The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-01-26

! A'i> o"iai ao Va titS OiiZLAtu. mex
! to this the worst blizzard that tn.
Northwest ever experienced occurred
January 7, 8 and 9, 1873. In tha
storm seventy people were frozen tt
death and thousands of dollars worth
of property was destroyed. The pres
ent storm promises to be even NOR,
terrible in its results. 1t came withou
warning. At sunrise last Wednesda,
Dakota never had more lovely wintel
weather. The air was clear as crystal
The wind was from the South, warn
and balmy, and before the sun wa.
high in the sky a decided thaw set in
Farmers took advantage of the beauti
ful weather to 60 to town, to draw
wood, hay, etc. About noon a clouc
was seen along the North western hor:
zon, lying close to the ground, bu
stretching from West to Ncrth in !
dark semi-eircle. Little attention was
paid to it, but in an hour the cloud
had swept over the country, the sun
was obscured, snow was falling fast
and a gale was sweeping from the
Northwest with terrible fury. A bliz-
zard had begun. The mercury fell
rapidly. BY S o'clock it was IS de-
grees below zero, and next morning ii
registered 80 degrees below. All the
while the wind increased in fury, the
snow fell thicker and the large amount
of snow that was already on the ground
was blown into powder and hurled
along by the wind. On the prairie an
object forty feet distant could not be
seen. A mans voice could not be
heard six feet distant. The air was
full of snow as fine as flour and the
roaring of the wind and the darkness
caused by so much snow in the air
made the scene the most dismal, drear
and forsaken that man ever looked
upon. Every railroad in Dakota and
Minnesota, and many Iowa, Nebras-
ka and Wisconsin roads were blocked.
The telegraph wires everywhere were
down and it was not until Saturday
that the full extent and awful results
Of the storm became apparent. The
telegraph hourly brings the most pitt
full stories Of suffering, terrible strug-
giles for life and heroic deeds by brave
men and women Of the storm stricken
sections that have never been equaled.
Mary Connell, little school teacher
near Cavour, started home with two oi
her pupils, boy and girl. The boy
left them and perished. Miss Connell
put her dress folds about the little girl
and made her walk all night, shelter
ing her charge with her body. They
were found next morning alive bu,
horribly frozen. Another teacher,
Miss Jacobson, Eear Stolof, started
home with little glrl. Both perished.
When found, Miss Jacobson wa.
crouchcd in a little hollow in the
ground with her arms about the little
girl and her dress skirt wrapped about
her. Her own bonnet was off her head
and her hand clutched her dress at hel
throat but there was smile on hel
face. Two children, boy and girl, oI
]. Hutchinson, near Gary, were lost
going home from school. twenty-five
men at once srarted on a search fol
them and the mother could not be kept
from going along. The poor woman
was with the party that found them
They were found close together and
the boy had his sisters hands between
his own. Thursday forenoon. just be
fore the blizzard struck this point, a
party Of seven farmers, about twenty
FIVE miles Northeast of here, started
for their homes, having been here with
wheat. The report comes that the
bodies of four of them have been found
dead. Searching parties are out look
ing for the others. Mrs. Knutzen, o.
Rushmore, was found frozen TO death
within forty feet of her door. Hel
husband was absent. Becoming un
easy, she started in search Of him, los
ing her life i'll the act.
! These are but few of many terribl,
stories which have come in. A mum
Der of the dead had the appearance o
having died from suffocation. Some
had torn their clothing away from thei
throats as though struggling for breath
! During a genuine blizzard the air i
filled with fine ice dust, driven with
terrific force, which chokes the unfor
; tunate victim in a short time if he at
! tempts to stand against it.
A telegram of the 10th from Mime
apolis, Mimi, says:
! The Journals revised list of bliz
zard fatalities shows 81 dead in Dakota
IL in Minnesota, 6 in Iowa, II ii
Nebraska and 5 in Montana, total I35
besides S. reported missing.