St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-03-10
st. Paul Visited by a Blizzard
Without Parallel in Many
Years.
Outdoor Business Practically.
Suspended by the Fury Of
the Blast.
Railroad and Telegraph Lines
Suffer Severely Through
the State.
A Local View Of the Most Sc
we're Storm Of the Past
Decade.

The treacherous month Of March,
which deals equally in smiles and
frOwnS, gave st. Paul taste of its quail
lty yesterday, in the shape of a fierce.
unregenerated blizzard, the equal of
which has not been seen IN this city
since the days which ante-date the mem
DRY of any but pioneer. While bliZ-
yards are by no means strangers to the
banana belt in which we live, they have
for years been confined to the prairie
territory, and have not heretofore had
the temerity to obtrude themselves in
the cultured heart of the capital. Tues
day was an ideal day. The air WAS
laden with the promise of an early
spring and the sun beamed down with
May fervor. Storm saSheS were re-
moved, furnaces were Stacked and
symptoms of house cleaning were fire.
quent. Out through the country the
farmer had overhauled his plows and
was ready to begin spring seeding. 1t
looked as though spring was surely at
hand. At 10 o'clock a gentle, warm
rain began falling and toward midnight
it had the accompaniment of soft
breeze. By o'clock the aspect had en-
tirely changed. The breeze had given
place to strong west wind which
was growing chillier with every
puff, and the rain had been
chilled into spiteful SNOW. AS moril-
ing dawned, this wind had been trans!
formed to a hurricane, roaring and
bowling with all the pent-up fury possi-
ble. driving the snow before it at ter
rife pace and developing every moment
into full-grown, old-time blizzard.
The mercury had fallen to zero, and the
snow was frozen to the hardness of
particles of sand and drove hither and
thither before gale.which hadincreased
to velocity of fiftymiles an hour. Poo
pie who went to bed in spring awoke m
the heart of winter. 80.
: The city was chilled into almost utter
inactivity. The miraculous change
found everybody unprepared and for a
time business was practically sus-
pended. Great drifts of snow imped ed
the progress alike of pedestrianism and
wheeled ..locomotion, and when the
thousands of employees of shops and
the bevy of clerks and statesmen sailed
out, it was desperate foot struggle to
reach their respective places of employ
ment. Not street car wheel was then
turning, and it was terrible work to face
the biting, singing wind and ford the
waSt.deep drifts. Later on, after gall
liant struggle, the street railway com
pany succeeded in maintaining desul-
tory service, which was grateful
relief. Throughout the day outdoor
business was at practical standStill all
over the city, and the streets presented
an appearance seldom seen in st. Paul.
Stores were deserted, and clerks had
little to do but endeavOr to keep warm
and won der how they would get home
at night. ~
Along in the afternoon the storm subs
sided somewhat, and hopes were strong
that by night its fury would be abated;
but with the sunset the wind started up
with renewed force, and continued its
wild career throughout the night. Lit
was terrible and memorable night.
Only those whose business made tim
perative ventured out, and the streets
were absolutely deserted. The street
car service grew less and less effective
through the evening, and it was an
nounced that the difficulties increased
as the force of the wind kept up and
the drifts were continued.
So far as could be learned by diligent
inquiry, in spite of the severity of the
storm, there was not single accident
in st. Paul, beyond the cable collision
detailed hereafter. This record is
little remarkable. Any number of peo-
pie were blown down, and numerous
hats, signs and shutters were whirled
away as trophies of the gale, but not
casualty was reported. On the Kansas
City train for the south a singular
accident occurred. Edward O'Brien,
of West Park. N. Y, attempted
to pass from one coach to another
and was blown from the platform,
while the train was moving at high
rate of speed. He alighted fully twenty
feet away, and when the train was
stopped and he was picked up he was
unconscious. 1t occurred near Eden,
seventy-eight miles south of here, and
he was brought to st. Paul for treat
ment. DR.. Willard attended him at. the
city hospital and found he had received
severe bruises about the face. and had
lost small portion of his left ear. His
injuries are painful but not dangerous