Omaha daily bee., 1896-12-01
DYNAMITE FOR SNOW DRIFTS
Work of Cleaning Streets and Railroads is
No Easy Task,
CE GORGE GAUSS SERIOUS FLOODS
Chippewa River oNcrnows Its Hanks
ana Flows over Large Tract
of Country, Threatening
Eau claire, Wis.

Eau Claire, Wis.
ST. PAUL, Nov. SO.--Ncws of the great
blizzard has been very moager today. So far
as is learned only 1vS lives have been lost
OF course nothing has yet been heard from
the remote districts beyond the reach of the
telegraph and it may be another week be-
fore it can be positively stated that there
has not been more serious loss of life. The
streets of the snowbound Dakota towns are
being cleared as rapidly as possible. The
extremely cold weather has frozen the snow
until the immense drifts have reached the
proportions Of gigantic icobergs, and dyna-
mite is being used to blast these out of the
way, ordinary picks and shovcls being una
Bile to make any impression on them. Stock
on the ranges has undoubtedly suffered
heavily and a fuel famine is threatened in
many of the smaller towns in the Dakotas.
This is by no means a trivial matter. where
the mercury is ranging from 10 to 30 de-
grees below zero
The railways are beginning to get their
trains moving again. The Great
Northern got its first train into
st. Paul from the snowbound dis
trCt this morning and the Northern Pa
cifc reports that its line is now open from
Portland to st. Paul. Delayed westbound
transcontinental trains on this road which
were being held at Tower City and Fargo
left those points at o'clock this evening
and the eastbound trains held at Mandan
arc moving and will be due here tomorrow.
The Northern Pacific officials do not antici-
pate any further trouble and expect to have
trains running on schedule time.
The Pioneer Press special from Eau Claire
says: An ice gorge formed at the mouth OF
thp Ihipppwl which caused the wafer 10
back UP rapidly Saturday night and Sunday
morning On the lowlands. below Durand,
the rise was so rapid that many families had
to fee in their night robes to places of safety
and leave their all behind them. The suf-
ferng among the women and children was
intense, and many are reported as having
frozen feet and limbs. Those who could fed
to the railroad track There they built fire
and tried to protect themselves from tho
frosty winds until relief arrived. An engine
and coach sent out from Durand yesterday
morning gathered up about forty or fifty
of these unfortunate people, but go fast was
tho water rising that the train had to 70
back to Durand II is thought that some Of
thCpeople were not reached by the resCuing
party and possibly may have perished. The
the people were not reached by the rescung
and produce are a complete loss. Dead ami
mails can De seen all about the neghborhood
frozen stiff in the water. In most OF the
houses were stored the winter supplies and
these were all lost.
FARMS UNDER WATER.
Tonight farms and farm buildings along
six miles OF the Chippewa valley are under
water. The flood is being added to hourly
at the rate OF six inches and before morning
unless the gorge breaks, this city will be
partly under water. At o'clock tonight
Easements Of all buildings on Spring street
are flooded, and in some Instances the lower
lloors are covered. The people occupying
business houses in the lower part of the
Ri hi.
effects to higher ground. In 1894 a similar
iiood occurred causing a loss of many thou
sands of dollars. A great deal of railway
property is threatened and many highway
and railway bridges will probably be swept
away. Below the immense gorge the river
Is practically dry and when the lam breaks
the body of water in the reservoir must carry
destruction to the valley below Eau Claire
has every reason to feel apprehensive as
It's danger begins when that of Chippewa
Falls has passed. Between the hours of G
and 10 a. m. today the water rose six feet
when there was a temporary abatement AT
g tonight there had been an average rise
during the day of six inches an hour The
gorge is five miles long, At Irvine the Wis
consin Central railway is under water and
tho electric light plant partly flooded SO
that the town is in darkness
farSo, n. d., special to the Dispatch
says; Fuller reports of the late storm show
1t to have been far more serious than was
working out of Fargo on the Northern Pa
ciic since Saturday morning No. T. showed
in five miles east OF Valley City was reached
at 10 O'Clock this morning. Only half a
mile was cleared yesterday. Drifts in the
cuts are six to fourteen feet deep frozen like
ice and mixed with sand. Dynamite is used
to loosen 1t up. The southwestern branch
to Lisbon and Edgley is still frozen up and
people in towns along the line are out of
wood and coal and there seems no prospect
of opening up the road for three or four
days. Small towns along the main line are
also out Of fuel. A serious accident is re-
ported beyond Orlska today. Two snow plow
crews got their orders mixed and there was
a terrible collision, in which hand, a
snow shOvelcr named Hans Hansen of Maple
ton was instantly killed. fireman and two
section men were seriously, if not fatally.
wounded.
BOY FROZEN TO DEATH.
ADA. Mimi. Nov 2O-Elmer Hotter. aged
a. was frozen to death in the terrible bliZ-
2ard Of last week Thanksgiving he and his
father started with team for the Poplar
woods, fifteen miles distant, 10 get a load OF
wood, On returning. they lost their way In
The binding snow and started afoot to look
FOR shelter They became separated. but the
elder Holte succeeded in finding a farm
house after wandering about all night.
Searching partiCs started early next morning
to look for the boy but 1t was not until Sat
urday that ne was found frozen stiR The
father was also badly frozen.
EAU CLAIRE, Nov. 30.-On account Of the
food there have been no trains for three
days on the valley division of the Chicago.
Milwaukee & ST. Paul. a messenger from
Durnni tonight reports eight miles OF track
below Durand as being under three feet OF
water. Thirty-seyen men, women and chill
drCn, refugees from the lOwlands, are quar-
tered In the Durand court house.
PEpPIN, Wis, Nov. Gothic food in the
Chippewa bottoms h increasing I'm fury. The
Chicago, Milwaukee g Chippewa Valley road
Is badly washed out and 10 covered with
trees. logs aud ice gorgCs for miles. There
viii be no traffic for a week or ten days.
The bridge over Smiths slough, one mile
below Trcyino Junction on the Chicago,
Burlington & Northern road is unsafe. 4
rock train aud a big crew OF men are at
work tonight on II. There are jams Of ice
and logs in the Chippewa at the Burlington
bridge at RAIDS landing ana at the head OF
West Newton slough above Alma. The
water Is at a standstil, but more trouble
is feared unless the jams break. There
arc 100000 feet Of logs and forty cribs OF
lumber I'm the hams. All the hay In the
meadows is lost and considerable stock is