The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-04-05
A DAKUFA BLIZZARD.
An Exciting Experience Graphic
ally Described.
HOW the Storm Game UP-A Dospsrats
struggle Far Life Ia = Deserted Dag
out sd FAts Of n Courageous
Driver.


struggle Far Life Ia = Deserted Dag
out sd Pate Of n Courageous
Driver.
A man whO haS never seen = Dakota
blizzard eau have no conception Of its
terrOIs.
A TriegrGm repnrtrr was caught in
the first great Storm that swept over
the plains frm the northwest this
SEASON. lie will not >oon forget the
experiences Of the night that follnwed.
He saw:
I'VE were abnut making two-days'
trip to the mountains. The weather
was mild and almost like spring day.
Snow was gone excerpt On the mount
aims and in the road whrr. IL had hren
packed by teams aud freight wagons
aud melted by Ilr sun iuio lee. This
frozen snow rising above the barren
plains wa nearly twn feet deep. aud il
stretched away like 4 white macadam-
ized turnpike n far n rhe eve could
reach. Nv hnr-rs were brought to the
door and H. ! stn.,d on tho piazza a
moment bi,l,lin. the family .so"d-bye
congratulated them on The liue open
weather We were having.
That, all right. stranger. said a
ncighbor. who was leaning against the
fence: ''bui advise you to lake plenty
Of blankets aud enough If grub for =
couple Of day
But It's only twenty miles To the
first ranch. said. where Wen stop
for the night. Tn-mnrrow Ne shall
reach the mountains.
That's all right. repeated the old
timer; ''but don't you forget what I'm
telling you.
To please him ordered the driver 10
go round 10 the barn aud get some buff
falO robes and couple of blankets.
which he did | remember The weather
perfectly. II WAS like q >rft April after
noon: the sun -h0nt brightly aud chill
dren PLAYED birrheaded IN the streets.
but there WAS an unusual stiffness ia
the air. it seemed 10 me. The deep.
fsr-away blueness Of the sky made me
think Of spring.
1t Was one II those soft. smiling
days peculiar 20 the high altitude Of
the plains near the Rocky Mountains.
One Of those strange Pacific wind, was
blowing. They come without mo-
ment's warning. aud have been known
Ia melt eighteen inches If snow in
few hours. aud rvep bring birds from
somewhere. no on- knows whittier.
But ten hours later the mercury may
De twenty degrees below zero. and
hundreds Of ctIll,. living irid from the
sudden change.
I remember - I entered the wagon
that Notwithstanding the hustle II the
town there was an ominouS stiffness
q hush peculiarly in keeping with the
soft, mellow affernDon.
This is Gods country" said the
old-timer. as We babe him gOOd-,lay
and drove away. The voices Of boys
who were PLAYING ball just outside Of
the town came wonderfully distinct
acrusS the fields. When we reached
the open prairie there were no signs Of
winter in the SKY. The mountains
shOne in the sunlight. and their white
peaks SCARED int" the rloudless blue.
The landscape was like a picture.
We had driven perhaps two miles
and hall. when catile-herlrr on hi-
way 60 town passed ~ on slow trOt.
but a moment later he shouted for Us
to look 40 the mountains and said
something else that Ne didn't hear.
and then digging his heels into his
pony he rode away toward the town.
! saw nothing about the mountains
unusual. but. turning y second time
and casting nv eyes far to the north
west, where the peaks are low. ] saw
q furry of clouds rising from behind
the mountains Even while gard at
them they arose with luminous rapidity,
and IN a minute or two had become
darker and Mere beginning "a boil aud
swell most thrrairmingly. F"ra minute
was fascinated. We had couple Of
dogs IN the wagon behind the seats
and they began To- whine. The horses
put bark their ear>. aud the outlook !
for trip 10 the mountains beeame
serious. The driver was for turning |
back az once. told him that We had |
q plain open country before ~ with |
good roads and fre-h horses. and We /
could easily reach the ranch in couple
Of hours. But while We were discuss
ing the matter the clouds increased in /
darkness and lifted themselves like
black wall almost to the zenith. The
distant peaks were blOtted out in an
instant, and the clouds chased the
shadows from the lOwer mountains and
came down upon rs roaring like an
ocean storm.
II was an awful scene. Destruction
seemed at hand Yet far 10 our left
and back ~ rs the prairie CLEANED in
the sunlight aud the mountains In the
south giittered as II it were a summer
day.
There was no time to do any thing
but prepare for the blizzard. The
dogs erouched under the seats. the
horses stopped and refused TO move.
and We hsd Just time "a wrap the
around u aud tuck in the
buffalo rObe when the storm came in
III lie fury.
A thonsand menageries let loose
"a
Sith the noi=- uf the storm. II was
impossible TO See two rOds in any direc-
ion. Il was almost as dark ~ night.
md but for the snow which filed the
,ir. Aging upward and downward snd
rom sll parts Of the compass, we
ihOuld not have been able 70 see the
lOrses before rs. We managed to turn
hem around. but dared not lssys The