Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-02-11
EASTERN WEATHER.
A Correspondent Who Pulis the Record
ON those Who Defame Dakota.

Sioux Falls correspondence Minnea-
polls journal: It is remarkable with
what avidity eastern newspapers seize
upon the big storm of the 18th as ma
terlsl for etemming the current OF
westward. The reports they
publisho OF that storm were barely |
saved from being wholly willful misrep- |
by the telegraphIc reports
sent to the papers outside the territory
by local correspondents who. in their in
considerate desire to be sensational.
sent in the widest rumors as real facts,
A ready proof OF the charac ter OF these
statements is shown in an item published
In az eastern paper that 100000 cattle
were frozen in Mlnnehaha county Alone"
This can hardly be true, as Commission
or McOlure's reports just published
shows that there are but 1905 in the
county. The same paper in
startling head lines lover 1000 people
frozen to death in Dakota" in the storm
of the 18th.
OF course the moral Of all this
10 to teach the young, energetic men of
the east to remain at home end enjoy the
more temperate ard agreeable climate
OF that favored ~ section of Uncle SANS
dominion. Neither love of truth nor
sense of fairness would ever induce these
papers to do justice to Dakota. There
fore let us fight the devil with fire. ]
have before me q letter written about
20 years ago By an intelligent and re-
liable gentlemen, then q resident OF
Massachusetts = portion cs %=hh;chh ]
copy The particular period referred
to is n of four consecutive years, and
after that state had been settled about
200 years.
During the cold season, from 1916
to 1918, the people were greatly straight.
ened to get food to sustain life, as crops
were cut off during the whole time, and
especially in 1916 when no corr and but
very little wheat wss raised. That year
there were hard frosts and sn ow on the
mountains every month in the year.
June was especially cold, large Numbers
OF birds perishing during that month or
account OF the extreme cold. 1t vas
not then As now that -four and provis-
ions could be brought from the south
and west. People had then to raise
them or re without"
And then he goes on to tell how Che
Leople-referring to the rural popnla
tion-twere forced to obtain fish food
for their families" With improved
means of communication the country
people are not liable again TO be obliged
to subsist upon a diet Of fish, but Mas
saohusetts still has the same old climate
aH witness its great storm of the last few
days.
Dakota, with her crop OF 1887 of 60 :
600, 900 bushels OF wheat, "a, 200, 00t
bushels OF CORR and $4,000, 900 bushels o.
oats, could feed Massachusetts, Tor tht
looming year without very sensibly af
tecting her surplus crop, besides fur.
nishIng every family in the state with {
good big hog TO drive into their beai
pots.
I have o bound file OF g newspapers pub
lished in Maine covering the last winte
! spent in that state. lt,appears in i.
columns that snow first fell on Oct. IL
of snow and hail storms. Iquote, Dec
~: 1.-The wind blew with such fore
that it was difficult to stand up
Several buildings were damaged, man.
trees were broken down, and the snov
piled IN deep and most impsssabl,
drifts" How is that for q blizzard
But 70 continue. Jan ID: Soar street
and sidewalks are impossible" Feb II
ut commenced Wednesday and INIT
Friday IL showed and blowed incessantl,
Travelling was simply out OF the queH
tion, and our people pasinly kept ii
doors and drank herb tea or otherwis
dootored themselves for the prevailing
influenza, the unpleasant conoomitsn'
of the storm" The same issue gives al
account OF the railroad blockade, and Q
how one.trnin WAS stuck in q snow drif
only IL miles from town from Wednee
day till Friday. during which time tn
passengers subsisted sparingly on crack
ers and cheese. Tho issue OF March
gives an account OF a man who made
trip Of 1875 miles on foot. il being i'm
possible forteams TO travel. He re-
ported the Snow more than 61z fee
deep. and q good portion OF the distane
aperfsctly trackless waste Of dee
snow It states thai the semperatuE
on the 1st day OF March was "a degree
below zero.
Imagine q person on che FIRST day q
spring wading through five feet OF SEQ,
rubbing his nose to keep itfrom freezin
and singing:
ETHEREAL mildness, come"
March 11-"It is showing merrily
We have nov a fair prostect Of sleighin
for the yesr round. A little more snov
and We can ride, like st. Nicholas, owe
the roofs OF the house and visit on
II lends by descending the chinneys,
March 25-ssLast Sunday morning th
thermometer stood at Is degrees belo,
zero. and q strong wind piled the snow il
heavy drifta. Tuesday a plump foot o
SNOW fell, and the tops Of the fences
which had begun to struggle up througl
the SNOW, again disappesre a from sight.
April aS--"The river still remains ice
bound, and the general avereg
of snow is about two feet" April a.
t'The roads are oil alibe-s deep ehanne
through the center and lined viii
snow"
Thess brief extracts indicate o perio,
tef six months winter. The paper whicI
they are taken from WAS land isl pub
lished in q town not rs miles from th,
Atlantic coast. Had the country ther,
been es sparsely settled as IL X nov IL
iilakota~ witt rs ~ r hen ~, f.uues an,
i,,ss =. tie nusuber vi deaths resulting
from thu severity OF the weather tho