The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1873-02-15
Tie Winter siorm In MINNESOTA.


ful storm in Minnesota is not complete. Enough,
however, i. known to make is certNis that Is
dreadful calamity has beiallen the State. which,
during the summer and the early fail, is one
OF the most lovely in the Union. From the
eastern sen board to the Rocky Mountains, tho
month of January has beer unusually severe ;
but upon Minnesota j. has come with terribly
destructive power Only up to the track OF the
Northern Psoifc Railroad the State be re-.
garded as well settled: and in going 40 far north
as the track. ar extreme limit is taken. North
of the road are pine barrens, wher" clumpa
OF dwarf pines bre.k the mOnotony of the In
fertile prairie. South of the Pacific road, how
ever, tho land is good, in fact, there is there
found soms of tho best wheat land in the coun-
try. The outline ia rolling; and the scene is
diversified by oak openings, numerous clear
streams, and crystal lakes In some parts, also,
the woods become iore.ts This portion Of Min
nesota is fairly settled and it is here whero the
storm, which buart over the lsnd on the eth Of
January, has been most disastrous in its results,
Winter is commonly severe IN this State; bat
this winter must be long remembered for it's ex-
ceptiOual horrors. though the FG1er{sItGet ~
RmigrdnteR, e Norwegian pspor published at
La Crosse, WIS, states that the storm Is only
little worse than that which fell on the lsnd or
the 18th OF February 1872. A correspondent OF
the Minneapolis Tribune describes the beginning
oi tuiS StNflD w G1tlII Irbif AiNslsI. ne ftt-eS
that Janu.ry 1th began rs pleassat day; and
he and friend started On & d.y's sle,ghng
journey along the ..a2l, of the 81. Paul and Pa.
cihc Railroad. Before noon the snow began 10
fall in large, moist da,es Down came the
binding drift, slowly and nosales.,Y through
the air. For four hours this continued xud
then, says tho writer The storm swoopei
down upon US from the northwest with de-
moniac fierceness. They reached a
| ne and solitory house. however, and there OBJ
tanned shelter. The sweep of the tempest now
became terrible, the show filing tho cir so that
at time the etsbIe, three rods away, visl-
Die, and only occasionally could we catch 2
glimpse at wagon not twenty feet from the
window. At the time of this writing the storm
has been raging twenty hoErs, and .till eOrs on
with unabsted violence. We are shut up in a
little hut lOxll, with family OF Swedss. and
the prospect is we shall have another night 81
it. just ut this momen. the farmer has come in
from the wood pile. the end of his nose froza
white as SNOW. 1t is growing colder. and we
get no comfort, but by budding close to the
red bot stove. These settlers tell ire they have
many awful storms here; but this is FAR the
worst ever known. The man who occupied The
nearest house was frozen to death last winter,
not near the severity of this. He was coming
home from the grove with frewood, and per.
ished within short distance from home. Heaven
help those who were caught out at the coming
of this storm, for unless they were on some
free ueuted track, and near shelter like orr
selves, they are beyond human aid"
This provision has bean more than iustifed
hv the event. The 81. I'Uy Press OF January
18th records four deaths. and the F'td,elandet OF
EnugrdHtel. Of January 22d, presents a terrible
catalogue. According to this newspaper, in the
neighborhood OF Fcrgu, Falls, MINI, eight per-
sons died and in Blu Earth county team
frozen stiff WIS discovered This teem present.
cd an awful sight. The driver was frozen on
the sen. aud a. the bottom of the sleigh were
seven frozen ccrpses. Th. number Of deoths in
Stevens Douglas. and Otte: Tail counties i. ru.
down at TO- and many persons were missing,
of whose fate nothing was known. Others were
60 badly frozen that they will be cri>ples for
life In the neighborhood Of Pomno de Terre,
in Wilkin county, three men und two teams
were found dead. and whole herds of cattle per-
ished and iu h,ndiyohi county - persons
were lost. Among these were six freiehters.
At New Tim the situation was fearful. Short.
" before the stora broke out 100 teams lett
that town in various directions, and many Of
tAem had not been heard from. As the snow
was being cleared from the Winona 81 st. Peters
Railroad, sleigh with dad team hl,ohed
thereto, and two dead men in the vehicle, was
discovered. AT Breckenridge. or the North.
ern Pacific railroad, blacksmith los. his wa,
between his shop and his house--a distance OF
$50 feet, and his dead body was found two
miles away. AT Lake Crystal two dead bodies
we're discovered; n. Medslia FIVE; at st. James
10: at Mount Lake two 1t Wyndom three;
a. Aaron Lake three at Worthingtou three
and besides these, whose deaths are certain,
there were many missing. At Minnesota Falls
eleven bodies were found at Redwood Falls
six: and at Lake Hinsley thirteen. In the
neigh borhood Of Fort Ridsoly. seven school chill.
dren, who were returning to their homes were
lost in tho storm. A woman. resident near New
Ulm, was about TO give birth 10 a child, and
her husband went to the city for medical assist.
ance. 40 doctor would return with him,
though he was promised aid next morning.
The husband was lost, and the viii aud neither
found dead, with Il nswly born babe dead be.
side her. Within radius of % miles from Fer
GUS Falls, the F,"3relGA2e records total loss Of
ffty; and ffty.thrCe north and west OF AlsEan.
dria Railroad traffic in the State was blocked.
OF course: but perhaps tho most graphic sum.
mary Of the disaster may DO given in the follow
ing extracts from private lettor, published in
the CIjc1go Trt5ane @! Jan. 81. The writer.
Oscar Frank, addrlsses his letter !rom OwSton-
ma. MIMI. Jan. 90. at is estimated he says
that thoro were from 100 u to zoo par:ons lost
in our State alone; and u groat many have not
been found. and rsrhap' will no: before spring
# The storm lasted about
three days. and seemed to increase as it od-
vancad. a person caa hardly wall; mile with.
out freezing TO death, Il was 30 windy and cold
There wore Ave t-aiuS buried on tho
Central Railroad, On some OF them you could
rot see the wheels on the brakes on top Of the
trains They have at last got Thorn out.-about
all being freight trains. 4 newly married
csupla was going nome, and sOt caught ont
but they were sensible turned over :he cutter
and got under Tho snow driite1 over them,