Grand Rapids herald. [volume] (Grand Rapids, Mich.) 1892-1959, 1892-03-11
WORST IN YEARS
Wild Minds Create Havoc In
Northwestern States.
BUSINESS At A sTANDsTIll
Remarkably RAPID Fab in Temperature
While Blizzard Rages-Loss
Of Life Feared.

ST.. PAUL. Miun.. March Mime
sofa has been the center Of = blizzard
whieh has not been equaled In years
Since Tuesday morning . furious
storm Of snow and wind has travelled
from the region OF Calgary. distance
of over i.a0e miles. reaching Minnesota
Wednesday night The storm extends
over vast stretch Of country. and IL
especially violent in the Dakotas,
Esbraska. Minnesota. Iowa and Wis
consin-
An Unteoked-for Waiter.
The Blizzard came upon Minnesota
90 Unexpectedly and with such terrible
force that il has fairly stunned the state.
and business pertaining to outdoors il
absolutely Suspended. For ten days
the weather had been balmy and spring
like. Not = vestige of snow was on
Minnesota soil. and everywhere farm
ers were preparing for spring seed
ing. In the cities storm sash had been
taken down. furnaces were banked and
spring housecleaning was In progress.
A warm rain began falling Tuesday
night. and toward midnight . strong
breeze sprang up that had In
creased 70 q gale by daylight
II changed the rain 70 snow
and sleet and drove It furiously before
it At an increasing velocity. by the
time day had dawned q full-nedged
blizzard extended from the western
limits Of the state over into Wisconsin
and south through Iowa Tho msr-
curry fell rapidly, and the snow was
frozen into particles like sand which
were driven Ut . velocity Of 80 miles an
hour.
Loss Of LaSs EssrsA.
Owing TO the suddenness Of tho
storm It 10 feared that many lives
have been lost in North Dakota. q the
conditions were the same Is those
which preceded the great bliz-
gard Of few years ago. when
30 many people persisted. Tho sx-
tent and damage of the storm are
impossible to learn, as wires are
down on every line to the west and the
balance of the state shut out entirely.
All western rails report that sta
ton houses were unroofed along their
lines and thus the wires were thrown
down. Not single western or south
western road is attempting to keep MP
q schedule, and on most Of them not q
wheel Is turning.
st. raul Dehesls Closed.
Previous blizzards in Minnesota have
been confined to tho prairie districts
and have given ST. Paul wide berth.
hat Wednesdays hurricane fell upon
the capital with unexampled fury.
Great drifts Of snow were piled upon
the streets and about door ways, block
ing UP traffic and making pedes-
trianism nearly impossible. The cable
lines were operated only by constant
use of plows and sweepers, and the
electric lines were run only At irregular
intervals, while many lines were wholly
abandoned. The wind came In 6erco
gusts, which could not Be faced. and the
streets one moment would be piled
5 feet deep in snow and the next swept
clean. Every public school was closed.
the first time for such . cause in fifteen
years. The telephone and are alarm
wires were in constant difficulty and
tho telegraph companies accepted west
ern business subject to indefinite de-
lay.
The storm Elsswhere.
At Grand Forks Tuesday night the
storm WAS so severe that the hacixmen
refused business and the large audience
at the Metropolitan theater was forced
to remain until almost daylight before
the storm abated sufficiently.
Fergus Falls, Mimi, reports great
damage done to roofs and glass, and
that it u dangerous for men to cross
the streets.
At Winnipeg two houses were thrown
down. The thermometer fell 90 de-
grees at Mortified in few hours.
At Crookston several thousand dol
lars worth Of property wns destroyed
by the high winda Plate-glass win
dows were smashed and goods ruined
by snow snd carried away by the wind.
Residences all over the city were un-
rooted. Limbs of trees 8 inches in
diameter were snapped s6 All city
and county o6ices and schools were
closed and al trains have been aban-
doned. Other places In the state report
terrific winds and low temperature.
Mas Rlowa from . TrsIs.
An idea Of the force Of the gale may
be given by the case of d. J. Fclver.
Of Minneapolis, who turned corner
70 rush into the EN- brace Of gust OF
air which lifted him from his feet and
dashed him senseless 80 feet away.
Edward o'Brisn. Of West Park. N. Y,
was blown from . Kansas City train
near Eden. 70 miles south Of here
He attempted to pass from one car to
another and Was caught mp and borne
away like IN sggshelL A passenger
saw him alisht snd the traln was
stopped and he wss brought to the
city. He wsa badly ems and bruised,
having alighted fully 50 feet away.