Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-05-01
j TnOM NEBRAsKA I
CARLETON, Ell
April Goth, 1873.

ED. IOuRiEB s--I lease aAlOW me to
give your many readers faint de-
scription of the terrific snow storm that
swept over this part Of the country:
beginning about 8 o'clock a. M, Mon
day April the 14th, and continuing nm
til o'clock p. NJ, Wednesday, the
18th, with undated fury. The storm
began on Sunday, about Z o'clock D.
M. laundering, lightning and raining
until three o'clock Monday morning.
when 1t began showing and blowing.
as before stated.
From Monday morning unt;,
Wednesday evening it was utterly i'm.
possible for person to see ten stems
from them, and often could not see ten
feet in any direction, and had it have
been as cold as we have had it some
times during the winter, the loss Of
Of life to both human beings and
stock, would have been terrible indeed
As it was, but few people persisted, as
far as we have learned, but the loss Of
stock is heavy. The snow came 40
thick and fast that it seemed TO- smoth-
or them. A great deal Of stock that
was loose and those that could get
loose, were driven before the storm
for miles and then perished; Others
lived through, but travelled for miles.
Men can be seen in all directions look
ing for horses, cattle, SC.
The storm came almost directly
from the north, and where ever there
was chance for it, the snow drifted
tremendously. My stable stands di-
rectly north ofmy house and about one
hundred feet from it, and it drifted
from the stable to the house the full
height Of the stable, covering nv
corn crib, hen house, wood pile and
well curb, completely out of sight, but
lost nothing, as was pretty well
prepared for 1t. A great many new
corners just arrived, were wholly
unprepared for it, and suffered intense
~. Some took all of their stock in
to the house, and thus saved them
from perishing or suffering. Three of
Harvey Eller's sons (from Competine)
came out this spring and brought with
them quite number of horses. the
two best of which, they lost; the 9TH
ers they succeeded in getting into the
house, thus saving them from a SINH
lar fate.
One family Of newcomers stopping
in . board shanty two miles north Of
me, suffered severely. The old folks
had gone away from home, and left a
young mana cripple-and fonr little
children there. The snow drifted into
the house until it reached the roof, and
when help arrived at 10 O'Clock on
Wednesday, they were all found in q
heap near the door, in q space of
about four feet square, but were all
saved alive. A hoIae tied close by had
persisted.
The details are terrible, but still not
80 bad but that it might have been
worse and it need not deter people
from emigrating to this State, as in all
probability we may never have anoth-
er such storm. At least, no one that
have converted with upon the SUBJ
}ect, has ever before seen ANYTHING
To equal It. within this or any other
country. Many are preparingto leave,
but that IL all nonsense, for other coun-
tries are subject to storms "a well as
this. AS for instance, Iowa, in the re-
cent storm at Burlington. So there is
no use in trying to dodge the work
ings of the Supreme Ruler of the uni
verse, for he causes the rain to fall on
the just AZ well Ms the unjust, so, also,
in all things. --- $50,
Since Thursday morning the wealth
er has been clear and beautiful, the
snow has all disappeared except the
DRIFTS, and they are going fast. The
grass looks green, and everything has
an air of spring like cheerfulness. I
have potatoes just coming up, and the
storm did not seem to injure them in
the least.
And now as 1 have probably tres
passed far enough, and that everything
is lovely again, and old Sol beams
down upon us in all his splendor, l
will close by saying, Adieu.
Yours truly,
7. IT. SpRlNGFp.