Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1888-02-17
What a blizzard" Is.

IL Is 93iG Lnlt people WHO nave
never been in a "blizzard" caq have
DO conception of one, and that IN some
parts of the Northwest they are SO
binding and confounding that people
have clothes lines runaing from their
houses to their barn doors, so that
they VIII not lose their way when cir
cumstalcas make it necessary to pass
between the TWO buildings during u
"bhzzard."
The following letter from Hander-
son, Minnesota, TO the editor Of the
Indiana. Pa. Messenger, gives the
best description of a blizzard" that
We have yet seen:-''Having received
several letters from Indiana county
asking me abont the recent bilzz ard,
and seeing the accounts iu the many
eastern papers differing 80 in their
descriptions OF it, prompts me to pen
for your macy readers a>fsiut picture
Of the reality:
Thursday morning, January II,
dswned mild aud calm A soft breeze
arose from the south, and people left
their homes iu perfect confidence of q
safe return. Farmers turned out
their stock to wafer snd To exercise
them. Men, women and children
Were away from home alike uacon-
scious of their impending fate.
The wind changes; it is now in the
north. "A telegram reaches Us say
ing. "a blizzard lis moving southwark
at the rate of ninety miles an hour. "
In about two hours or near 3 O'Clock,
p. m, the wild, howiing wind, with
whirIing, powdered, blinding snow,
struck US with the boom and roar OF
dozen surfs From that time until
early morning OF the following day
the terrible storm ragged The cold
became intense. The snow came in
at the smallest crevices Of door or
window. Men who started to their
barns. only few rods distant, were
lost and wandered bewildered in the
snow. This would not seem possi-
bic to persons never having seen d
blizzard One could not see build
ing four rods away, and at two hc
could not be sure of much but. the
form OF some structure before him.
Now this may seem strange, but note
these facts. One man III the country
started from his house to go TO
his barn; the storm caught
him between the Lwo and
he became bewildered and travel.
ed about all evening and at l0 p. M ,
found himself in town, two miles
from home, almost frozen. The
school house where | am teaching is
situated in the suburbs of the town
and when | received word of the ap.
preaching storm l dismissed school
and through the aid OF the parents,
DuJ with the greatest difficulty, the
children were all properly housed
abont 3:30, p m. But noae too soon,
for the storm now Increased its fury,
and you couldn't see see across the
street. Now put persons out ofreach
of such aid "a surrounds town, out
Two, five or ten miles. and let them try
to Gud shelter. No wonder that
scores perish. We have heard OF
over two hundred. One case which
is a very sad one. A school mistress
dismissed her pupils during the storm
aud she. with thirteen of her pupils
perished An old gentleman going
after his children to bring them from
school foundered the horses in q
snow drift and all perished Many
school childIeu from different places
were frozen to death, but the above
is the worst case have heard Of A
man by the name of Brown, in com.
puny with his ten year old boy, was
watering his stock at the river, only
thirty rods from his house, when the
storm overlook them. They buried
themselves in the snow, the mau
sparing all the clothing he could TO
save his boy. They were found the
next day; the father being still in
death and his little sou still living
but almost perished Many teachers
kept their children in the school house
all night aud of course were saved.
could recite many more cases but this
will give you an idea of it. for through
this northwest there have been over
eight hundred lives lost.
Now such are the facts. | cannot
say | do not know what q blizzard
is. l have seen the worst one that
has been since 1873, aud no pen eau
fully portray it's terrors. For abou,
"a hours everything seemed to give
way to the reign and rage of the very
demons Of storm. Il. q. SPENCE
GonaraI NOfnS