Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1881-01-05
FREEBoRN, Mimi, Dec. Is, 1881

nesota with almost unparalleled severity.
1t egun with us unusually early. and the
indications at present are that it will hold
out as it began. The cold weather took
the people unawares. We have had a
series of very pleasant falls now for a few
till late, and we had begun to think that
this was to be the established order of
things. Wise men gravely argued that
there had been a change in the climate,
and confidently predicted that the cold
storms and the "blizzards" of past years
would be known no more here. They
seemed to imagine that there was some
subtle connection between the wildness of
the country and the wildness of the storms
that used to rage in the winter here, and
that when the country. become subdued
pleasing illusion has been effectually dis.
PEELED by the late long continued cold snap,
and we begin now to make up our minds
that what has been will be again.
But these pleasant autumns and late
falls have had the effect to make farmers
less careful in their preparations for winter
like ours, and rs Il consequence of this
carelessness when winter came it found
many people mapping. We had fair warn
ing of what was coming, too, for the 10th
of October brought us about rs furious Il
"bizzlrd'' as Minnesota ever witnessed,
Trains ON the western frontier were block
AIDED and delayed for three days But this
passed away, and when good weather
came again we forgot it. The last warm
day was the 8th of November; that was rs
beautiful an Indian summer day as one
ever saw 1t was summer putting on its
hest smile and saying goodbye The 9th
brought chilly south wind in the morn
ing which changed to the northwest in the
afternoon, and before night began to storm.
The 10th was quite wintry, and by the l1th
winter had good grip which he hasn t
relaxed yet, Perhaps the wish was father
to the thought, but everybody prophesied
at least one more warm spell before the
inevitable winter, but The warm spell
didn't come. 1t grew colder The mer
curry was below zero the most of the time
1t barely reached The freezing point, or
thawing point twice in the four weeks,
and then as if ashamed of any such mild
weakness it retreated lower than before.
1t has ranged from 10 to 22o below zero
for days together. This kind of weather
with stiff northwest wind makes out o
door labor unsafe if not impossible. O
course Vermonters do uot need TO have
any one tell them what cold weather is
but your hills and forests give you protec
ton thai is unknown here.
There is a considerable ungathered corn
in the field vet and many stacks of whea
unthreshcd Some have tried to harvest
their corn in spite Of the snow and tn,
cold, but the trial of it has been so tedious
that the majority are waiting for warmer
weather or for spring, The loss from
prairie chickens and rabbits will be con
siderable, but there is no hel p for it, These
uncared for animals will rejoice in the
arrangement if the farmers do not.
There has been famine of wood al
through this western country since cold
weather commenced. Since railroads have
been builded we have depended on them
for our supplies of wood and coal, but they
tell us this winter the demand for tran
sportation has been so great they coulc
not supply it, and dealers in wood could
get no cars in which to ship the indispens
able article from the "big woods" to us
Coal also has been scarce for the SAM
reason. Railroad companies complain tina
they cannot get coal sufficient for thei
own use. Some Of the steam fourin!
mills have stopped grinding for want o
coal. In some places corn has been USE
for fuel although it is worth 25 cents
bushel. But teams are coming from tn
woods with wood continually to this par
of the country now and we shall soon b.
supplied.
But away out on the Dakota prairies, 81
far away that teams cannot be depended
upon to transport wood. the desttution ha
been great Railroad companies CLAIM
that they are doing all they can for th,
settlers, hut the settlers think they ar
neglected and left to suffer needlesslv
They promised the emigrants to Dakot
and western Minnesota that wood Shout,
be supplied to them in plentiful quantitie
and at low rates as an inducement for then
to settlo but there has been geeat scar
city of fuel all through that country i
spite of their promises, and stories of gre,
privttions nnd sufferngs are told. N
wonder the settlers gct desperate. Som
cars loaded with wool was left upon sid
track over night in one Of these frontie
towns, and when morning came the WOO
was gone, cGrS and at,-nothing but tn,
iron trucks remained.
1t seems very evident that settlers o
these prairies must commence to rails
their own fuel soon or else before man,
years the dearth of fuel will be so great
and the cost of living 50 enhanced in con
sequence of it that this part of the countr,
will be depopulated. The so-called "bi
woods will not last forever. Indeed
is not so very big now. In the bend O
the Minnesota river. for some reason fores
trees gained a footing, and there is trat
of land there, perhaps fifty miles throug
it which contains timber All aro und th
tract are vast praires drawing their sup
plies from there, and in the natur, {
things it will be exhausted in process
time, which process prophesy will not b.
SO very long either. Team after team loa
are streaming out on to the prairie in a
directions. Heavy train loads are con
stantly being shipped-some going 20
miles into Dakota
With the exception of diphlheria in som
~ loo ornnd haa1t n ,rau,;lo