The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-28
STORM OF BLACK SNOW.
Bottom of the Drainage Canal Blown "
and Spread Over Chicago.

From the Chicago Journal
The great dry, dusty bed OF the
! drainage canal. a violent hurricane
lifting the dust and sand into the up
per regions OF the atmosphere. where
meeting with strong aerial currents
which transported II scores Of miles. II
descended again TO the surface in the
form Of one OF the historic red fogs'
, which have been the terror of the SUI
perstitious for centuries.
This is the story in brief OF the Won
derful black snow storm which des-
cended on Chicago last night. be-
smirched the town and left a deposit
| OF grayish and reddish dust on the
| white snow.
outside OF tropical countries. Cas-
plan Russia and Italy, the red fog is
very rare. so rare that the red fog
! which settled over Illinois and Wiscon-
sin and Iowa last night is one OF the
great natural phenomena of the CEN
I fury. BY all the statements OF the
! scientific books the inevitable conclu-
sion is that the dry bed OF the drain
| age canal and violent aerial currents
combined TO produce it. In tropical
countries these storms have their orr
I gin i'm deserts. dry lake or river beds
and the red fog is sometimes carried
! hundreds and even thousands OF miles
I out to sea. The red fog of last night is
/ known to have travelled at least 100
miles.
Chicago awoke this morning TO find
/ the town besprnkled with a fine grit
/ ~ powder that shaded all the way
1 from gray and black to reddish
/ brown.
Whether the phenomenon OF the
! black storm had been brought. or had
I been caused by zero weather, the
/ scientists are still unable to say. The
| traces OF the black storm remained
and the zero weather was much I'm evil
dence. Three below the thermometers
marked at o'clock. and the bitter
sting of the cold was intensified by a
fierce west wind. And the wind caught
up the traces OF the strange storm
which swept over the city last night
and dashed the faces OF pedestrians
with a fine. gritty sleet which differed
from the precipitation of the night be-
fore In that IL was dry.
on every wind-swept corner were
swirling eddies OF the mysterious grit
which had settled over the town IL
hours before in the form OF a nasty
snow. on window lodges and door
steps. in sheltered doorways and base
ment entrances, I'm areas and courts
were little shoals and mounds OF the
dun-colored deposit Doors and win
dows were no bar to its entrance.
When the shop people lifted the linen
covers from their show cases they
found the glass and woodwork covered
with n film OF dust. And opening the
show cases they found that the queer
dust had penetrated even there, in
many instances causing serious dam
age TO goods. In many OF the retail
shops where corrections, cigars and
other wares easily damaged by expo
sure to foreign substances are sold.
the opening hours of the morning were
spent in efforts to repair the damage
or I'm throwing away goods that were
SO impregnated with grit as TO be UNIT
for use.
The storm OF last night got entirely
mixed in it's geography. IL never was
meant for Chicago nor for any but
land much nearer the equator. IL was
what is known as a dust shower or
blood rain. In tropical countries. where
great droughts are succeeded by vio-
lent hurricanes. the dust or sand OF
dried lakes or river beds is sometimes
borne away into the upper regions OF
the atmosphere, where, meeting with |
strong aerial currents. which transport |
IL for hundreds and even thousands OF |
miles. IL may descend again to the sur |
face In the form OF red fog. sea dust or
sirocco dust.
The first reports of the mysterious |
black snow or red snow. as IT IS vari- |
ously called. came from cities immedi- |
ately adjacent to the drainage canal |
district At Joliet the fall Of black |
snow began about o'clock last night. |
The color was rather a dirty brown. |
and citizens who witnessed II thought |
IL resulted from the SCOT and smoke |
from the Illinois Steel company's mills. |
which are in full blast This idea was.
however. erroneous. for the bluffs 10 |
the west OF the city are covered with 1
the same remarkable snow The fall /
did not last over 20 minutes. but a high /
wind with occasional snow fiurries is
still prevailing.
At Rockford the strange spectacle
manifested itself with unusual vivid
ness The eyes OF pedestrians were
filled with dust as they are with sand
on a dry and dusy July day. All day
the sun was obscured by queer black
clouds and the air was filled with the
unusual mixture from the skies. Many
predicted that II was the warning Of a
great storm. but along toward evening
Il cleared up. The sun had a tint of
blue and the sight was 50 uncommon
as to attract much attention.
From "A dozen other towns I'm the
drainage canal district came like re-
ports OF the black snow. which began
10 fan between ; and s o'clock.
As a matter OF fact. the ordinary
sand storm is no unusual occurrence
in the country lying Immediately along
the banks Of the canal. and like falls
Of grit and silt are experienced on
every windy day during the summer
and autumn when the floor. walls and
OF the canal are parched
Ike the river beds and desiccated pools
OF Northern Africa.
Every section of Du Page county ex-
pcrienced the remarkable precipita-
ton. and in the hamlets nearest the
canal the event was 50 little out of
the ordinary as TO attract but little at
tention.
Advertising Is she steam that drives
trade along at a terrific speed. but it [
won't drive very fast n 10 escapes only
through the safety valve, you must put
IL where 10 can reach the piston and I