The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1873-02-01
THE GREAT SNOW STORM.
Unparalleled Effects of the Snow
Hurricane I'm the West.
Touching Incidents and Terrible Loss
Of Life.


ST. PAU, Mimi, Jan. 2l.-The severe
snow. storm which swept over Minnesota from
Tuesday night ofast week, Jan. II, TO Thurs.
day, has leftbehnd il memory of desolation.
No man can yet tell the loss Of human life that
ensued, but from the facts that have reached
us herc-partly the narratives of survivors and
participants in the horrors Of the storm, and
partly through the telegraph and by letters
il is evident that the deaths must be numbered
by hundreds.
What has added to the fearful loss of life il
that hundreds of men--teamsters. farmers,
and others-taking advantage of the pleasant
morning of Tuesday that ushered in the snow
hurricane Of the afternoon of that day, had
left their homes in wagons, sleighs, &c, for
the nearest settlements with the view of oh.
tanning such necessaries Of life or Of their avo.
cations as they needed, in frequent cases
leaving wives aAd children at home entirely
unprepared for what was to follow. The
death roll of these has already assumed for.
midable proportions and as yet the half has
not been told. Dozens of these unfortunate
men have been found-in some cases perhaps
not 100 yards from their houses-frozen stiff
and stark with their horses and oxen frozen
with them. And in humble cabins, during
that dreadful night of Tuesday and day OF
Wednesday appalling scenes have been deyel.
oped-whole families Of children frozen and
starved to death beside their mothers, while
out in the prairie lay the still forms of fathers
from whose eager searching eyes the binding
fall Of snow had shut out their home and
household treasures forever.
The bare recital of some of the frightful en-.
isodes Of the storm, accounts of which have
reached this city, will best convey faithful
idea Of the storms Of that fatal Tuesday. In
Sibley County man named Thomas O'Con.
nell, farmer residing in New Auburn town.
ship met his death in this wise. While re.
turning to his home, a distance Of about eight
miles from the village Of New Auburn, whittier
he had gone to procure some groceries, the
storm overlook him. AT some point upon
his homeward journey he had left his oxen, and
his dead body when discovered, was found
upon its hands and knees. The inference ID
that finding that he could make no further
progress by walking, he resorted to the meth.
cd of creeping. In this way he had gone a
long distance, and the body was not more
than eighty yards from n house when found.
One yoke Of the oxen was also frozen to death.
Another sad case occurred in the same county.
The children of farmer living in the town.
ship of kelso were at school, two miles from
their home, when the snow commenced to fall.
He left home with the intention Of bringing
them back with him. At neighbor's house
he was told that the children were in the house
of another neighbor, where they had taken
refuge, and he was asked TO tarry until the
storm should he over Blu, fearful that his
rife would become alarmed at his continued
absence should he remain, and dreading also
That she might start out to search for him and
thus lose her life be determined to venture
birth to reach his home He did so, but on
he way death overlook him, and his frozen
body was found on the road. In both these
Eases large families have been left in state of
Restitution.
A letter from Marshall, Mimi, gives a Gu.
fious account of the storm at its opening in
bat place The writer says tina, the morning
Of Tuesday was the finest that had been known
his winter, the weather being warm and
pleasant. But about halfpast one O'Clock a
White cloud, accompanied with wind made
~ approach from the north west, aud in the
zlmost incredibly short space of fifteen min.
1ses thereafter it was impossible to see across
he street, 30 filled was the air with fine parti-
eies OF snow, which more closely resembled
e<eam than aught else The wind at the time
uss blowing hurricane. The people Of the
Village remained in doors until noon of Thurs.
Day as il was periious to venture out. The
method adopted for obtaining wood for fuel was
Ingenious. A man would go from the house
% the woodpil with rope tied to him, to
make sure OF his not getting lost even in that
ctrcumscribed space, and By the time he had
reached the house, 80 great was the penetrat
ing force of the snow and wind, he would be
Isnnd wet to the skin. The letter instances
aeseral cases of freezing in the neghborhood
and says that stories Of suffering come in from
al quarters, and that great numbers Of cows,
cxen, and other stock have Teen frozen.
The effects of the storm were very disas.
IRONS in the vicinity Of Alexandria in this
6{ate. A telegraphic despatch has been re.
c1iyed from that place, stating hfty-three per.
IONS have persisted within seventy. five miles to
{1e north and west Of that place. Near Par.
ker Prairie ten persons were frozen 70 death,
add at Otter Tai City seventeen dead bodies
htse been brought in. Search for missing
p<rsons, Of whom there are many, Is still go
zng on in that region.
ID Nicollet County, 80 far as is known at pres.
ett, but one life has been lost. Many narrow
apes and much suffering, however, are re-
ported. In one case a physician, who had
BEEN on visit to a patient at New Sweden,
M for home in ST. Peter, about eighteen
lies distant, just as the storm commenced.
I've o clock found him buffeting the tempest
@MA hoptithHiN io5ts ubIbtS having Ntu-
dered from the road. Unhitching the horses
from the sleigh, and leaving them to find their
~ey as best they could, he followed course
mich placed the wind ut his back, and max.
lie his way in an almost exhausted condition
t11bugh snow drift and brush he was at last
fcz<nnate enough to strike sled track, follow.
ing which led him to the main road, where
ii found refuge in house on the wayside.
d Arlington, in Sibley County, child,
lille attempting to open n door on Wednes.
day, was blown by the wind against u log ~
Ing on the outside and was killed. tGf
AZ 81. James, a new town on the ST. Paul
md Sioux City road, the deaths have been
b. Wholesale No fewer than thirty four peo-
4le have been found and returned as frozen to
death in thai vicinity, and many cattle have
been lost. To such height was the snow
piled up ut this place that man could walk
fIom the second story Of the hotel there upon
<H< drifts.
Among the casualties reported Is one by
rhifh sleighing party Of twelve young peo.
F|t. young men and young women, together
with the driver. were entombed in the snow ;
and all persisted. A little girl discovered a
<1zHl on the snow; this led to an inyestiga-
<i>u, and the bodies Of the thirteen unfortu.
1ztts were dug out. The scene Of this distres.
sinR affair is placed nenr some lake in the
*estern part of the State.
rom Preston comes the intelligence OF the
Iozz Of clergyman and his family, residents
q Lime Springs, Ia, who were visiting in
fIllnore County. On his way home with his
willis and two children in cutter, the horses
<k0pped exhausted when the house was nearly
feanhed. He succeeded in making his way to
he house with one Of the children, but he was
lost on his way back to the carriage. On the
next day he was found frozen to death in the
pace between the house and the cutter, and
Il he cutter his wife and the remaining child
4<rt also found dead. The other was found
d he house alive.
4 woman went into the yard ia the neigh.
b><iood of ST. Peter to look after her chick.
ene Within few yards of her house, on
IAe next day, her body was found frozen
3e7th claimed her before her investigations
s~# completed. n6 flSYi3 iil
#hen the storm commenced on Tuesday,
e men named I. 7. 4. Stevens and I. II.
tz5<4etsee, residents Of Monteyideo, not many
fa1l4 from Lac Qui Parle, were in the woods
- Chippewa River, cutting timber. They
mae sn effort to reach home through the
#II46inf gale. but although the house was not