The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-11-14
Terrible Tales of Suffering Result
ing From the Recent Storms
in the South.
Trains Blockaded and Passengers
and Employees Without Food
for Two Days.


TRINIDAD, Col. Nov. la.-Narious parties
who spent ten days in the SNOW blockade
between Emery Gap and Folsom, N. NJ,
arrived in this city to-day. They report tho
loss in stock 10 be fully Ms great as
has been formerly reported. Patrick Casey,
the engineer. WAS eleven days making the
run from Trinidad to the Texas line and
return. For two days and nights he was
without food, One meal he made ON a jack
rabbit caught in the snow. Seventy-dve
men shoyeling snow at Mount Dora we're
cut of from food for two days and nights.
They got some sheep out of the snow,
roasted and ate them. delayed passen-
ger train WAS cut OF from eating stations
for three days. They drew ON the express
car for its food supply. Laborers who
shoveled snow when hungry tapped
freight cars containing canned goods.
hungry man would knock whole in a
can Of corn or tomatoes and then drink the
entire contents. Sometimes this raw food
WIS frozen, but il went among men NO hun
cry. Two live goats we're being shipped in
caboose and the hungry men cut their
throats and ate them raw. The report says
sick. man. travelling with two children,
lay ON his back two days helpless He had
only crackers for nourishment.
sheepgrower NJ Ute Greek. near Garcin,
il reported 10 have lost 1900 sheep from n
flock Of 5000. Engineer Lyon said that he
saw more lsa. des,itution during the ten
dnJsi in this snow blockade than in all his
life before. The road was opened with a
rotary snow plow but remained open only
few hours. This morning snow and wind
blockaded the cuts again. and the passen-
ger train due here from the south this fore
noon is stuck in the snow tonight.
i Altogether the blizzard has beena terrible
one. No one ever saw or heard Of such n
, one IA southern Colorado or New Mexico
: II was Dakota storm that got OF its range
and struck nm unsuspecting people. Presi-
dent Morgan Jones' of the Fort Worth road,
was himself passenger from tife scene Of
the blockade to-day.
The latest report from Clayton, ~ M,
says the tidings from small towns and
ranches of the railway confirm the reported
loss ot life and property during the late
storm. From Tranpcros comes the news
that three Mexican herders, George Pinard
and two companions, perished the second
day Of the storm. Lujan Bros, on
seneca, lost one herder' name name
horses for Mr.. Wright. and with two other
men he left the horses and started for
shelter. Becoming numb he fell and per
ished. His companions were too much ex'
hausted to help him. The total loss OF life
~ far reported is nine. Several more are
missing and their friends ARE anxiously
searching for them. The loss Of sheep in
and around this place alone in 1900 head.
A. 4.
Nvt been heard from. lhe loss in cattle
will not be Ms heavy as was supposed, unless
the cold weather continues. Snow began
falling again at noon to-day and continues
10 fall tonight. About eight inches OF new
snow ON top of the twenty inches already
on the ground, makes IL almost impossible
for railrnad folks to- keep the track clear.
They succeeded in getting trains through
yesterday, but are all showed up again to-
night and the cold is intense, being almost
4 to zero.
Another sad result Of the recent snow.
storm reached here to-day. Some months
ago family mined Potts, consisting of the
husband, wife and four children, settled on
a homestead claim near Carrizo, about a
hundred miles south of here. The family
/ being very poor, the wife and eldest daugh.
| ter came to town and took in washing,
while the aemainder of the family lived on
the ranch. On the 18th of last month, the
/ day before the storm began, Potts and a
boy named McCash started 10
Trinidad for provisions, leaving three
other children, the oldest of whom
WAS II, at the ranch. The storm caught the
man ON the second day and he has not yet
been heard from, and the probabilities are
he and the boy were frozen 10 death. Az
there was only limited amount Of proyi-
sions nnd fuel nj the Potts ranch, and IL il
] now tllrtngu IuNa giuaa tIav Wara bonr
from, IL tx more than likely they perished
of cold or died through hunger. The
mother and daughter are nearly distracted.
A party left to-day to investigate.