Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-02-08
TEBMsI s1.5O PER ANNUM, IN ADVANCE.
The Minnesota Storm Wave.

mar train, says a st. Paul paper, one of
/ the poor sufferers by the late terrific
storm. This man, whose name is Chas.
O'Neil, was taken to the Sisters Hos
pital to undergo the operations of am
putation of both feet and an arm. His
story, as gathered by reporter, is sub
/ stantially as follows:
On the morning of the terrible Tues
day party of five men-Charles O'Neil
and his brothers John and Stephen, and
Mike and Thomas Holden-startedf from
Beaver Falls, Renville county, will Ave
loads of grain for the Wilmar market.
/ Wilmar is distant from Beaver Falls
about thirty-fve miles of open prairie,
4---e1Ity Sf v,.l4iol. e..a ,Tithor.+ sOGtlSA'
Quite early in the afternoon it began to
snow, but the wind was light, and the
party pressed on, anxious to reach Will
mar with no delay.
When within about eight miles OF
Wilmar the wind began to increase, and
blew directly intheirfaces. They viewed
the situation with considerable dismay,
and about half concluded to turn about
and retreat to the house about eight
miles in the rear, and fortunate would
it haye been had they done so. But
about a mile ahead was the house of a
Mr. Meagher, and the party finally de-
termined to press on to this refuge. The
storm continued to increase in violence,
however, and the wind hurled the fall
ing and drifting particles of ice against
and about them until they were obliged
to turn their faces from the storm and
trust to the instinct of their animals to
keep the right direction. Drifts began
to meet them, and their horses could
scarcely founder through them. 1t was
now too late and equally too hazardous
to take the back track, and they pushed
on into the bitter hurricane i'll the hope
of reaching Meagher's. But now their
horses gave out and became stalled in q
succession of deep drifts. TWAS found
impossible to extricate the sleighs, and
the only alternative was to build the
best protection their circumstances
would allow. One sleigh box was set
up edgeways, turned from the wind,
and another was leaned against it to
serve as cover and brace. About this
insecure and himsy shelter sacks OF
grain were packed, and inside the five
men were crowded, after having first
cut loose the horses. This was about
four o'clock Tuesday, and OF course they
had no food and but a meagre supply oi
blankets. The snow, driven across the
prairies like stinging darts of lightning,
was forced through every crevice and
packed against and above the little shell
ter and in upon the men, and with such
force was it blown that it was packed
firm as sheets of ice.
Tuesday night passed, and Wednes'
day Mike Holden announced his lnten-
ton of seeking Meagher's House. He
To- tried to persuade thes;others to accom-
pany him, but they considered them
selves safest where they were and sc
declined. Mike started out, and sue
ceeded in reaching the house, having
both hands frozen on the way. The
storm continued so severe that no at:
tempt could be made to rescue the 9th
ers at the time. They in the meantime
were suffering all the pangs OF cold anc
hunger, and it is quite probable that
several of them became delirlous, fol
when found they were lying out OF ano
near the shelter.
About ten o'clock Friday morning
man passing along the road with an OF
team heard shouts as of some one II
distress, and upon making search dis
covered the little barricade covered witt
packed snow, and was Mortified upon
disturbing several apparent knolls IL
the vicinity to find that they contained
the dead bodies of men. He found the
bodies of Thomas Holden, Stepher
ONeil and John O'Neil, the first two
quite dead, and the latter with life al
most extinct. Upon searching under
the cover he discovered two feet pro
truding from the snow, and breaking
away the crust he found Charles O'Nei
alive, but in terrible condition: The
bodies were at once lugged to his slet
and conveyed to Meagher's, and thence
to Wilmar, John O'Neil dying before
reaching that place.
The details of the sufferings of Chas
: O'Neil are horrifying and almost. in
: credible. 1t seems that he had lail
down Immediately upon entering thu
cover, and had, while in this position
been fastened down by the terrible
: weight of the snow which drifted upol
l him, or rather upon the upper portion
of his body. 1t was so heavy, he said
l as to cause almost unbearable torture
, After he found that he was unable t.
7 rise, and that the snow was covering hi
head, he feared suffocation, and to keel
that member free he constantly raised
> and lowered it, and in this manner
3 while he could not prevent the drlf
! from forming over it, he formed an al
chamber, which prevented sutfocatlQn
t In his endeavor to free his head tn
poor fellow actually tore the hair almos
entirely from the scalp. Here he lay
| with his feet exposed to the air an'
e frozen stiff, and with the cruel fros
e slowly creeping up his limbs, and un
: able to mqFe scarce q muscle OF HI
9 body, from Tuesday night till nearl,,
t Friday noon. Gan more horrible SIT
4 uation be imagined? The poorfellow'
right arm is frozen to the elbow, tn
t right leg to the knee and the left LEI
, above the ankle. These members AZ
: thus far completely dead, and he ha
y been lying at Wilmar until the frs
o train succeeded in getting through
e Five of the horses were frozen to death
o and the others were found five mile
L away, all right.
I, Foo1IsH GIRLS. About the cheekies
4 operation on record has just bee
hrouoht To light Mt Auburn, Me-, wheT