Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-01-27
A Picture Of a Great storm.
HOW THE BLIZZARD SWEEPS DOWN
ON UNSUSPECTING FARMERS OF
THE PRAIRIE STATES.
Detroit Free Press

The PRAIRIE STATES.
Detroit Free Press.
About / O'Clock, while we were in
adry goods store, the merchant, who
had stepped out a moment before,
said to us /: 81 don't like to drive my
customers away, but a blizzard is
coming from the West,and it is COM
ing fast. The telegraph announces
that it has reached Morris. That is
forty miles from here, but it is COM
ing at the rate of forty miles per
hour, so you have got no time to
spare if You are going home to-day"
He rolled up our purchases as he
spoke, and appeared to be in hurry
10 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, not one excepting
anime remained. Everybody had
.scudded for home. Even then ! did
not hurry. The sun was still shining
brightly, with not sign of a storm
apparent. Before we had gotten a
mile from town | lad 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 obscur-
ed and the air grew cold and chiHsin
q moment. A. darkness as of smoke
swept over everything. Then ! re-
membered why we were going home,
and / gave the horses the whip in
earnest, lashing them into run.
Away off to the west there appeared
80 be leaden wall sweeping toward
us. There was hum in the air. A
light breeze sprang up, grew strong
er, and in one moment became gale.
The wall came down with railroad
speed, the roar Of its approach each
instant growing louder From the
top Of a hin in the prairie we could
see our house, and it came pretty
near being our last glimpse of it.
No words will ever convey an in
telligent idea Of the blizzard; of the
frightful roar with which it Ioll
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 y0ur own words. In
half minute from the time the first
snowflake fell ] could not see my
horses. The atmosphere appeared to
be all snow, and every flake of it was
IN a hurry to get somewhere before
the rest should get there. | used
the word flakes, but that is wrong.
No flakes could be distinguished.
The whole atmosphere was filled
with one big flake that hemmed us
III on all sides. Although Mabel's
head wasn't over foot from mine, i
could not see her features, and could
only dimly see her form. | tried to
peer downward beside the sleigh and
see the track, but | might as well
have tried to see the earth beneath
the snow-banks. | could feel mo-
tion TO the sleigh, so that | knew the
horses were still moving. The cold
was intense. tried to ask my wife
if she was suffering, but Lrcould not
hear my own words.
During the two or three minutes
that interviewed between the time
saw the storm approaching and the
time it struck us, the horses had run
at the top of their speed so we were
not much over a mile from home.
1t did not seem possible for the
horses to keep the track. No one
could live an hour in that storm.
The only hopes lay in keeping to
track that was being buried deeper
and deeper every instant. 1t isn't
pleasant to sit still and freeze to
death. In ten minutes | was chilled
through and felt that was freezing.
The horses were still moving, and
although | could not see them, /
dashed them with the whip. 1t seem
ed hours since the storm had shut
us in, and l was just becoming con-
WINGED that the horses had got out
of the path and that we were lost on
the prairie when there came lull of
the fierce wind. The air was still
full of whirling snow, but | could
see object about me to ascertain that