The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-05-01
AN APRIL SNOW STORM.
TIE GREAT SNOW HURRICANE IN Ne
BHASkA-cCsTAR'S CAVALRY TEATHER-
bound THRILLING INCIDENTS WELL
NARRATED.
IYankton fScb letter In New York World ,

Nankfon tSeh letter In New York World
. the morning of the 18th all was nc.
u II. the Seventh cavalry, under CIstar.
naa arrived and were arranging their camp.
canvas tents were being pitched, the horses
were nicketed In rows. the laundrcsScs and
~chadren were scolding shrilly and tumbiins
ABOUT gicetulIy in the scenes new to them.
A mild wind was blowing from the west
aud southwest and a light rain falling. On
tho plains the tender green of the new grass
could Il" seen her" and there, IL sparse en-.
hr"idcrv on the hruwncr and du>kicr herb
age OF last Year. and flncks of summer birds
flew and twittcrcd internationally. 1t was
spring. rather wet aud Individually bleak,
but spring nevertheless.
The storm came on rs suddenly as the
great hurricane OF January. The sky grew
pale. then darkcncd 10 mn ominous yellowish
gray. The rain grew colder. then turned to
>lcct, then 10 snow, which fell lightly till
noon. Then the wind strengthened and
SHRED hy | o>ciock it was blowing half a
gale from the northwest; half an hour later
1t was a hurricane. blowing from the north.
AS the wind grew stronger
THE AIR BECAME BLACK WITH SNOW.
" say black ad,i>edly, for no other word
will adequately express the impression eft
~ that storm. The heavens were still Il
dome archcd upon the recIiny ring Of the ho-
mon, but the canopy was nor longer of steely
blue and silver. Ii was Il SKY OF tea-lead,
bounded. when one caught a glimpse of it.
hv ii iiyid ring. In the midst was an unna-
tural smear of nebulous, white light. That
was the sun. The suow no longer fell in
ll:kcs. The little needles. which ut first had
been driven tin: hing against the face aud
tirklinS against the glass. had given place to
large. blotchv fakes, which were not too
heavy TO he driven furiouSly before the wind.
Rnt these. in turn, had yielded to such gi-
gantlc >pla>ilcS OF snow as may fall In the
realm of RrohdinSnag. They were irregular
wrcAth>, PATCHES, and aggrcgations of snow,
which could be fairly likened to nothing SO
much aS IN atmosphere full Of white bats and
cottonwood. The prevailing impression was
that OF Il mass of snow tumbled from the
clouds upon the earth, not IN cubic blocks,
but in sheets OF vast lincal area. 1t was this
snowfall which really blackcned the air and
covered the ground knee-decp.
"Ilc>c great winding-shcet> of snow were
takcu by The wind. which was blowing at
the lowest estimate ~ miles an hour, some
times attaining Il velocity OF 100 miles. Some
times an undulatinx tremor would run
through the falling avalanche, and the sheets
Of snow would flap and vibrate in the wind
like sails or curtains.
AT MIDDAY 1T WAS DARK AS EGYPT.
"Thc few people who were caught out Of
doors CROPPED and guessed their difficult way.
The man who held out his hand could not
see it at the length Of his own arm. Build
ings were Invisible till one ran against them,
and looking up saw a grayer shadow in the
| gray storm. The sun was powerleSs to dis
pcr>e or tighten the Zimmerman gloom.
When the storm lullcd for Il moment the shat
drws Of the snow-ilakcs could actually be
sven on the white ground, seeming like Il
mul,it1IG" of fragments of ciarred paper, or
Il whole forests complement of withcred
leaves >kimming upwards from TIE depths
1t the drifts 10 meet and mate with tDc hikcS
tl3t were sclrrying downwardS.
within the house. after | O'Clock. candles
! and lamps had to hc lit to obtain light. Pe0-
pIc gathered around the tables and stoves,
giving one an idea of nothing So much rs OF
Il group OF passengers during Il storm in 4
| steamers saloon below the water line.
"Onc only consolation and mitigation
| there wa in the storm. The snowfall aud
| wind wcr.. not attended by the intense cold
which had marked the Storm Of january 5.
Had il il not been 50 we should probably
have had to chronicle a dcath-roll whrreon
The names We're written by hundreds.
The snow-storm WAS
"rxrARALLELED N ALL WESTERN EXPERIENCE.
The famous hurricane of 1856 did not eX-
coed j. in violence, nor was the storm OF last
january one 1.-THE 50 severe in respect to the
>now. though the cold then Vas more in
tense. Some idea may perhaps he formed OF
the lnayints- Of the ow-l;u when 1t Is
>t:tcL that by > o'clock on the afternoon that
the -tnIm set ia the Missouri river was COW
cred ,!x or eight inches deep with snow and
<lI~h. that fell too rapidly to melt. and
formed = cracking aud ru,tling surface as
| thick M> porridge. or the mingled snow,
water, and sand, through which Il ~foot-ias.
scngcr IT, Judges in the cityaftcr 4 thaw. Eye
| witucssea say that Il man in snow-shoPs
could have walked across the river on this
boating Sn ow-drift. This was, of course, an
cyarerration, bat not so much Of an rXag.
| rerufion as II city reader OF limited eXperi.
ruce would, think it.
at was not until the second morning al
fer the >to1 \ set in that its violence abatcd,
What a NOR niug that WAS that dawned! Tho
sky WAS gray and clear. and the sun came out
,s'if il hat never known eclipse. There
WIS iuat wind enough 10 raise rippleS on the
surface. OF lln snow. The country and city
! bld vanished. All was snow except the lof'
| tier builTims; they were snow-drifts,
| twenty and thirty feet deep the drifts pre-
| vailed in some places. Small
HOUSES M STORES WERE BURIED
- completely us Hrrculnncum.
..Eood was scarce under the snow. The
.n,r,e grasses on tie ground, boot.tops, and
,in,L.,,n were the opi Y articles Oh the menu,
and II them there was n plentiful scarcity.
| 70 satisfy thirst there WIS snow. which was
NOT long in increasing thirst till the torment
wo. n, intolerah!e rs that caused 10y drinking
>ea-Water. ,
"To reach the buried stores people had
actually to sink shafts and scoop out tuHnelS
TO the doors, through and from when the
dwcller, scrambled with difficulty to the
ton of the drifts like SO IElny prairie dogs TO
tbe roofs of their mound-houses.
"rRozEN LIMBS WERE NUMEROUS.
lint Fortunately none OF the cases were faia
o..xreSsively severe. When the sufferers 81
lo,t were rescued the scenes were emlrentF
affecting. From lying SO long without u
possibility of moving Il limb hle men were
rs 50 many catalept!cs, paralyztd, SIN as SO
| many tobacco signs, with arms aud legs toaI
secured affected hy as various u curious
reiditirs as those that teggars eX.1iblt III inc
streets. They were ha@gard wiz aiiNiet!
and >lccplcSsneSs, and weak from fasting.
rhe citizens dug them out, lifted them I'pon
h,nd..lcds. and drew them into town lie SO
many cOrpsr>.
"Of the extent of the storm in this tE1Ely-