Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1873-04-25
TERRIBLE STORM IN KANSAS
AND NEBRASKA.
Loss of Life and Destruct on of
Property.


Kansas, Southern Nebraska, and
a portion Of Missouri, were visited
last week by by one OF the fiercest
storms in the history of the border.
The following are specimens of the
kilograms from those regions:
LINCOLN, April %.
\ train Oh the Burlington & Mis-
souri, Railroad reached here this
forenoon-the first that has arrived
for Il week. 1t reports the late
storm, which prevailed from Sun
day till Thursday, to have been the
severest ever known. There has
been great loss Of life and property.
Immense numbers of cattle and
horses were frozen. Men were fro
zen to death within two rods of
their own houses, trying to get to
their stock TO feed them. Many
others persisted in their own houses.
Besides those who were frozen, the
wind unroofed houses and barns,
and the snow drifting in filling them
up, the cattle and horses inside
were smothered to death. Many
families persisted while trying to
reach their neighbors. Near Graf
ton, a man named keelcr attempted
to reach his neighbours, not half a
mile away, accompanied with his
wife and two children; the children
were frozen. The house of Mr..
Brent, near Red Cloud, was renderd
uninhabitable, and his wife and
child, in attempting to reach other
shelter, persisted within ten rods of
the house. Their bodies were found
Friday. Mr.. Marshall, near Ha-
vens, started out to feed and water
his stock, and persisted before he
could reach the barn. The railway
cuts are filled with snow drifted in
and packed as solid as ice, upon
which an ordinary snowplow makes
no impression.
-Althi> W. LA'-u'3 ~ BI IL L.
Much anxiety has been felt here
for the welfare of the citizens on
the border 200 miles west Of here
during the late storm. We have
had no communication with that
section until to-day, when we learn
of suffering and loss of life unparal-
leled in the annals Of our history
For three days the people did not
dare to leave their houses, and they
became terrified at having to stay
in them, as many were blown down.
Saturday night, before the storm,
the house of n man named Grain,
near Belleville, was burned down,
and the family went to the house of
Mr.. Bennett, a neighbor, for shelter.
On Monday night the storm took
the roof off Mr.. Benefits house, a
stone building, and blew in the ga
BILE end, causing it to tall into the
cellar, where the inmates had taken
refuge, and Mr.. Bennett; was severe
ly injured. In the morning Mr..
Bennett went to procure assistance,
and when lie returned he found that
the floor had fallen in, and Mrs.
Grain and two children and Mrs.
Bennett and four children had per-
ished. Mr.. Bennett survived and
escaped to shelter with one of Mrs.
Grains children. Mr.. Grain was
in Atkinson, and did not know of
the fearful catastrophe until yester-
day. The office OF the Sentinel at
Cawker was blown down. -Four
persons were brought into that
place and many others are supposed
to have died from exposure in that
region. AT Belleville mill and
daguerrean gallery were blown
down. The store of Chapman d
Bro, 4 large building 40 by 50 feet,
two stories high, was badly dam
aged.
At New Scandinavia the roof of
y stone stable was blown into a
mail coach, which was crushed, as
also one Of the stone walls of the
stable. a large Touring mill was
carried bodily two or three feet
from its foundation. The engine
house was completely blown away.
The ferry boat across the Republi
can river WAS sunk. Three dead
bodies were brought into the place
Wednesday. Mr.. Morgan says that
for two days one could not reach
the hitching post in front of the no
tel where he was stopping, the snow
was SO thick, and that men who liv-
ed in the town and happened to be
at the hotel when the storm came
up could not get home, although
several attempts were made. The
town is supplied with water from a
cistern in the public square, and
whenever lull occurred in the
storm men could be seen approach
ing it from all directions to procure
water, but could not get back to
their houses with any quantity
Water was obtained by melting
snow. Stock was not fed or water
ed for three days, and in some in
stances, t.where snow had drifteo
against the stables, the stock had
not been reached up to Thursday
The loss of stock which was no
sheltered, it is estimated, will reach
one-hali Of all in that section. The
worst is that the half has not ye
been learned.