Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1888-01-26
SNOW BOUND
A TOWN WHERE THERE is NO
FUEL
Driven 20 Desperation, the People
Destroy Railroad Buildings.


A great deal Of solicitude Is felt for the
people OF Browns Valley, town Of 1,5OO
souls in Traverse county, MINI, on the bor-
der Of Dakota,
The place Is in the region where casualties
were greatest in the blizzard of last week,
and no reports have been received directly
from them for several days.
Browns valley is on branch of the Man
ltobia road, running southwest from Morris
forty ax miles No trains have run to the
place since Christmas and telegraphic COM
munication Is interrupted. Besides, the coun-
try roads are banked full Of snowto the depth
Of four feet on level and are impossible
everywhere.
On Sunday afternoon man walked across
the country on skids from Browns valley to
Beardsly, a place eight miles away, and re-
ported that there was neither pound of coal
nor stick of firewood in the village, and that
the sufferings of the people could not be esti-
mated. He said that after burning all their
own fuel they made araid upon the coal stow
ed there. When this supply was exhausted,
the railroad buildings were torn down and
chopped into firewood
After telling his story the man begged
sack of coal, threw 1t across his shoulder and
tramped back to his family. Many car loads
Of fuel consigned to Browns Valley are
blockaded at Morris, and large force ofmen
is engaged in opening the line up
Camps in the Northern Wisconsin pineries
are rapidly breaking up, owing to the deep
snow retarding logging operations Snow is
from thirty to forty inches deep, so that the
hauling of logs is very difficult. Prominent
logging men say that only two-third crop
of logs will be banked this winter.
A dispatch from Sheboygan, Mich, says;
Owing to the deep snow on the ice in the
straits, it has become so weakened that teams
dare not cross on it. The result will be one of
the earliest openings of navigation in the his.
tory of the Lakes, unless conditions are mate.
rally changed before spring, which is not
considered at all likely.
A special from Burnett, Texas, says: Re-
ports are beginning to come in from the wheat
districts of serious damage to that cereal, and
it is feared every field of winter wheat in
Burnett, Llano, Williamson and other
counties along the Colorado river has been
entirely destroyed by the severe frost.
Definite reports of loss of cattle during the
recent blizzard are slowly coming in, al
though every ranchman admits heavy loss.
Sheepmen report loss of from two to twelve
head out of every flock. The Brazos and
Colorado rivers ara frozen solid, something
never known before The failure of crops
last year reduced the supply of feed for cat.
tie SO that during the cold spell the herds
were without water or food. Reports from
the grazing district Of the State say that cat
tie on the Southwestern ranges wealth
cred the great blizzard in very
good shape. The loss was
confined entirely to the sickly and poorly fed
stock. A great many large herds, however,
were frostbitten about the legs, and as the
weather has moderated their legs have swol-
len to almost twice their natural size
A dispatch from Paris, Texas, says: The
long cold spell began to moderate, and the
snow is melting. Stories of suffering are
coming in. An old man named Tadgray,
living about six miles from Ladonia, Satur-
day started home facing the blizzard. His
horse went up to his gate and stopped. He
had literally frozen to death in the saddle ant
sat stiff and upright