River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1888-02-02
A SAD STORY.
Great Suffering Re ported in tho Snow
Bound Villages of Beardsley AMI Browns
Valley, Minn.-The Inhabitants Dat of

Great Suffering Re ported in tho Snow
Bound Villages of Beardsley ami Browns
Valley, Minn.-Thc Inhabitants Dat of
Fuel.
MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, Jan 20. Henry
Stonebraker, a refugee from Beardsley,
MINI. has arrived in Minneapolis He said:
mo words of mine can picture the teri bic
condition Of affairs in that locality. Beardsley
is little town OF 100 inhabitants about Is
miles west OF Graceville and some seven
miles cast OF Browns Valley, the terminus
of the Browns Valley division OF
tho Manitoba railroad. We are right
there on the open prairie, without a
stick OF timber within reach of US. And vet we
have managed TO pull through since December
20, on which date the railroad company brought
in two ears of wood and enc OF coal Since
then VIC have not seen railroad train. We
have teen practically, cut of from all communi
cation with the rest OF the world. Mail is q
luxury we have not dreamed of for weeks.
but this is a minor consideration when tell
you that for q week before left there was not
q stick Of wood nor a pound of coal in the
whole region and not drop of oil. BY unit
ing several families in one and keeping
single fire going by use OF twisted hay and
straw we have just managed to exc out a
precarious existence. We have literally herded
together, huddlcd up like sheep, and by gen.
erous use of blankets and robes kept a little
life in US. There have been but three deaths
from eezing.
- We can rightfully blame the Man toba rail-
road officials for all the suffering. In December
the rack was clear, and previously big orders
had been sent in for wood and coal There were
seventy cars side-tracked at Morris which
the officials would not bring to Beardsley
although we begged 1t almost on our knees.
The company claimed that there were no en-
gines 20 spare. Thea came the blizzard Of
December &c, and since then we have been
fairly out OF the world. The track from
Morris to Browns Valley is hardly more
than two streaks OF rust. IL is unbal-
lasted. The ra Is, secondhand TO begin on,
have been In eighteen years. and no
sane engineer dares TO drive his train
over fifteen miles an hour in midsummer; and
as for US ug a snow-plow il IS out OF the ques-
ton. Fortunately we have hal plenty OF pro
visions, and, by reason Of generous supply OF
gra n and hay, our stock has been kept in good
condition.
'At Browns Valley the situation is, in some
respects, worse than with us. There the peo-
pie have been short of provisions for some
time as well as without any lights, but
by gong out on the Indian reservation
some green fuel can be obtained. 1t
is almost impossible to stir abroad. The
snow is several feet deep, and in many
places the drifts fully gnteen
feet in height. AT one place was d woman with
q baby but day old, and not sign of "a fire in
the house. on Sunday / could endure the
strain no longer. and. as had nothing t6keep
me at Beardsiey, took team, and after
couple Of days OF houndering around managed
TO get to Morris, where / took the train for
Mnreapol s.