The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1873-02-07

Winnebago City describes it 40 I'll
q man clapped his hands--so, and
the snow came in our faces" -
Knowing what the hurricane BODIED,
men leaped into their sleighs, and
with voice and lash urged their cow
ering horses out into the STERN
Then the work Of death began. -
For more than fifty hours, till late on
Thursday, the freezing wind and
falling snow continued. II was not
a steady fall Of snow, but
a ROWLING HURRICANE,
the wind sometimes attaining q speed
Of twenty eight, thirty or thirty-two
miles. The snow came in fitful
flurries, with wild scrsech sting
ing whiz, The Thermometer fell
steadily, till at Champlain it regis
tered tifty-four degrees below zero.
At other places, tho mercury marks
ed from eight to forty-two degrees
belo, Some of the farmers who
set out soon found that If they vail
ued life they must turn back. They
were enveloped in sheets of. snow
that blinded them. The wind came
so fiercely that they were fain to
stop and turn round till a momcnta-
ry lpll came. The road--why, the
level prairie was all road now, with-
out one track Of wheel ~ runner to
indicate the path Of safety. Wher-
ever there WAS a slight knoll or a
tree the driving snow.sleet carled
round it and broke over il like
yeastly hillows oyer o wreck, and
far to lseward grew up slrifts Of &C.
centric form. Then The snerting
horses that toiied along, pressing
with their haaying TANKS closer to
each other for warmth and dumb
projection and sympathy refused to
60 Harvard; the driver felt himself
becoming listless, his cold limbs
were growing warm, and, warned Of
tho
SWIFT COMING on DEATH,
he turned and retraced bis steps. :.
Happy they who did 50 betimes,
There were many more who goaded
on by a fear Of the fate Of theii
wives and little ones, left alone il
their frail citadels, forced on through
the drifts that grew deeper ct every
step and cold that became more in.
tense every moment. And there
were others who grew weary Of sh.
coptess, and, lying dswn IN thcil
robes, we're lulled By the elemental
rage into q slumber which knew ne
awakening. Sometimes the horses
gave out, and the unhappy driver,
benumbed and chilled, his move
ments impeded by his heavy cloth
ing, had to abandon his team and
| take to the drifts. The moans and
shrieks Of tho hogaea that found
themselves thus deserted by their
masters, are said by some few whe
survived such scenes, to have been
agonizing to hear. And at their
homes things were no better. Thers
was, perhaps, scanty supply Of
fuel in the corner and but q days
food in the larder. Night trod close
ly on the heels Of noon, Perhaps
the mother was alone with her suck
ling child, her husband ten miles
away in one direction, her children
two miles away in another. These
hapless parents suffered countless
deaths. Tho wooden buildings creak-
ed and
ROCKED IN THE SWING or THE STORM
like ships at sea. The timbera
cracked with the froat like rifles. -
Beada Of frost stood on every piece
Of woodwork, the small panes Of
| glass were SO thick with ice that
| there was no chance that the lamp
set in the easement could send it,
feeble light to the belated struggler'
4 without. It was impossible to oper
the doors, 50 high had the drifts be
come. The FIRE grew low, though
was replenished with the scanty fur
niture. Day succeeded to darkness
but tho day was as the night. Onl.
the chimney of the house appeared
above the drifts. The poor womal
knew that her children lay dead
hand in hand, on the prairie, an,
that her husbands corpse was some
where entombed 10 giant drift.
4 The little baby's blue lips wor'
laid against her empty breast; tn.
soul had sped from between them il
little cloud of frozen yapor. She
lay down and died, and the reIent-
/ ing winds waited through the aper.
lures Of the room decent drift q
diamond snow for her winding sheet
These pictures, terrible as they may
appear 10 the readers Of the Herald
who sit BY warm fires and find the
music Of the snow as 1t tinkici
against the glass, musical and I
cheerful sound, are less than the re.
atty. The advance Of death wa.
like that Of torturer, who come,
with all his horrid engines to the
victim bound at the stake. Oply
they we're to be envied who met :
swifter fate in the raging storm with
out, and we're spared the sight o
their children dying before theil
eyes of hunger as well asof cold.
on THE RAILROADS