The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-01-19
the GREAT BLIZZARD.
Rallroadlng In the Northwest Sus'
pended and the Storm the Worst
Ever Seen.
AWlnd BlowlnsW With 0reat veiocIty
Made Worse by q Low Tern
% pOTatuF9. g5

Full reports from all points affected by
che blizzard which began OK the 18th. show
, IL to be the worst storm aver witnessed in
the Northwest. Railroads arc blockaded
In every direction, and many reports oi
people losing their lives come from vari.
ous parts OF Minnesota and Dakota. St.
Paul papers OF the 14th show the effect on
Railroading was practically at a stand.
still in the Northwest yesterday. None ol
the railroad officers could recall a day
when there was SO complete n. blockade.
and certainly there has been none Tor years.
The day previous some trains were run,
but yesterday practically none, in fact
very little attempt was made
to run trains except between st.
Paul and Chicago. as the wind
ing hard, filling up the cuts nearly as fast
as cleaned out, and the temperature was
so low that neither men nor engines could
work to advantage. On the whole Mani
toba system no trains were run except
between St. Paul and Minneapolis and
between GAINESVILLE and Neche, the latter
being q piece OF track on the level prairie
that is scarcely ever troubled by the
snow. Trains out OF st. Paul were all
The Northern Pacific was not much
better of in Minnesota and Dakota. The
train out OF st. Paul att p. m. Thurs
day, Jan. IL, got only as, far as Clear
Lake, where it met another stuck in the
snow in attempting to get on a side track,
thus blocking the way. Beyond Clear Lake
were three other trains this side OF Brain.
ord, all bound for. st. Paul. and blocked
by the one at Clear Lake. Assistant Gen.
eral Manager Ainslie was at Fargo yester-
day morning, and went from there to
Wheaton by train. A telegram from Supt.
Green, OF the Missouri division. said the
wind Mt Mandan had not abated. that the
drifts were as hard as ice and the tempera-
ture SO low that he got men to work with
difficulty. The 4 o'clock train out OF st.
Paul on Wednesday, was hung up at Cas-
selton, OAK. while the one leaving on the
10th (Tuesday). was getting along
only nine hours late. At Glendive were
consolidated; n was sent back west in
lieu OF those delayed in Dakota. The St.
Paul e. Duluth got no trains through during
the day, but the main line to Hinckley was
clear Of trains and the limited WAS sent out
last evening with hopes OF making the trip.
Atrain from the Northern division OF the
Omaha came in last evening o day late,
but no other attempt was made to run
trains there. Southern Minnesota II it
could be surveyed with q telescope would
have presented .. 81
A SORRY SIGHT -
for a railroad man. On the Milwaukee &
St. Paul, the Hastings & Dakota. South.
ern Minnesota and Iowa & Minnesota. divis-
ions were abandoned throughout the day.
not a wheel turning, with numerous trains
tied up here and there. The Western di.
visions Of tho Omaha and the Minneapolis
& st. Louis were in the same boat, or
rather snowdriit, and the Minnesota &
Northwestern found it impossible to get u
train through. On this road the blockade
is on this side OF Elma, iowa.
All trains from Chicago were hung up at
Dubuque, where passengers were quartered
in hotels ut the railroad company's ex-
pense. The train which left st. Paul
Thursday evening was stalled at Randolph
thirty miles out, while the one leaving
Chicago at the same time got Is far as
West Concord, fifty miles from st. Paul.
Preparations were being made to begin
the work OF clearing the line early
this morning. All trains out for the
north, west and south were, of course,
abandoned, except those mentioned as
running. On the lines to Chicago every
effort was made to get the trains through.
There is great rivalry among the different
companies n the business was impor-
tant. The Omaha train due here in the
evening was stalled at Knapp, Wis, oil
day and was expected about midnight. The
Milwaukee & St.Paul got stuck somewhere,
md three trains, including the fast mail,
were still expected in a bunch during last
night. OF I'LL the numerous. trains that
daily run into the union depot, besides
suburban and interIrban, and they are
numbered by the hundreds, but a solitary
one showed itself until after 10 o'clock
last evening. The Wisconsin Central train
from Chicago due in st. Paul at 9:15 yes
terday morning pulled in four hours
late, having five engines, and this was
the only train Of the day Ut the un-
ion depot except Short Line
and suburban.. OF the trains due to 60
out last evening only the Wisconsin Cen.
tai and the Burlington went out on time.
The Omaha left late, the Others being
abandoned. Although travel was neces'
sarily light the union depot vas crowded all
day with people who were anxious to get
out OF town. Railroad officials said that
as soon us the snow stopped blowing and
the severe cold moderated the tracks
would be quickly cleared, but nothing
could be done to advantage as long as the
wind and cold con tinued. <- ,