The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-31
ABOUT BILLIARDS..
A Visit to Chicago During the
Cold Snap.
HORRORS OF WINTER IN THE WEST.

WhlSkers and repair the bites that Jack Frost
gave me in Chicago before was aware Of it.
Sunday morning, the 18th instant, ! started TO
hear some Of the famous boy choirs OF Chicago,
but / only opened storm door Of the Grand
Pacific hotel whom / encountered q blizzard,
fourtcen-degrees-be -zero-bast. This was
| enough. 1 retreated to my room, and for
| twenty-foug hours was prisoner in that great
caravansary. Not tie worst shelter for such
day, and yet chilly in spite of its steam, stoves
| and CRATES. The great corridors GA the
| first floor, extending through the entire
block from Clark rect to La Sale street,
| had wintry air. Tie upper halls were cold,
| and in my room a window scarcely five feet
| from the hottest grate fire that could be made,
| and siokly sun shining upon the outside, was
! all day so thickly coated with frost that it
! looked ike a block of ice from the north pole
And this was in Chicago, more than three hun
drod miles east Of the billiards. track where
the Thermometer was in some places fifty-four
degrees below zero and the wind travelling
from thirty TO sixty miles an hour. "PiCture
it, think of it, You that cuddle down south of
the Piedmont range, and perhaps once in three
years have chance to record q solemn vow
that you are going to freeze to death before
a hot fire when the thcrmomcter is only down
to zero! Can you realize the horrors
Of the late blizzard in the tree
so many lives have gone out in
the icy sleep Of death? | cam am not proud
of t--bc thankful that you cannot. Years
ago, in northern Minnesota ! was forced to an
acquaintance with this CHASTITY member Of the
storm king family, which | am not anxious 10
renew. | never wish to he within a thousand
miles of a blizzard again With the Their
moineter forty degrees below zero. you cannot
touch piece of iron with your bare hand with
ont blisteting it. The first sensations are differ
lint hp aftr of ~ n NS
touched \ rcd-hot iron. In such an atmosphere
you start to travel by stage ten or twelve miles
ON a still, bright day. Inside the stage which is
like the body OF an omnibus, on bob-runners isa
little stove with the pipe through the roof. Ii
this is fed often enough TO keep it hot the pas
sengcrs, If VOL wrapped, may keep rea-
Sonably comfortable, but they can
enjoy no more Of scenery than
II they were in "black Maria" on account Of
frosty windows. The driver, when he rolls
down from his perch III front, and stamps into
the red hot stove at the first way station, is
curiosity. In his three thicllnesses Of under
woolcns and other clothing surmounted by fur
skins of bear, wolf fox or beaver, he looks as
large as a hogshead. His "pealing" is rs in
tcrcsting a5 the unwindng of an Egyptian
mummy, and you observe as he thaws the
iCiclcs from his eyes and nosc-the only I'M
covered apertureS about his face that he
wears no boots, no stiff leather about him to
impede circulation. Over his three pairs of
wooden socks are Indian moCCasins of soft deer
skin-eycrything soft and fexible-and over
these "Arctics' and legginSs. But this is not
travelling in blizzard mind you. This is only
a sort of pleasure excursion in that latitude.
You may think it incredible. but it is neYerthc-
less true, that after such days exposure the
driver can cat the whole OF a fat goosethe
fattcr the better.
Having thus limited at northern pleasure
excursion, let MS come to few of the casualties
connected with the late billiards in the north
west for you must remember that there were
three of them following each other in quick
succession all within ten days.
The day left Chicago, Judge j. r Kinney,
Indian agent, Yankton Dakota arrived in
Nebraska after nine days travel by rail in these
Billiards, the last five days averaging only
six miles day, and telegraphed to an ac-
quantance of mine in Chicago that in only
one county OF Dakota 100 lives were known to
be lost and that over 600 had persisted in
Dakota alone. Up to this time only 235 deaths
had been reported to the Chicago papers from
the whole blizzard region. which includes
Minnesota, Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and
the whole western plains beyond, From
what | know of this region and
the severity of the storm
am satifed that not less than 5000 human be-
ingS and over n million dollars worth of live
stock We're in those ten days of blizzard sacri-
feed to the Ice king-an Unsuitable monster
much more to be dreaded than the erlking Of
Geutonic legend. During this fearful trip
Judge Kinney says, as the coal run low and
other fuel became exhausted, the passengers
crowded into one car and the men gave to the
women and children their outer garments, and
oven wrapped children III the mail sacks In
spite of all, two children in their car froZe TO
death. But this was nothing rs compared to
the mortality of those caught in the open air
by the blizzard blasts Mr. Clark and his
wife were going in sleigh to Nankton. when
the blizzard struck them. Their horses refused
to face the storm. They turned loose the
horses, fastened themselves together
with leather strap end went be
fore the wind-~anythins to keep in motion
till they came to haystacN Into this they
burroWed and stayed all night In the morn
ing, discovering house near by, Mr.. Clark
crlwled to il on his hands and knees (lie WAS
too badly frozen TO Walk and sent assistance
TO his wife. When il arrived She was dead
\ MIR. Chambers and his boy lost their way
within hall mile of home He saved the
boys life 10y burying him in the snow, hut per
ishcd himself, The boy says his father kept
calling for help all night, and only died ono
hoU before rescuing party reached them
Tho boy was not badly frozen
y farmer started TO water his Stock-only a
few rods from the house became blinded hy
the tine frozen particles that filed the air. lost
his way, determined to keep in motion, and
walked upon the open prairie all the ucxt
night and the following day. To find his
house, and was rescued twenty miles
from his home. Others under similar circum-
stance, walked III a circle all night aud saved
their lives by violent exercise. knowing that il
was ueath 10 stop. Tie Indians III that region
seem TO understand this better than the whites.
tor OF all caught in the late blizzard while out
hunting, not one was known to lie lost.
Ouc man started on horseback "a ride home
against The blizzard. II was only mile away
hut when the horse came up 10 tho front door
the wife opened il only 10 find her husband
sitting upright in the saddle
frozen sim An equestrian statue moro
ghastly than the one that frightcus Lcporeuo
IN Don Juan
In new hamlet llnon the
open prairie a school mistress about noon saw
Signs OF the coming blizzard and dismissed her
flock aud warned them 10 hurry home. The
Implying blizzard met them at the door rs
they started home indifferent directions Some
reached homo IN safety. but at three o'clock
when they should have reached the loving
arms OF their parents the majority came not
Then began the agoniing search Some were
found singly. some in groups OF two. or three.
others IN larger groups and with the largest
group the teacher hcrsclf-aN dead. The
chccks SO lately rosy with health were now
marble white, upon some were frozen
tear drops; the lips of others were
wrcathed in smiles as if the
sleep OF death was only a blisStul dream. At
Lass accounts some were not found az all, and
the lives OF adult VILLAGERS were sacrificed IN