Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1886-01-21
THE NORTHWEST
KANSAS LETTER.

HARPER, Kan, January s, 1885.
1 wonder how much Ohio people
realize of the western storm known as
the "blizzard!" If the fag end of one
should strike Ohio, people there would
think that all the powers of nature were
let loose. Think of the worst storm
Ohio ever seen, add to it the coolest
weather within the memory of the "old-
est inhabitant," double it, add all the
other bad storms and cold spells, and
multiply the sum total by one hundred,
and you will have very faint concep-
ton of the terrible blizzard. use the
adjective for all it is worth, and would
like much stronger one.
There being no obstruction between
here and the north pole, the wind
comes swoopiug down from the higher
ATTITUDES with terrific force; the air is
filled with fine snow frozen into ice,
the thermometer indicates tempera-
ture far below zero, changing from fifty
to seventy or eighty degrees in an
hours time perhaps. The bowling and
shrieking of the wind would fill one
with dismay, even though there was
nothing else with it, but combined
with the cold and storm, it is iudescrib-
able.
The air is so fullof frozen snow that
it is utterly impossible to see any dis
tance in advance along the way where
ot.i is going. Men going few rods
from the house to feed their stock, have
lost their way between the house and
stable, and have actually frozen to
death within few rods of shelter.
Clothes seem to afford almost no pro-
lection, as the wind and snow penetrate
everywhere in defiance of all protec-
ton. The wind is from the north, but
woe be to him who going out Of doors
expects to keep his direction by that, for
it will blow from all directions at once,
enveloping the unfortunate would be
pedestrian in whirling cloud of snow,
while the intense cold penetrates to the
very marrow, benumbing his limbs and
quickly stupefying all his faculties until
he can 60 no where or do nothing, and
worst of all has no desire to do any
thing or 60 any where.
Stock suffers more than all else, for in
part owing to the newness of the coun-
try, it is in most cases without shelter,
and hundreds of cattle are frozen in con-
sequence, for nothing that breathes can
endure the intense cold. In the house
the family huddle around the stove and
tries to keep warm, but usually without
success. No house built can keep out
the wind and snow, the latter comes in
through ever key hole--every crevice,
every Joint, it sifts through every door
and window, and forms tiny drift ev-
en- on the stove door, the stove which
has hot fire burning in it, too; when
night comes and darkness shuts in the
scene, the storm seems worse than be-
fore, for then the imagination can have
full play and picture the night worse
than it really is, if possible. Woe be to
him whom night finds on the road, be
it eve. so good one, for unless he can
find house at once, he is wandering
in darkness to which that Of Egypt
were nothing. In the house beds are
improvised anywhere, so they are by
the fire, any anyhow, and then fire is
kept up all night long in order TO keep
the folks from freezing. In the morn
ing the blizzard may be all gone, and
by noon the air will be as a spring
morning or it may be 'three days
storm" and be worse than ever.
set out to try to describe q blizzard
but Oh reading it over ! am disgusted
with it, and were it not waste of good
paper, would throw it into the fire, but
as it is, the reader will have to supply
their imagination.
If, after writing that magnificent
description of the storm which wrecked
the ships of the wandering, Trojans
Virgil had happened to encounter q
Kansas blizzard, he would have burned
his manuscript in disgust at the tame
ness of his storm, and tried his hand OF
the blizzard, and have immortalizet
himself and the blizzard too, If he had
not become discouraged by the difficulty
and vastness of his subject. Kansas
never does things by halves, and what
ever she undertakes, be 1t storms or pro
hibition, or what not she is sure tc
make grand success Of it.
There has been very little winter il
Kansas SO far, but the last day or two