Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1881-02-23
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THE BLlZZARD'S WORK.
Fuel Famine and tho Utter Destituton, Prevalent
in Certain Parts Of Minnesota.

From the St. Paul Globe, Feb.-16.]
. Deputy Marshal B. A. Brackets, &C.
companied by J. D. Gurnee, Esq, of
Madison, Wis, arrived in st. Paul last
evening by the st. P. & M. main line
train, fresh from an imprisonment of
twelve days in snow-bound section of
Swift county. Their experiences have
been severe rather than dangerous, but
have served to impress upon them the
hardships and dangers which this winter
of snow has brought upon the scattered.
poor and unorganized settlers of that re-
gion. They went to Benson from st.
Paul on the 31st ult., and the next day
went across the count1y to Lac qui Parle.
On their way they noticed a hazy and
windy appearance Of the sky. Wednes-
day the wind had increased and snow
was falling: Thursday; having become
impatient, they started out and succeed
ed in getting to Appleton, although they
had to make their way throu gh the thick
ly flying snow. Friday and Saturday the
snow was still flying and out on the prai-
ries no object could be discerned if a few
rods away. Sunday the storm abated.
but Monday snow was again falling and
q stout wind blowing. Tuesday was
singularly fair and quiet, and Wednesday
they made an effort to leave Appleton,
having three strong teams to break the
road, but after proceeding three miles
toward Benson they were glad to aban-
don the attempt and return to Appleton.
Thursday and Friday the worst blizzard
OF the season prevailed and fresh one,
still worse, came on Saturday. Mean
time Mr.. Gurnee had arranged with a.
party of Norwegians to outfit themselves
with snow shoes and to rig up hand
sled, on which they could draw him or
their supplies as might be necessary.
Hearing Of the determination of Messrs
Bracket and Gurnee to try and get
through to Benson, the residents Of Ap-
pleton, who wanted road broken out.
contributed literally of money, teams
and labor to send aworking party through
to Benson with them to break road and
make it passable. Sunday morning
opened clear and calm, thong very cold,
and at 10 A. NJ. the party started. It
consisted, besides Messrs. Bracket and
Gurnee, Of fifteen men, with seven
double teams. Five of the men wore
snow shoes, acting as pilots and drawing
Gurnee's sled. About five miles from
Appleton they STRUCK the deep SHOWS
three to five feet deep on the level with
drifts OF fifteen feet in depth. From
there progress was slow and exceedingly
tiresome. The best teams were but
ahead, the lead team being changed &C.
caslonally, or as fast as the lead horses
became discouraged. At the Cottonwood
river the party halted and the horses
were fed and rested. On the way the
horses were frequently down, and at last
the only effective way of rallying them
was TO feed them oats as they lay in the
snow until they had forgotten how badly
stalled they we're. Within four miles Of
Benson they struck partly broken road
and the advance teams of the party. with
one OF which Mr.. Gurnee was walking,
got into Benson at 10 P. NJ, having been
twelve hours on the road, in making a
distance Of twenty-eight miles. Major
Brackett, who accompanied one of the
lighter teams, got into Benson at A. NJ.
Monday, having been fifteen hours on
the road.
These gentlemen depict the condition
of most of the people in that region of
country, according to their observation
and what they heard from others, as most
pltlable. They have no communication
with the outside world, and but little
with their nearest neighbors. In MANY
sections it is impossible to work o team
of horses through the drifts, and the set.
Elements are too new and widely scatter
ed to allow Of organization for opening
the snow blocked roads. In Lac qui
Parle and Swift counties there is a dis
tressing lack Of fuel. Hay has been
burned until there is little hay left: The
unthreshed wheat, interior partitions
ana doors OF houses and furniture are be-
ing burned for cooking and for heating
houses where necessary. But there is an
economy of fire such as no one could
imagine who had not seen how thesepoo
people get along with the least possible
expenditure of their precious fuel. The
hotel at Appleton had only three sticks
of wood left at 10 A. NJ. Sunday, and in
the whole village of four hundred or
more inhabitants there was not to exceed
half cord of wood and about
three tons Of coal. One man who
had 800 pounds of coal left felt it
not prudent to let his neighbors know
how much he had on hand. On the way
between Appleton and Benson our trav-
elers stopped at the few settlers houses
near the road. These were not provided
with enough wood to even make a cup
of tea, and it was the misfortune Of
Major Bracket and his section of the
party to stop for tea ct house where
the snow was so deep the family could
not reach either the barn or their grain
stacks and hadn't even spare chair
round left to use for making fire. A
chair round would have been worth a
few dollars then and there.
The reports at Appleton and Lac qui
Parle as to the situation Of the prairie
settlers were alarming. They were rep
resented to be burning their furniture,
their unthreshed grain, and the parti-
tons and inside doors of their houses.
Snow drifts prevented them from moving
about. The settlers were too scattered
to unite in breaking roads. In some in
stances they could not reach their barns
and cattle. Between Montevideo and
Benson there was story and half frame
house buried three feet out of sight un-
der the snow, through which the family
have painfully tunnelled a way to their
one wheat stack, which they are using for
fuel
Westward the situation of the settlers
must be even more desperate. At Nor
ris our travellers were informed that i,
resident of that place had received dis.
patch announcing that his daughter was
frozen to death in her home twelve miles
west OF Ortonville on Sunday. Her hus.
band, who sent the dispatch, entreated
the father to come to him, but that
would be impossible. No one man
could break his way through the great
snow drifts Of that region.
81 have lived in. this country for
twenty-six years" says Major Bracket,
land never before saw the like. If
there should happen now very pro
tracted season Of very cold weather,
fear hundreds of people on that frontier
would perish. The railroad is doing all
it can to ,open the Morris and Brown
Valley branch. but it cannot be opened
for several days, and meantime these
people are suffering