Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-02-06
Four Days In Snow Brift--Terri.
BILE Suffering and Death.

YESTERDAY there arrived in this cityby
the Wilmar train, one of the poor suffer-
ers by the late terrific storm. This man,
whose name is Charles O'Neil, was taken
to the Sisters Hospital, to undergo the
operations of amputation of both feet and
an arm;
er, is substantially as follows: On the
morning of the terrible Tuesday, party
of five men, Charles O'Nel and his broth
ers John and Stephen, and Mike and
Thomas Holden, started from Beaver
Falls, Renville County, with five loads of
grain for Wilmar market. Wilmar is dis
tant from Beaver Falls about thirty-five
miles of open prairie, twenty of which are
without settler. Quite early in the after
noon it began to snow, but the wind was
light and the party pressed on, anxious to
reach Wilmar with no delay.
When within about eight miles of Will
mar the wind began to increase, and blew
directly in their faces. They viewed the
situation with considerable dismay, and
about half concluded to turn about and
retreat to house about eight miles in the
rear, and fortunate would it have been
had they done so. But, about mile
ahead, was the house of MIR. Meagher,
and the party finally determined to press
on to this refuge.
The storm continued to increase in vio-
lence, however, and the wind hurled the
falling and drifting particles of ice against
and about them until they were obliged
to turn their faces from the storm and
trust to the instincts of their animals to
keep the right direction. Drifts began to
meet them, and their horses could
scarcely founder through them 1t was
now too late, and equally too hazardous
to take the back track, and they pushed
on into the bitter hurricane in the hope
of reaching Meagher's. But now their
horses gave out, and became stalled in
succession of deep drifts. 1t was found
impossible to extricate the sleighs, and
the.only alternative was to build the best
protection their circumstances would al
low. One sleigh-box was set up edge
ways, turned from the wind, and another
was leaned against it to serve as cover
and brace. About this insecure and
flimsy shelter sacks of grain were packed,
and inside the five men were crowded,
after having first cut loose the horses.
This was about four O'Clock Tuesday. and
of course they had no food, and but
meager supply or blankets. The snow,
driven across the prairies like stunning
darts of lightning, was forced through
every crevice, and packed against and
above the little shelter, and in
upon the men, and with such force was it
blown that 1t was packed firm as sheets of
ice Tuesday night passed, and Wednes-
day Mike Holden announced his intention
of seeking Mesgher's house. He tried to
persuade the others to accompany him, but
they considered themselves safest where
they were, and declined. Mike started
out and scceeded in reaching the house,
having both hands frozen on the way.
The storm continued SO severe that no at
tempt could be made to rescue the others
at that time. They, in the meantime,
were suffering all the pangs of cold and
hunger, and it is quite probable that sew
eral of them became delirious, for when
found they were lying out of and near the
shelter.
About ten o'clock Friday morning
man, passing along the road with an OK
team, heard shouts, as of some one in dis
tress, and, upon making search, discov-
cred the little barricade covered with
packed snow, and was Mortified, upon
| disturbing several apparent knobs in the
vicinity, to find that they contained the
| dead bodies of men. He found the bodies
of Thomas Holden, Stephen O'Neil and
John O'Neil, the first two quite dead. and
the latter with life almost extinct. Upon
searching under the cover he found two
feet protruding from the snow, and,
| DREAMING AWAY tue CIuol, uC lOuA0 SAoAlC6
O'Neil alive, but in terrible condition.
The bodies were at once lugged to his
sled and conveyed to Meagher's, and
thence to Wilmar, John O'Nen dying be-
fore reaching that place. The details Of
the sufferings of Charles O'Nel are horri-
| fying and almost incredible. 1t seems
| that he had laid down Immediately upon
entering the cover, and had, while in this
position, been fastened down by the terri
BILE weight of the snow which drifted
upon him, or rather upon the upper por-
tion of his body. 1t was so heavy, he
said, as to cause unbearable torture.
! After he found he was unable to rise, and
that the snow was covering his head, he
feared suffocation, and to keep that MEM
Der free he constantly raised and lowered
| il, and in this manner, while he could not
prevent the drift from forming over it, he
formed an air chamber, which prevented
suffocation. In his endeavor to free his
head the poor fellow actually tore the
hair almost entirely from the scalp. Here
| he Law, with his feet exposed to the air
and frozen stiff and with the cruel frost
slowly creeping up his limbs, and unable
to move scarce muscle OF MS oody
from Tuesday night until Friday
noon. Can a more horrible situation
be imagineds The poor fellows right
arm is frozen to the elbow, the right
leg to the knee and the left leg above the
ankle. These members are thus lar
completely dead, and he has been lying at
| Wilmar until yesterday, when the trst
train succeeded in getting through
Five of the horses were frozen to death,
and the others were found five miles
away all rights. P1l Press.
The San Francisco Bulletin says
''there is no true coal found west OF the
Rocky Mountains, with the exception OF
| some veins on Vancouver Island ana
possibly in some other portion OF Brltlsn