St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-02-02
THE GREAT BLIZZARD OF 1888.
The Terror, Pathos and Fatality of the
Dreadful Experience.

1
Correspondence of the Springfield Republican.
MINNEAPOLIS, Mimi, Jan. 20, 'S8.
Although the term "blizzard" is no
found in Webster's dictionary, it need
no definition to the minds of most PEG
pie. The combination of circum
stances which it describes, is peculiar
The word has no synonym. Few
however, really comprehend what ;
blizzard is; only those who have mad,
its personal acquaintance have full
knowledge on the subject. People a
| the East sometimes speak of expert
encing a "blizzard," but no true biz
zard ever ventures East. Its home il
on the prairies of Dakota, Nebraska
and Minnesota, and even there its Oc
currence is rare. Old settlers, who are
familiar with the ups and downs o
northwestern winters, insist that there
have been but two genuine blizzardi
for l6 years and more one was in the
winter of 1873, when the word "bliz
zard" was coined, and the other Oc.
Cured just one week ago. Given al
open, treeless prairie, a temperature
of from 10 to 25 degrees below zero
the air thick with falling snow driven
along by the wind at the rate of sc
miles an hOur,-let this condition OF
things continue for three days, and
you have a "blizzard." Such was the
blizzard of 1878; and although nearly
every winter since has witnessed
storms approximating that in severity,
nothing has at all equaled it until the
fearful snOw-hurricane of a week ago.
This was not so long in duration as
the storm of 1873, but was even more
terrible in its consequences.
One popularity of last weeks storm
was it's vast extent. 1t reached from
Manitoba clear to the Gulf. It's prog
ress seemed to be almost due south,
the most disastrous effects occurring
between the Goth and 25th meridians.
Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa,
Kansas, Indian territory and Texas,
were thus visited. Eastern Montana,
Wisconsin and Northern Illinois also
felt something of the force of the storm
Southern Dakota and northern Nebras-
ka tell the saddest tale, although the
more southern states probably expe-
rienced as much suffering on account
of being unprepared for such an ex-
treme change in the weather.
Another popularity of this most re-
acter. AS experienced in Dakota, the
snow fell heavily all day Wednesday
but without much wind. Thursday
morning opened clear and still, and
apparently the storm was over. 1t
proved to be only a lull, however,
when the elements seemed to be gath
ering themselves together for the most
fearful onslaught. Between 9 and 10
o'clock the snow again began falling,
when suddenly before anyone was
aware. the wind commenced to blow
with terrific force. To illustrate the
suddenness of the change: A lady
working about the house was asked by
her daughter to notice how gently the
snow was falling. Another moment
and she heard shrek. fastening to
learn the cause of it, she found the
front door torn open by the violence
of the wind, and it required the united
strength of her two daughters and her
self to secure it again. No wonder
that people, lured from their homes
by the treacherOus brightness of the
were "bewildered" when the
blizzard struck them. All day and all
night the storm continued with an in
impossible to describe. The
snow was as fine as fiour-more prop
erly it might be termed ice-dust, and
was swept along by the wind with such
force that it would actually penetrate
through ones clothing. The air was
so thick with the flying snow that
and other large objects close
at hand were entirely concealed from
view. To face such Il storm was out
of the question. The only safety for
anyone caught out in it was to travel
with the wind.
But the most awful feature of the
tempest lay in the number of casual
ties attending it. 1t was bad enough
to have the railroads blocked and bust
ness brought to a standstill it was
worse to hear of thousands of cattle
frozen to death-in one county in Da-
<ota the railroad cuts where they had
sought shelter were found filled with
their dead carcases; but that which
sobered mems hearts the most was the
number of human bodies found lying
in the snow stark and stiff! If the
last Friday had announced
that 200 persons had been killed i'm an
or railroad accident,
what cry of agonized horror would
have gone up all over the land! Yet
it is fact that on that day and the |
lay preceding even more than that
number were frozen to death here in |
the Northwest. 1t is fact hard to be |
realized even by those of us on the |
spot. We knew it was cold we felt |
the tierceness of the blast some of us
had fingers or faces nipped by the
'rost, but we were startled beyond |
measure as we read the morning pa
Ders tile next day. The great blizzard |
Of 1888 deserves a place along with the
Charleston earthquake and the Park
5heater fire in Brooklyn.
Many incidents told in connection
with the storm are cruelty pathetic.
Think of poor woman struggling to
each her home and perishing within
20 feet of her own door! A farmer
lear st. Lawrence, OAK, became be-
in the storm and passed with
n 10 feet of neighbours barn without
it, and then wandered on for
hree miles before he finally sue
,umbed. Another farmer went out to
water his stock only eight rods away,
,ut was unable to find the stable, and
lfter seeking in vain for shelter he
within stones throw of a
lefghOOr's house. A similar case is
exported from near Yankton, where a
armer went out to straw stack not
more than 100 feet from the house, but
ost his way, and his frozen body was
ound the next morning 10 miles from
lis home. Near Aberdeen, OAK, two
nen went out to attend to some stock
hort distance from the house. One
urned back, frightened at the storm
he other insisted he could find the way,
vent on, become completely bewil