The Globe-republican., 1895-11-21
SCRAPS OF EARLY HISTORY.
By THE EDITOR.

about days duration in severity
Within period of twenty years three
severe storms have occurred.
On January 9th, 1873, was day
similar to the one of January Z, 1886,
when a terrible storm took place. In
the storm of 1873 considerable snow
fell and travel was blocked for several
days. Several freighters and buffalo
hunters were frozen and some of them
had their legs amputated. Twenty
seven men were sent to the hospital
at Leavenworth for treatment of fro
zen limbs. About January, 1875, an
other severe storm occurred, and a
party of tenderfeet freighters were
caught in this blizzard some miles
south. They were belated and were
obliged to burn wagons and corn for
fuel for warmth to prevent freezing
to death. A relief party was sent af-
ter them and brought them to Dodge.
They were "more nearly dead than
alive" as the saying goes.
On January 18, 1883, as we find
from the records in the Office of the
U. S. Weather Bureau, was one of
the severest storms for short duration
without much snow. The wind blew
at the rate of rs miles an hour and
the temperature was 20 degrees below
zero. Many cattle perished in this
storm, and few people had limbs
and toes frozen.
Perhaps one of the striking and
and never to be forgotten events of
this country, was the memorable
blizzard of January 7th, 1886. Pre-
ceding January the weather had been
extraordinarily pleasant for the sea-
son;-not an uncommon thing for
this climate;-but January was ush-
cred in with deep snow, occurring
on the I'd and Sd, during which storm
some lives were lost; but the blizzard
of the following week surpassed any
storm known to the oldest inhabitant:
The temperature had been lower in
the storm of 1888, but the electrical
disturbance was greater. There was
so much electricity in the air that the
telegraph lines were operated without
the use of batteries. The tempera-
ture was 10 degrees below zero and
the wind velocity 40 miles an hour.
The intensity of the storm precluded
any possibility of venturing outside
of ones abode, SO binding was the
drifting snow and SO intense the
cold. Several people lost their lives
in venturing only a few steps from
their doors, being unable to find their
way back. Several persons were fro
zen to death on their way from towns
to homes in the counties farther west.
The pleasant weather of the day pre-
vious had induced many people to 60
to the towns for fuel and provisions,
and they were caught in the storm
before they reached home. This was
particularly the case of those people
who lived more than a days ride from
the railroad.
This was about the same experience
hat the early settlers of Iowa and
other western states endured; and we
have noticed that storms are not SO
severe as formerly in those states, and
The people are better provided against
storms.
Hundreds of cattle were driven by |
he storm to seek shelter and water,
md perished against wire fences and
n irrigation bitches. Hundreds of
withered in the next sum
ner's air and bleached their bones
lnder the hot sun.
This storm practically killed the
:attle industry of the country. Many
men lost their entire fortunes that
lad been invested in cattle. They
could not recoup their fortunes for
heir means were exhausted. This
storm changed the cattle range busi-
less, for many cattle men were oblig
ID to retire, partly through their loss
S by the storm, and partly by the in
,cvation of the emigrant on the cat
le domain.
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