Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1883-02-15
A WESTERN BLIZZARD.
A Sample OF the Kind They Have
In Minnesota.

The word "blizzard" is an ominous
one, but the thing is worse than the
word. We here give the experience Of
farmer at Hancock, MINI, written to
the Detroit Free Press.
1--WE were still two miles from home
when suddenly the sun was obscured,
and the air grew cold and chill in mo.
mont. A darkness as il smoke swept
over everything. Then l remembered
why we were going home, and gave
the horses the whip in earnest, flashing
them into run. Away off to the west
there appeared to be leaden wall
sweeping toward us. There was hum
in the air. A light breeze sprang up,
grew stronger, and in one minute be-
came gale. The wall came down with
railroad speed, the roar of its approach
every instant grew louder. From the
top of roll in the prairie we could see
our house, and 1t came pretty near be.
ing our last glimpse of it.
"No words viii ever convey an intel.
ligent idea of blizzard, Of the fright.
full roar with which it rolls down upon
you, the bowling and Kissing of the
wind. II you try to speak, the wind
dashes the syllables 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
my horses. The atmosphere appeared
to be all snow, and every fake OF it was
in hurry to get somewhere before the
rest should get there. /
could feela motion to the sleigh, so that
/ knew that the horses were still NOV.
ing. l tried to ask my wife il she was
suffering, but l could not hear my own
words.
During the two or three minutes
that intervened between the time saw
the storm approaching and the nome rt
it struck us, the horses had run at the
top of their speed, so we were not much
over mile from home. 5. In
ten minutes was chilled through, and
l felt that was freezing. The horses
were still moving, and although could
not see them, dashed them with the
whip. 1t seemed hours since the storm
had shut US in, and was just becom.
ing convinced that the herscs had got
out of the path and that we were lost |
on the prairie, when there came sud-
den lull of the fierce wind. The air was
still full Of whirling snow, but / could
see objects about me, and it didn't take
long for me to ascertain that we were in
he barn and were safe. had left the
barn doors open in the morning, and
The horses had found their way back, |
think by instinct, but my neighbors
'hink it was sheer accident, and declare
t wouldn't happen again in thousand
Years.
ALTHOUGH we had reached the barn,
We were not in the house yet. From
he barn to the house is about twenty
'ards, but as far as seeing it was con-
'erned the house might as well have
been in the moon. The little woman
Helped me unharness the horses and put
hem in their stalls. Then told her to
emain where she was and made break
or the house. 1t is difficult for any one
o believe that in binding storm he
annot go twenty yards in line suffi-
iently straight to find house, but try
some time?
"After l got into the house took
all Of Irvine, tied one end to the door
mob, and succeeded in getting back to
he barn, and by following the string we
cached the house again. For three
avs and nights thereafter neither of us
ven opened the outer door. When the
torn ceased we could not see the barn,
Or The snow had piled in between the
ouse and barn so deep that Il covered
he windows ON that side of the house.
IN the east side of the house, however,
here was very little snow. The shovel
appened to be in the house and the
title woman ard succeeded in tunnel
1g through to the barn; but we had to
AIRY every shovelful of the snow taken
ut of the tunnel through the house and
brow it on the east side.
"Were the horses all right when you
OF to them"
"You can safely bet they were glad to
ee me. They were about half buried
4 snow, and they had eaten the bed
ing from their stalls. 1t took me
early all the rest of the winter to
howell the snow out of the barn."
"Do people on the prairie ever get
,st in these storms?'
''To be caught on the prairie by ,
lizard means death and nothing can ,
vert it. After settler has been here ,
ne winter its sly old blizzard that .
atches him. Not so the newcomers.
hey cant imagine that there is danger
t all times. Three people were lost (
hat day in this vicinity, one of them
oman who had been over across the
rairie about mile to see sick neigh
or. When she saw the storm was i'm
linent she started for home on foot. :
he never got half way there"
when was her body found'"
''ln the spring, when the snow :
lelted."