c of Ills body, from Tuesday niS'n
untll Friday nuGn. Can more horrible
situation l' iria@ii,ct: The poor fellows
ri,ht arm is !roZ"a f" the elbow. the right
ir@ 10 lie knc". and tic left leg above the
a|kl'. Tir>e nc;nbcrs ara thus far com
pirtc.y dead, aud he l!sd been Iyin" at
i il@.af uai! yesterday. when tho first train
>uccccd,'1 IL getting through.
Five uC the horses were frozen to death,
and i:Ic UthcvS were luund five miles away all
right.
WEBBING journey OF DEATH.---A St. Paul
rnrr,.>prn;lcut writes TO tho New York
iuyh; M Interesting account ct the effect
o. t,r l.;c terrible storm in Tie Northwest
II" S@y>:
~ sad ease is reported of Il young couple
ln were on their way frCm Canada. tho