Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-02-02
| DISASTROUS BLIZZARD
c,t the Extraordinary Fatal
.stbe Storm--A Deep
tive Lu
,,JoTudiYidual Experiences
n.u 70 save Ones Life in
aBliZzard.

,p.,nlnrity of The Blizzard
hlill,rd of Thursday, Jan. y,
loss 5 Ss r-msmbered, says the Sioux
" 5,t,ta. correspo dence of the
W siis Tribune. In fact the day
IaL'' t,,u into history as the date OF a
ternordinary event.
En- fifty or one hundred persons
ll@. T.. should have been frozen to
%, ,ruly a terrible calamity. And
sl s,+s ,nght not TO be condemned
I.-rr,d by home-seekers because Of
% -.---t-sp8iny occurrence. The truth
rI;zzsrd of Thursday was absolute
" ra-.t ever known in central and
htru Dakota
vss peculiar blizzard Generally
Nn.tota storms, whether in winter or
last for at least part OF three
pottbis baneful blizzard seemed
.,i,.alf in two. Il begaA on Wednes-
"a oreyed 70 be a yer! severe storm,
5...b snow, which the Wind took up
,,s,r force and whiiled with be-
I.ss5 effect. By Thursday morning
.,ov ceased falling, the wind died
~ and people began congratulating
Lies on a comparatively easy es-
.o f,om what seemed at the beginning
ssa severe three days blizzard.
:, f,- al good; but that lull in the
,.r /. what did the murderous mis-
;.f That bright sunshine which came
.,5crticingly for an hour or two on
.-..5sy nornIng was like the voice of
.iren. vooing hapless vioyim9 to a ter
ma 8ssib. Men, women, and children
!. deceived. Children went to school
y men vent about their work as usual,
I,Btbey should not have ventured from
ID homes.
,.,vssp 0 and 10 o'clock :he storm
ain broke forth with terrific fury. An
veteran, who engaged il the battle of
.tgsbury, saia the lull in the storm of
s,r,3gy was inst like the lull in the bat
iost sfore the charge of Piokett's
1sIrv. A tremendous cannonading had
bssB going on between the artillery force
ts5h side Gen. Meade, suspecting
hattie neavy firing of the rebels was
iJte 70 cover up an attack, ordered the
rlery TO cease firing, to let their guns
59. and TO get ready for an aggressive
Ewmeu, on the part of the enemy. On
h other hand the rebels thought they
| ID sIructl the federel batteries, and
Pickett was ordered TO make that famous
III fatal charge Never befoTe-except
perhaps when into the jaws of death
b the six hundred-w charge made
sh such disastrous effect. From all
long The federal lines were poured out
b bullets from the musketry, and grape
BID canister from the artillery. The
srh fairly rocked with the terrific thun
En- So deathly was the conflict that in a
bot time Pickett's command of 1900
rsl the flower Of the rebel army, was re
lcsi to less that 1900.
is 1t was the lull that deceived Pickett
Gettysburg, so was it the luil that de
syed the people OF south Dakota.
lsl they thought the fury of the storm
ID been spent, it had really not begun
started again with fury and it gathered
oi3tlt increasing tierceness as it went
Bong The air was full of snow, which
pas literally as fine as flour. 1t was driv-
p by a north wind which blew with tire.
lsldo1s velocity. SO thick was the air
a' one could not see over two or three
oo' and sometimes not one. Tho wind
'V.sd With q dismal sound which fore
9dsd nothing good, and all the time it
seemed 70 rise to higher pitch and be
ing more mOuI nful and defiant The
.eA's'' Eay,tarer who attempted to beat
w way against the terrible storm in a
minutes found his eyes com ietely
Alled and bis cheeks coated with snow
WV i'e' lae force of the wind fairly
oA DIS breach away and he was com
s'.sl 'o iEru around to breathe.
Ia5 storm lasted all Thursday and
.o-Sa most of the following night. 1t
gu. strange that persons who were out
cane teTlldertd aud ultimately lost
ai lvs-' but il is strange that any
'"a aa'e yentured out during the
o.. 'als storm can cot be charged up
D4ao'a alone It extended through
minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, !
,- --ls' OF Iowa. Fatalities occurred in
gg's sections, but Dakota suffered the
=. because ofthe deceptiveness of the
---'1 ,Ae many pathetic and distress
i. ,.o..e' OF intense suffering and loss
XIV. ,, is gratifying to hear of a mum
NJ. escapes which were planned by the
~. A-' 'Aonghtful heads. Some per
~, y, sa5n they realized they were lest,
1,... ol'itd themselves in the snow,
,.. ''as themselves as best they could. |
a,.s' ' way not only were .heir lives
~. y. Wy. some survived without being
q lightly frostbitten.