Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-01-28
Storm 'Exaggeraticns.

AS falsehoods lands proverbially ahead
of truth in the race for publicity, it is
probably useless to attempt to correct
the ex%agaerations that have found and
are still to find credence concerning the
severe -orm that recently swept over all
the northern ATTITUDES Of the country.
A death roll Of probably nearly two
hundred persons is, indeed, appalling
enough. But it shonld not be difficult
to make the public understand that this
is filled very largely by human careless
ness, or ut least, absence Of ordinary
foresight. The story of the blizzard
will, however, go on its way with the
story of the cyclone.
What, then, are the simple facts?
These That a wave Of phenOmenaIly low
temperatures swept oven the continent
from the Rocky mountains to the Allan
tic reaching southwark almost TO the
yulf; that this was accompanied by high
winds and binding SHOWS; and that
suffering and death followed where
there was inadequate protection and
care for life and comfort, exactly as the
tornado sweeps away frame shanties
while it leaves brick and stone unharm-
ed. The first point to be noted is that
the fatalities attending the great storm
were not due TO the intense cold. st.
Paul, for instance, reported the lowest
average temperature, on Sunday. last,
ever known for any twenty-four hours
since the signal service opened its re-
cords. But there was no loss Of life, nor
any great discomfort. Undoubtedly the
poor suffered, as they do inclemency
But men went and came, as business or
pleasure or the observance Of religious
duties demanded, and nobody was the
worse for it. The cold though severe,
was i'm no sense uncomfortable. Indeed,
it is not possible to find any person
who, properly clothed and protected,
experienced any particular inconven-
fence or even discomfort from being
abroad on that date.
Again, it may be noticed that without
any exception Of w our most northern
settlements, there was a lower range OF
temperatures reported from the towns
of Northern Wisconsin than from any
other points. But there were few if any
cases of death from exposure. Settle
ment is older, people are prepared for
winter, and the cold wave passed with
scarcely more Of a ripple than a hot day
in summer. 1t left behind it no injuries
to human life at all comparable to the
sunstrokes Of a corresponding excess OF
heat in midsummer. 1t is also to be
observed that there was comparatively
little loss Of life in Minnesota or North
ern Dakota. In a large part ofthc latter,
the people are provided with an album
dant supply of native fuel. In Mime,
sofa they did not permit winter to come
upon them unprepared. 1t was upon
the t~reeless plains Of Nebraska, and in
the great stretches Of Western Kansas,
that the storm did its most deadly work
In part these people were upprovided
with sufficient fuel. A summer drouth,
poor crops, want of money to lay m a
proper fuel supply, and delay on the
part Of railroads contributed to this
situation. IN addition, settlers in that
latitude do not expect the fierceness OF
the north, and rarely erect dwelling
suitable for a winter of unusual severity
To this must be added in many instances
pure carelessness as q factor III the death