Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-02-09
JANUARY ~, 1888.
TUE BLIZZARD.

Will the above named date be re-
membered by the present inhabitants
of DAkota. A more trtacherun-
storm cannot be conceived. The
day previous was comparatively
mild, the thermometer at euudowu
about TO degrees above zero. The
wind was ia the southeast all the
night. Atumes ii would blow quite
heavy, then II would sub-ide, then
rise again. With the wind came a
fine snow, and at one time consider
able slyet With morning came
almost calm, hut the atmosphere
was heavy aud dark clouds, iudlca
tive Of soft weather, covered the
sky All around the horizon thrsc
clouds were especially dark, The
thrrmomeier had risen through the
ught To- 25 degrees above gro. By
8 o'clock the wlud WAS due south
aud everything seemed to promise a
thaw. by 9 o'clock the wind va,
gently blowug from The southwest
~ltb Il lilJe fine snow accompany,
lug it. There it continued until
about } ! O'clock when, VITA ut the
slightest warning aud in "A mumeuG,
ume, the wind changed TO the north
aud the storm WAS upon Us IN all It's
tury, aud did not lutermu for "a
moment until about 3 O'clock the
next morning, From that ume unii
the next evening II WAS ~ucccs,iou
of fierce blasts and buet iuit,. But
the luis were Sufficiently frequent
To enable prrsou To travel without
danger of becoming lost.
Those vino were where they could
make observations say that the thvr-
mometer fel from 26 degrees above
zero to 10 below IN "a. many min
ules Immediately after the storm
struck. 10 describe that hilzz rd j,
impossible. An extggeauon OF
>urh blizzard cannot be. The
atmosphere was filled, intensely So,
with snow almost IS fine rs q Iur, At
The same time As hard as Ice aud As
angular AS gun powder, which cut
mo the skin where ever exposed,
aud beat clean through coarse, heavy
Jvercoals. At no time from the
une the storm struck until dark of
the l2th could any object, however
large, be seen distinctly ten feet
away.
The storm came to us in south
east Dakota IA the most in0pportuue
ume possible. Farmers were on
their way TO town, hauling feed or
fuel, or watering their stock and
engaged in similar work The death
roll i- ,oug one, but when We take
into Consideration the track klcss,
treeleSs, fenceess condition of the
country II is astonishing that the
death roll Is not larger. 4 volume
Of thrilling incidents aud hair-
breadth escapes that occurred lu
our own county mlgut be recorded.
With Two or three exceptions the
teachers aud scholars throughout
the county remained in the scnooi
house, all night. Having plenty
of fuel, hunger and anxiety were
their only sutfrrings OF tae schools
dismissed only Que got TO q uelgh
boring house IN safety. This school
was out Of coal, 80 teacher and
scholars, among them three young
men, dnfted with the storm unul
they strucN the pasture fence of a
Mrs. unir, about Il miles south
west Of us. They followed it until
they got 10 Mrs. Tunl-' whore they
remained for the night. In every
olher instance where the schoOis
we're dismissed some members of the
schools were aiterward found frozen
To death. In one instance IN a county
uorth Of u the teacher, lady, and
sixteen scholars were found dead
huddIed together IA The suOw. Ia
our owu township au old man aud
,on, VINO came from Kansas late
last fall, were Watering their stock
when Tue storm struck them. Inc
old ruan waz holding a mule At the
time aud the son span OF horses.
The old man tied his mule 70 a post
near the we'll, sat with bis back
against the post and froze to death
The young man stood between the
horres by bis father, aud when
morning came WAS not 50 frozen
but he "lll escape the loss Of any
OF his limbs. some elght or ten
pershed IA our county III the storm.
Some viii lose hands, some feet,
aud IN one Instance both hauds and
feet. lhe loss Of cattle has been
very great. In our county alone II
vii reach 1000 or more. Many
hogs also penshed Most Of the
calue lost were being driven either
10 or from water when the storm
came.
None in this immediate neighbor-
hood from Mineral Point lost any
thing; but John Linden, who lives