The Oskaloosa herald., 1893-01-19
HSNOW BOUND"
What Ye Local Found Going to q
StCeU Party Gagged With Pret-
ty Girls, Bdnd-nen, and
Others.

ty Girls, Band d-mell, and
Others
Were you ever snow bound? If nc
you should grasp the first opportunit
presented and experience the pleasul
able sensations afforded by such dc
plorable catastrophe. Whittier's "SnOJ
Bound" Is naught in comparison to tn
trials and tribulatlOns of the MonteZu
ma party who went over the great ant
only Iowa Central route, and the tale
worth relating.
On leaving MOntezuma at $3.50 A. NJ
Thursday, the pleasing information wa
| impaired that an exceedingly high wine
had been drifting the cuts full of snow
for three hours past. "a boundless drif
where once was road" and the chances
for passing a night ina snow drift were
indeed favorable. The train started a.
a rapid rate and made good headway
through the drifts for about three miles
when an unusually deep and long drift
so Slackened the movement of the trair
that it stuck, and all efforts to move
| forward or backward seemed to no pur
pose. Only three miles out and stuck
and there we remained.
The intimacy which misfortune breeds
was here made apparent and the inmates
of the coaches were soon on jolly terms
| There were on board the entire X. of p
band -thirty-three pieces, the Fritz Or
chestra, the Des MOine Grinnell, New
Sharon and OskalOosa parties, and rep
resentatives of the Grinnell Herald and
Globe and HERALD of this city.
A pretty blue-eyed miss, of Grinnell,
enqnired, What time does this train
get up in the mOrning?" to which the
| K.Of p spokesman replied, whoa, Bill" "
Another Grinnell young lady, gathering
up an armfull of oyercOat and wraps,re
marked, We'll, | like this" and the
house came down. OskalOOSa's quar-
tet, Bolton, Brock, Eisiminger and
Mitchell amused the crowd with every
thing of the latest order, and Ferrall
laughed The sleepless hours dragged
on, morning dawned, hunger also, and
distant farm houses failing to furnish
any refreshments,th the half-frOZen grub
hunters" waded two miles of drifts back
to the coaches.
''All day the gusty north wind bore
The lOosening drift its breath before;
Low circling round its southern zone,
The sun through dazzling snow mists
shonc."
About ten o'clock the Grinnell gen.
tlemen succeeded in securing bob sled
and in this their company departed for
Malcolm, seven miles distant. More
dead than alive, they reached their des-
tination, and came into Grinnell via the
Rock Island an hour ahead of the Cen
trail train.
I'VE sped the time with stories old,
Wrought puzzles out and riddles told"
The Central engine by laborious effort,
succeeded in working its way to Ewart,
four miles ahead, where assistance was
telegraphed for. BY ten o'clock the
engine had dug its way back to the
coaches and a fresh start was made.
But no use. Again they stuck. The
passengers were loaded into one car and
Ewart was reached about noon. The
whole company Immediately made
raid upon little grocery store where
about fifty people proceeded to satisfy
their hunger. The natives fled in alarm
and next morning returned to view the
remains. AtEwart messages were sent
to many homes. Here also the glad
news was received that the snow plow
was on its way to dig out the sufferers.
During the wait from twelve to three
the band had a march rehearsal and
played every number in the march book.
Nugent was director and his executions
of tenor drum solos were bloody affairs.
WalIing fingered the bass drum and the
delicacy of his touch brought tears to
his forehead and replenished the almost
empty fuel boxes. The snow plOw came
through, went to Monte and turned, and
then the start was made for Grinnell-
with a double header and gang of
shOvelers. \ regular blizzard had set
in and it was impossible to distinguish
objects at a distance of fifty yards.
Stuck again, on the main line within
three miles of Grinnell. Almost another
hour of waiting and hard work on the
part of shOvelers. Once more the start
was made and Grinnell at last was
reached. The company filed up to the
lunch counter, having broken all pre-
viOus records and made the unheard of
time of sixteen miles infourteen hours.
The train was in charge of conductor
MOsley, who is gentleman of the first
degree. He and his excellent engineer
did much to keep up the temper of the
passengers, when it, with just cause,
could have gone below zero. A purse
of good size was made up among the
passengers for this crew and the gang
of shOvelers who aided in reaching
Grinnell. j. w. Jarnagin had started
with the company but when Thursday
morning dawned he started back and
footed the distance to his city. At
Grinnell the regular passenger, in keep
ing withall prevailing customs, was an
nounced seven hours late. The New
Sharon party, ,Messrs. Brim and Osborne
and Misses Shook and Gamble, decided
to remain in that city. The Oskaloosa
party captured freight train, put on a
double header and snow plow, and Or
dered things to move south. South
they came and at terrific fifty mile
rate. A drift four to five feet deep
proved as nothing in its way and be-
yond momentary severe shock and
brief struggle, its way to Oskaloosa was
unimpeded.
Home at 7:30 P. NJ, in time for the
Fritz people to keep an Opera House
engagement.
"Wide swung again our ice bound door
And all the world was ours once more. y
Our experience, while somewhat
heightened and numerous was, upon
the whole, not unpleasant and if there
were any inconyeniences, the pleasures
of the associations gained wiped out all
unpleasant thoughts. The bright pic
ture of the nights pleasure and the
scenes that followed for twenty-four
hours will form a lasting memory in
the minds of our snow bound crowd.
~ ., a..