Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-02-02
AIDlSASTR0US BLIZZARD
Reasons for the Extraordinary Fatal
ity of the Storm--A Decep-
tive Lu
Remarkable Individual Experiences
How to Save Ones Life in
aBlizzard.
APeeuliarity of The Blizzard.


The great blizzard of Thursday, Jan. II,
VIII losg be remembered, says the Sioux
rams, Dakota, correspondence of the
minneapolis Tribune. In fact the day
Will go down into history as the date of a
| most extraordinary event.
That nifty or one hundred persons
more or less should have been froz en- to
oeath Is truly terrible calamity. And
/ yet Dakota ought not to be condemned
and stunned by home-seekers because of
this heartrendIng occurrence. The truth
| Is, the blizzard of Thursday was absolute
/ ly the worst ever known In central and
southern Dakota.
! 1t was a peculiar blizzard. Generally
| the Dakota storms, whether in winter or
summer, last for at least part of three
days. But this baneful blizzard seemed
to cut itself in two. 1t began on Wednes-
| day and proved to be a very severe storm,
with fresh snow, which the wind took up
with great force and whirled with be-
wildered effect By Thursday morning
the snow ceased falling, the wind died
| down, and people began congratulating
themselves ON comparatively easy es-
/ cape from what seemed at the beginning
| to be severe three days blizzard.
So far so good; but that lull in the
storm is what did the murderous mis-
chief. That bright sunshine which came
out so enticingly for an hour or two on
! Thursday morning was like the voice of
the siren, wooing hapless victims to ter
rible death. Men, women, and children
were deceived. Children went to school
and men went about their work as usual,
when they should not have ventured from
| theil homes.
| Between 8 and 10 o'clock the storm
again broke forth with terrific fury. An
old veteran, who engaged In the battle of
Getty sbury, saio the lull in the storm of
| Thursday was inst like the lull in the bat
tie just Fsfore the charge of Pickett's
| cavalry. A tremendous cannonading had
| been going or between the artillery force
on each side. Gen. Meade, suspecting
thai the heavy firing of the rebels was
| done to cover up an attack, ordered the
artillery to cease firing, TO let their guns
cool, and to get ready for an aggressive
movement on the part of the enemy. On
the other hand the rebels thought they
had silenced the federel batteries, and
| Pickett was ordered to make that famous
and fatal charge. Never before-except
perhaps when into the jaws of death
rode the six hundred-was charge made
|
along the federal lines were poured out
the bullets from the musketry, and grape
and canister from the artillery. The
earth fairly rocked with the terrific thun
der. So deathly was the conflict that in a
short time Pickett's command of 1900
men, the flower of the rebel army, was re-
duced to less that 1900.
As it was the lull that deceived Pickett
at Gettysburg, so was it the lull that de-
ceived the people of south Dakota.
When they thought the fury of the storm
had been spent, it had really not begun.
It started again with fury and it gathered
TO itself increasing fierceness as it went
along. The air was full of snow, which
was literally as fine as -four. 1t was driv-
en- by a north wind which blew with tre-
mendous velocity. So thick was the air
that one could not see over two or three
rods, and sometimes not one. The wind
howled with a dismal sound which fore
BODIED nothing good, and all the time it
seemed TO rise to higher pitch and be-
come more mour nful and defiant. The
luckless way-farer who attem pied to beat
his way against the terrible storm in
few minutes found his eyes completely
! blinded aud his cheeks coated with snow
and ice. The force OF the wind fairly
took his breath away and he was com
| PEELED 10 tgrn around to breathe.
The storm lasted all Thursday and
through most of the following night. 1t
is not strange that persons who were out
became bewildered and ultimately lost
their lives; but it is strange that any
should have veutured out during the
storm.
But this storm can cot be charged up
to Dakota alone. 1t extended through
out Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska,
and most of Iowa. Fatalities occurred in
all these sections, but Dakota suffered the
most because of the deceptiVeness of the
storm.
Amid the many pathetic and distress
! ing stories of intense suffering and loss
of life, it is gratifying to hear of mum.
Der of escapes which were planned by the
cool and thoughtful heads. Some per-
sons, when they realized they were lest,
quietly buried themselves in the snow,
covering themselves as best they could.
Ia this way not only were 1heir lives
saved, but some survived without being
even slightly frostbitten.