Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1890-02-15
CAUGHT TN A BLIZZARD,

Northwest in January, 1888, was accom-
panied by incidents tragic, thrilling and
heroic, that will no doubt become part
of the history of the vast region over
which the storm swept.
1t was in connection with hay.haulinp
in one of the marshy, unsettled town
ships of Iowa that there occurred an in
eident of extreme peril, of fortitude and
intelligent exercise of the faculties amid
great danger, which, at the time it came
to light, was almost lost sight of in our
interest to the widespread calamities
which fell upon our unprepared neigh
bors on the more newly settled prairies
of the North and West.
The little railway station of Dupont,
in one the thinly settled districts, was
built entirely in the interests of the hay
pressing business, for which the unin-
habited flats of Lowland and Gull Lake
townships furnished thousands of tons of
! grass.
Over this tract, dozen miles in ex-
tent, as far back from the railway as hay
can be hauled with profit, are scattered
every summer the camps of the haymak-
ers, and the low ricks or ''stacksn grow
and accumulate until they dot the prairie
SO thickly as to become for the time the
distinguishing feature of the landscape.
There are at the station large hay barns,
containing steam presses, to which, from
September until April, the hay is hauled,
slowed and baled, ready for shipment
Among those who were hauling hay at
the time OF the great storm were Dick
! Jordan and his small brother Orr, little
! fellow, too young to attend school regu-
larly, who went along on pleasant days
to tramp down the hay in the frame of
the big rack.
It had been pleasant enough for Orr
to go on every trip that week up to the
night of the blizzard. and the day was so
warm and fine that Dicks sisters, jeanne
aud Carrie, younger than himself but older
than Orr, obtained the permission of their
teacher to go home at recess, in order
that they might go with their brothers
for ride to the bayfield,. Their mother
had promised that they should go upon
the first warm day after sleighing came,
They arrived at the house just as Dick
and Orr drove up for lunch, before go.
ing after their last load for the day and,
as it would be dark before they could
get back, the girls, too, got each slice
of bread and cold meat to MUNICH on the
road.
Dick spread two heavy blankets,
which were always carried in winter to
throw over his horses when standing,
upon one of the bottom boards Of the
rack, and seated Jeanne and Carrie upon
them. Then, little dreaming what was
before them, the brothers and sisters
drove swiftly out upon new sleigh road,
which led them for several miles over
prairie almost as level as a barn floor.
The haystacks were reached, and
while the boys worked at their loading,
the little girls raced about, tumbled in
the hay, or rolled snowballs as they
pleased.
The load of hay was taken from the
bottom of a stack around which the
snow had drifted, thawed and frozen
until much of the outside hay had to be
cut loose with an axe or freed with
shovel, both of which implements Dick
carried for that purpose 1t took much
longer than usual to load upon this
occasion, and evening was already draw
ing on when finally the little girls were
helped upon the load and the team was
turned toward home.
1t had been mild and thawing all day,
so mild, indeed, that Dick had feared
this would be their last trip with sleigh
until snow should come again; but as he
climbed upon the load to start for home,
he noticed that heavy gray bank had
formed across the western sky, and that
it seemed to be growing thick overhead.
The air had suddenly become rather
chilly.
He told his brothers and sisters that it
would snow before they got home, and
that they had better "cuddle down" in
the hay and throw the horse blankets
over their laps. He drove forward for
a few minutes, urging the horses to
half-trot, and uneasily glancing toward
the dense gray bank, which rapidly
overcast the west and north, and threw
gloom and cold in advance, as it APP
preached.
The darkness came on rapidly, aud
soon the roar of high wind broke upon
Dicks ears.
ats blizzard" he thought, with
alarm, for he had been born upon the
Northwest prairies and knew the danger
of being caught out upon that moved
fiat, so far from any house, for the near
est dwelling was that of farmer across
Gull Lake, two miles and half to the
southeast.
He had not much time to think or to
exercise his fears before the great storm
was upon them.
1t was nothing less than hurricane
from the beginning, and at the first fierce
gust the big uuwieldy rack careened with
its load so that the little girls screened
with fright, and the horses stopped and
stood turning their heads away from the
peltiug sleet which drove down at the
first burst of the storm.
The air was filed instantly with this
driving ice.
Dick shouted at the animals and
slapped at them with the lines, but they
could not be induced to turn their heads
against the storm. They stood - if
paralyzed by the fierce blast of wind and
sleet. Another and more furious sweep
of the hurricane came almost Immediately,
and this time the rack was lifted CON.
pletely off the sled and overturned with
hay and riders.
Fortunately, there was considerable
drift of snow beside the road, and
neither Dick nor the younger children
were hurt by the fall They had all,
with common impulse, jumped from
the top of the load as it careened over,
and so fell, or rather tumbled, outside
the sweep of the rack.
As they scrambled to their feet the
stiff wind was so filled with hay and
snow that they could scarcely distinguish
each other. The rack turned bottom
side up, and, as it was built in the shape
of q figure four quail-trap, held most
of the hay securely beneath its frame.