The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-12-31
THE BLTZZfRD,
A Graphic Personal Reminiscence from n =
Lips OF q Minnesota Farmer.

Lips OF Minnesota Farmer,
From ne Detroit IRE, Fren
HANCOCK, Dec. 10.-I came out here thrce
ton. sent to st. Paul for lumber. and worked
gil summer putting up q house and barn. In the
f Before The sronnd fozo had aBont th ip
asres ready to $50 SOW with wheat in the spring.
middle Of January we had SGT the furniture
married life. A few things were, wanted Tor
the house. however. and one bright. suushiny
esh and Mabe and ry to- The Sass
due north from my house six miles. A pleas
r m saw eT rG was and sn ,
air was warm and ba!my 1t seemed as il
spring was near ut hand. but u worse dclusion
The village has but one street being merely
ROW OF twenty or thirty wooden buildings
road track. They are mainly used Tor stores.
and when we drove up. there were three or four
peareIl to bs in doing some shopping. About
merchant, who had stepped out a moment
before, said to p H II don't Ike to drive away
tho west. and 1t is coming fast. The telegraph
announces that " mas reached Morris That is
rate Of forty miles per hour. so you have got no
time to spare II you are going home to-day"
me rolled up Snr m a he sGSE and
got outside the store the first thing that at
tracted my attention was the fact that, Of all
sssudded for home, Even then did not hurry.
the faintcst suggestion Of storm apparcnt
anywhere. Before we had got a mile from
We were still two miles from home when sud-
cold and chill in a moment A darkness as OF
smoke swept over everything. Then remem-
horses the whip in earnest, flashing them into ntS
a run. Away Off to the west there appeared 10
Gsm hS & e sr aS1s
up: grew stronger and in one minute b9came
spses the roar % %%%e w every ns
growing louder. From the top OF n roll in the
prairie we could see our house and it came
no, No words viii ever convey r an ~ Intelligent
idea OF a bli2zard-of tho frightfnl roar with
and kissing Of the wind. If YOU try to SPEAK
the wind dashes the ,sylables from your
first snowflake fell / could not see my horses;
where before the res, should get ahe,s use
could be distinguished. The whole atmosphere
was llIlef with one big tIaks TIA! hemmed us il
foot from mine could not see her fea-
lures, and could only dimly see her form. I
see the 1 track bSt meh as well have red to
see the earth beneath a snowbank., could
feel a motion I? the sleigh 80 1, that knew the
tense. l tried TO ask my wife If she was suffer-
ing, but could not hear my own words.
During the two or three minutes that int"r-
yened between the time l saw the storm APP
preaching, and the moment IT struck, Ms tho
were not much over a mile from home. 1t did
not 5ee possible for the horses hr to s keen the
keep 70 track that was being buried deenor
utes i was chilled through and 1 felt
Svns wa" and s%ssh oa not ss h si
| dashed them with the whip. 1t seemed
just becoming convinced that the horses had
got out Of tho path and that We were lost on
the ere wn TSs Sui n of
ing snow, but could see objects about mo.
and it didn, take long for mo to ascertain that
horses had found their way, back: think by
accident. and declare that it wouldn't happen
again in n thousand years;
Although we had reached the barn, we were
house is about twenty yards. but n. fnr see;
ing it was concerned. the home might as we'll
hcred me unharneIS nth, the h9r n S nna p%, then
where she was. and made break for the house.
|, is dilsalt ' H. any one to believe TINT in
try it some time!
1t is twenty feet to the right OF the path from
the barn to the house. If it hadn't a been for
that pump l would never again have found
either house or barn. knew that the handle
Of that pump pointed directly toward the
! ! raised the handle and felt for my bearings. |
let go OF the pump handle and plunged toward
against it you will understand that seeing was
out of the question. After got into the house
I hn nnh
back to the barn, and by following the string.
We reached the house again. For three days
| the outer door When the storm ceased we
could not see the barn. for the snow Ind piled
in between the house and barn so deep that it
| On the east side OF the house. however. there
was very little snow, The shovel happened 70
be in the house. and the little woman and
but We had TO carry every shovelful OF the snow
taken out Of the tunnel through the house and
We're the horses ali right when you got 20
them?'
You can safely bet they were glad to see, me,
even eaten the bedding from their stalls IL
took me nearly all the rest OF the winter to
shovel the snow out OF the barn
DO people out on the prairics ever get lost
To he caught out on tho prairie by n blizz; Il
means dcaih and nothing canavert it, Attera
| blizzard that catches him. No SO tho newcomers.
They cannot imagine that there II danger Mt all
times. Three people were lost that day in this
| vicinity one OF them n woman who had been
| over across the prairie about mile 10 see
sick neighbor. When she saw that n storm WAS
imminent she started for homo on foot. She
! never got half way there.
| When was her body foundW
In the spring when the snow melted.
FASHION NOTES.