New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1881-02-09
THE STORM.
snow Thrce Feet om the Level.

The worst snow storm in the recol.
lection Of the Oldest settlers struck this
city and vicinity about IL o'clock last
Friday, morning and it ragged with al.
most undated fury until late Sunday
night The wind blew a perfect gale
from the east and drove the fast de-
scending snow in a binding mass be-
fore it. New Ulm for the first time in
the recollection of the old settlers, was
almost buried in snow. The drifts along
the east side of Minnesota street were
in SON g places eight and ten feet deep
and extended clear across the street in
many places, making it utterly impos.
sible for either pedestrian or team to
move about. The storm let up for
three or four hours on Sunday morn
ing and shovelers at once commenced
to clear the side walks. Anton Brey
and George Schneider broke passage
through the middle ofMinnesota street
with an OK team. Shortly before noon
the storm again commenced and con-
tinued until late Sunday night, Iafter
which time it showed and rained by
spells until Monday evening. Three
teams started for Marshall on Monday
morning but were compelled to turn
back after proceeding only about a
mile and 4 half. They reported the
snow on the prairie to be flom three
to four feet deep on the level and the
roads impossible. Supt. Sanborn had
just succeeded in getting the railroad
clear of snow on Thursday evening,
but of course the storm of the three
days following INSTRUCTED it worse
than ever. Four engines and u large
force of men were again started out
from Sleepy Eye on Monday noon to
open the road east, and they succeed
ed i'll getting as far as this place by
yesterday noon. The road from Slee-
py Eye east will no doubt be free of
obstruction by tomorrow evening. AS
the mercury was at and a few degrees
above the freezing point during the
entire storm it entailed, in this vicini.
ty atleast, but little suffering to either
man or beast.
LATER Supt. Sanborn with the
snow plow, four engines and large
force of men reached this place from
the west about IL a. m. yesterday, and
he departed for the drifts east of us
soon after. The snow plow, which is
very large one, is propelled by three
engines and does excellent work. The
first snow east of here was encounter.
ed in the Redstone cut where it was
about five feet deep, but the plcw and
engines went through it nobly, and on
the third run they went through Court
land into the long cut one and a half
miles east of CORTLAND. This cut is
from eight to ten feet deep and in try
ing to back out of it after the second
run one Of the engines on the plow
was disabled and had to be sent back
to Sleepy Eye to be repaired. The
force working from St. Peter west got
five miles yesterday, which at dusk
left the two crews about Is miles
apart. Supt. Sanborn, who stayed here
last night with his crew, expects to
get the road open to-day, but as all the
cuts are even full we fear his hopes
will not be realized.
Some busy. body at Waseca has sent
the Minneapolis Evening Journal the
sensational story that the greatest des-
titution exists on the w. &St.P. branch
of the G. & N, w. r. r. west of Sleepy
Eye. That Mr.. Burke while at work
with his men to open the road under
his charge discovered a shanty close
by from which no smoke issued, and
seeing evidence that the place was in
habited, the party visited the premis-
es and forced open the door, when a
horrible sight met tEeir eyes. On the
floor of the howell lay father, mother
and three children, evidently a whole
family stiff in death. Also that uni
versal restitution is reported to exist
among the farmers west of Sleepy Eye.
That no train carrying fuel has left
Sleepy Eye since December 2lst, and
that the settlers have to burn fencing,
furniture, pieces of boards from their
houses and even the wood work on
their farm machinery. That one
man reported to H. J. Wadsworth,
tho station agent at Waseca, that he
could not obtain fuel; had burned
much of his furniture and that the
cabinet organ would have to go next
He also says that it is feared that ma
ny will starve or be frozen to death
before help can reach them.
It is but justice to the railr Dad com
pany to say that the whole story is {
base fabrication and is circulated to in
jure the good name of the company
Mr.. Burke denies having found anyone
frozen to death. Mr.. Wadsworth also
denies having received any informa
ton of the restitution of the settlers
The railroad company has reliable in
formation from every station west O.
Sleepy Eye that no one is as yet in &C
tual want, and that the most destitut,
can hold out twenty days longer with
out aid. The whole Journal articl
has been contradicted in the Chicag,
Tribune and other daily journals an,
is pronounced by the railroad official
to be a base falsehood. The railroa
! hoo .Jo~o ~ >,o~,,a- l.