Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-12-26
THE GREAT FLOOD
An Old Timer Describes Features
cftle 1884 Wash Out.
THIEVES AND THUGS
Exciting Scenes Attending the Going
Out OF Ice and Gorgcs i'll the
Old Muddy.
On the nth day of January, 1881, the
last mail over the Chicago q Northwest

last mail over the Chicago q Northwest
crn railroad came into Pierre.
The snow came in clouds and whirl-
winds. 1t showed one day and melted
the next, until ,hetrack in the cuts WAS
one mass of ice. The SHOW plow was
then unknown and it was impossible to
get through. After repeated efforts the
track was abandoned and small pairic
towns from Tracy to Pierre We're left to
their fate without provisions or fuel.
Pierre was in better shape than most
towns, being Oh the Missouri river, with
plenty of wood and large warehouses in
Fort Pierre that were stocked with nil!
kinds of provisions, that were owned by
the transportation companys in supply
ing their big bull and mule outfits,
which were hauling freight from Pierre
to the Black Hills
There was also stage and mail line
to the Hills that was scmi-wccaly, but
during the heavy SHOWS was very irreg-
ular. There was also Il stage and mail
line from Dcadwood to Sidney. and by
this means we sometimes heard from
the outer world, but TO all intents we
were practically Isolate d from the outer
world.
Before the blockade the railroad com
pany had along Cur improvised for Il de-
pot and telegraph Office. BY the way,
this car is now on the side track ut Ilur-
OH falling to pieces. Peace be TO lis
ashes, as it gave me the first nights safe
aud comfortable lodging in the future
great. We were invited into this car
with our hay mattress for sleeping pur-
poses by Col. I}u!lard. Well TO | re-
member the sight that met our eyes
when we got inside. 1t was q vertablc
arsenal. Winchester rifles, Marlin III
ncs, Spencer rifles. flint locks, small
cannons, cutlasscs, swords, revolvcrs,
Bowie knivcs-in fact c7cryl'ing for de-
fense and sicge-and every night Bull
lard would have the OLD 295 engine pull
ed along side the car, SO that amy stray
bullets from the avenue, shot by Arkan-
saws old gang. would strike the sides
of the engine and not penetrate the car.
Many nights you could hear the bullets
strike plainly and Then glance, and then
Builard would cxclaim, "tllank God.
saved again. until VIC would all go to
sleep from sheer exhaustion.
1t would weary the reader to go into
the details of the drcary winter before
the people who were compelled to re-
main III Pierre. No business, no society,
no place to go, unless the saloon OF,
brothel. How many young gmcn formed
habits th.: proved their ruin utterly be.
fore the winter was over.
Butter commanded 81 per pound,
oil 50 per gallon, but these were lux
uries.
remember Ben As, bought of Gleck-
lcr & Mcclure hard coal base burner,
for which he paid sG5, partly in green
cottonwood He bought one-half ton
of hard coal. Oh, what Il delightful
fire this was; soon gone, but the coal
yard had no more hard coal. They had
soft coal which was Just rs good and
cheaper.
'sAll right, give NE u ton" Ben took
it home and iillcd up the stove and
started her. She smoked but made
heat. There WAS some gas and soot in
h the room but 10 complaint from Ben.
This WAS a. eastern p.oduct aud must
be alright, as he was an untutored
child of the woody west. Soon the soft
coal was all gone. The only thing Ben
could do all that winter was saving
green diamond willows three inches
long 20 feed the nickel base burner. He
did not complain. However Just men
+ tion.it to him now aud see.
But all things rust end, SO with the
winter and snow blockade. The sun
was warmer, the snow was melting into
! ica; ] had scarcely been further Than
The court house over the hill, which was
c9nsldersd then in the country. A gen
9f1cn,an nv the na,Ng of John Cessna. a