Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1883-01-24

mer, IN blizzard is thus described
in q western paper: About o'clock,
while We were in dry goods store,
the merchant, who had stepped out
. moment before, said to us /: Il don't
like to drive away my customers, but
q blizzard is coming from the west,
and it is coming fast The telegraph
| anu ounces that it has reached Nor
MS. That IL forty miles from here,
but it is coming at the rate Of forty
miles per hour, SO You have got no
time to spare if you are going home
to day"
BE rolled up our purchases as he
spoke, and appeared to be in hurry
to get rid of US. When We got out
side the store the first thing that At
tracted my attention WAS the fact
that of all the teams in the street
when we arrived none excepting mine
remained. Everybody had scndded
for homo. Even then did not hur-
~. The sun WAS still shining brightly
with not the fsintest suggestion of =
storm apparent. Before We had got
ten mile from town had forgotten
all about the coming storm, and the
horses were jogging at their will.
We were still two miles from home
when suddenly the sun WAS obscured
and the air grew cold and chill in .
moment. A darkness as OF smoke
swept over everything. Then l re-
membered why We were going home,
and gave the horses the whip in
earnest, lsshing them into q run.
Away off to the west there appeared
to be leaden wall sweeping toward
us. There was a hum in the sir. 4
light breeze sprang up, grew strong
er, and IN ono minute became . gale.
The wall came down with railroad
speed, the roar of Its approach every
instant growing louder From tue
top OF 4 roll in tho prairie we could
see our house, ap1 it came pretty
near being our last glimpse OF it.
No words will ever convey an in
teliigert idea of the blizzard of the
frightful roar with winch it rolls
down upon you; the howling and
Lissing of the wind. II you try to
speak the wind dashes the syllabies
from your lips SO quickly that You
do not hear your own words. In
thirty seconds from the time the first
snowflake fell l could not see nv
horses The atmosphere appeared
TO be all snow, and every fake Was In
a hurry to get somewhere before the
rest should get there. l Use the word
flake" but that is wrong, No fakes
could be distinguished The wnels
atmosphere was filled with one biz
fake that hemmed us in Oh all sides. |
Although Msbels head wasn't over
a foot from mine, / could not see Her !
features, and could only diInly See
her form. l tried to peer downward |!
beside the sleigh and see the track,
out l might as well have tined to see
ne earth beneath the snow bank.
could feel a motion to tho slels
SO that knew the horses we're still
The cold WAS intense. II
'ried to ask my vie if she was suT
ring, but l could not hear INV own
Tords.
During the two or three minutes
hat intervsned between the time l
;av the storm approaching and the
noment it struck us the horses had ,
TN at the top of their speed, SO We
FeTe not much over annie from home
& did not seem possible for the hor
es to keep the track. No one could
i've an hour in that storm. Tho on
' hope lay in the horses being able
o keep to a track that vas beng
,uried deeper and deeper every in
tsnt. Il isn't pleasant to sit still
nd freeze TO death. In ten minutes
was chilled through and felt that
was freezing. The horses we're still
moving, and although I could not
se them, | lashed them with the
vhip. 1t seemed hours since the
torn bad shut us in, and I vas Just
'ecoming convinced that the horse.
sd got out of the path and that We
Ters lost on the prairie wnen there
sme lull of the fierce wind. Tue
ii was still full Of nh!riiug snow,
Mt I could see objects shout ne to.
scertain that we were in the barn
nd were safe. 1 mad left the barn
oors open in the morning, snd the
orses had found their way back, l
hink, by instinct, but my neighbors
hink it was sheer accident, and de
lare thst it wouldn't happen again
i a Thousand years.