Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1897-01-07
The New Year Ushered in
With a Big Wind
Storm.
Very Little Snow to Drift
Storm General Throughout
the Northwest.
Storm the Heaviest in the Red
River Valley-The Big
Drifts.

| Inc STORM C00C 00O Oeou Or0WlOS IOE
several days swept down on the north.
west Sunday and suspended all traffic
Oh the railroads and in the cities. Very
little snow fell but the high wind filed
the sirD with that little ground to &C
impalpable dust. Enough snow re-
NAMED on the prairies to be whipped
loose by the winds and drlfted into the
railroad cuts where it packed hard as ice
and prevented the movement of trains
except where preceded by snow blow.
Some snow fell on the Northern branch
the latter part ofthe week and the trains
! that we're snow-bound at Darlington
and north we're unable to reach this city
until Sunday morning about 4 a. m.,
several days late. The work of moving
trains on this division was abandoned
Monday awaiting the subsidence Of the
elements.
The through trains we're tied up at local
points and reported indefinitely late.
Saturdays Pacific mail was reported at
Fargo; the east-bound Atlantic mail
tied up at Mandan awaiting the opening
of the road east. No. 81, the express
freight, was in the snow mile and
half east of Eckleson and off the
track. The rotary snow plow and a
crew of men were sent out Monday
to try to dig it out. A crew OF
men were sent out to Bloom Sunday
to repair the track and replace broken
frog.
No trains were run on the Valley
branch.
In the city number OF signs were
blown down and few storm doors
wrenced from their hinges, but other
wise no damage done beyond general
suspension of business. The delivery
teams of the stores were out but short
time, those needing supplies "toteing"
then: home themselves A few electric
light wires ;were broken and falling in
the way of the telephone wires cut out a
few phones. At the Western Union
Office Manager Durkee reported couple
of through wires to the east on the main
line and one down the Valley and up
the Southwestern branches. To the west
he had no wires though the railroad had
The storm seemed to be electric and
considerable difficulty, Mr.. Durkee said,
was experienced in adjusting.
The air was full Of electricity stirred in
to unusual activity by the storm. Tele-
graph instruments were badly out Of
shape, and paper IN printing Offices used
on presses. 'stlcketh like brother"
The storm cleared away Monday at
sundown and Tuesday has been bright
and pleasant. During the 48 hours of
it's continuance the wind was stronger
aud the temperature mnch colder than
the November storm. But there was
little or no snow to drift into banks.
What loose snow had fallen was carried
before the wind at high rate Of speed,
and was fine and powdery. 1t slid over
the surface of the crust of OLD snow and
the 10y streets without stopping. Had
there been as much snow as in November
this storm would have been severer, OK.
cept in it's duration.
A large number Of passengers have
been detained since Sunday morning
from gong east. One man remained in
the depot two nights and most Of two
days. The travelling meh are we'll repre-
sented at hotels also.
The effects OF the wind in the recent
wind storm recall the winters of 1928
and 1884. Then the crust formed SO
hard over the drifts that teams could DO
driven over them, but during high winds,
when the sun was shinging brightly, the
snow would be whlrled in binding
clouds almost equal in density to New
York "blizzard.
The Western Union had one wire
working east, which was in constant
use, and none west, although the rail
road company had communication west.
The rotary plows threw the hard enow
90 high that it was constantly lnerfer-
ing with telegrsphing.
The winds packed the snow into the
railroad cuts so hard that the work of
clearing the road is said to be much
harder than after the Thanksgiving
storm. Two rotary plows were at work
between this city and Fargo, one work
ing east from here and one west out of
Fargo. The first had reached Sanborn
at noon and the other Wheatlsnd. At
the last place drifts greater than in the
first storm were encountered and tho