The San Francisco call., 1897-01-04
Nebraska, Minnesota, Kan
SaS and Missouri Buried
in Snow.
Railroads Blockaded and Wires
Frustrated in Every
Direction.
hiding Billiards and the Mercury y
Out of Sight-Great Loss of
Cattle Is Feared.

| OMAHA, NEBR., Jan. 3.-Nebraska is
! just now enjoying an old-fashioned bliz-
zard, the most serious one of the winter.
| New Years day was springlike and mild,
but Friday night the temperature began
to fall and the mercury has continued its
! descent since. Last evening a snowstorm
set in, which is general throughout the
| State, and which is still fallin, o.night.
| High winds are drifting the snow, and if
they continue through the night may
make the situation on the plains alarm
| ing.
Omaha seems, so far, to have escaped
! the worst of the storm, but the trains
entering the city during the day were all
| somewhat late. The streetcar lines are
badly crippled and it is necessitating the
use OF extra forces of employees with snow
plows and sweepers to keep the lines open
so that occasional cars may be run.
At 10 o'clock tonight the thermometer
at tie local weather bureau registered
three degrees above zero. and the chances
are that the temperature will fell several
| points below the zero mark before day.
| light. On the level tracts in the western
and central portions of the State, where
| the wind has full sweep, it is much colder
and serious suffering is sure to result.
| While the farmers have everything in
fair shape for severe weather, the storm
will beyond doubt find much of the stock
on the ranges and losses will be heavy.
| From every section of the State come
reports of heavy winds driving the snow
in binding clouds before it, so that 1t is
| dangerous for any one 10 venture out
| At Meadow Grove the storm began about
midnight Saturday night and blizzard
| has been raging ever since, with no signs
of abatement. Drifts are over ten feet
high and traffic is becoming blocked.
LINCOLN, NEBR., Jan. 3.-Lincoln is
almost snowbound tonight, light fall
which began early this morning increas-
ing during the day and developing into a
regular northwester by night, with the
wind blowing a gale. SJreetcar traffic on
| suburban lines was abandoned during the
day and at 9 O'Clock nearly every line was
blocked. Trains on nearly every road en-
terirg the city are delayed Specials from
over the State indicate that the storm is
general and that cattle on the range may
suffer.
ST. LOUIS, Mo-, Jan. 3.-The heaviest
rainstorm of recent years has prevailed
| throughout Missouri, Northern Arkansas
and Indian Territory during the past
| thirty-six hours. In many places in Mis-
| souri, the streams are overfiowed and in
| some places railroads have suffered from
washouts. Last night the rain turned to
sleet and to-day furious snowstorm is
raging The temperature has fallen 40
degrees in Missouri and Eastern Kansas
in the last twenty-four hours and in the
latter section genuine blizzard is sweep
ing over the country.
At Bagnell, Mo-, the Usage River has
risen fifteen ieet and Warsaw reports a
rise of twenty-five feet and repetition of
4 last winters food is feared. At Osceola
the river is out of its banks and the bot
tom lands are submerged.
At Fayette the electric light power
house is flooded and the city is in dark
ness tonight. A number of washouts
have occurred on the railroads and traffic
is badly delayed.
In the vicinity of Sedalia every stream
| is reported out of its banks and the rain
| fall continued until this morning, when
| it turned TO seet and later in the day a
heavy snowstorm set in.
! At Lamonte and Knob small cyclone
prevailed last night, many trees being
uprooted, but no large damage to prop
erty has been reported so far.
Webb City reports heavy damage to
property by rain and wind. Clinton,
Warrensburg and Shelbina suffered seri-
Gus damage from the downpour. the rain
fall being the greatest since the floods of
| 1895.
In many places in Western Missouri the
mercury has fallen almost to zero, and
this drop in the temperature will probably
result in checking the food.
| In 81. Louis heavy rain has fallen
during the past twenty-four hours, but at
| 7 O. clock tonight it was checked by de-
cded fall in the temperature, and at 9
o'clock the mercury had fallen 35 degrees,
and was accompanied by high north
westerly wind.
| The indications are that the first snow
fall OF the season will begin before
morning.
TOPEKA, KANs., Jan. BIN Kansas the
| rain which began Th ursday lasted until
| last evening, when a heavy snowstorn SET
| in, which Is still in progress. Traffic on
| the Larnet-Jetmore extension of the Santa
| Fe road is completely blocked. Travel
overland in any direction is almost lmpos-
sible.
! Abilene reports heavy snow, accompa-
MED Dy wind reaching the proportions of
| blizzard. 1t is feared that loss of cattle
! will result from the storm, particularly in
the western and northern sections of the
State.
| In Northern Arkansas and as far west as
Fort Smith rain fell during the twenty
four hours up to noon to-day, when it
turned to snow, accompanied by drop of
| 80 degrees in temperat ure.
7 Guthrie, OKLA, reports drop of go de-
grees since last evening, and severe snow
storm prevails in tie western portion of
| Indian Territory.
| ST. PAUL. MINI. Jan. "A blizzard is
| blowing tonight in this section over an
| area of 400 miles north and south and 600
| miles east and west. Over mosto Mime
| sofa it has been showing from fourteen to
| twenty hours, and there is from seven to
sixteen inches Of snow on the ground.
| The wind is blowing gale from the north.
The snow is damp and packs so solidly
on the railway tracks that it is difficult for
the snowplows to work through it. The
snow has also made a wreck of the tele-
graph wires TO the north and west OF st.
Paul All trains are moving, though
some of them are late.
South Dakota dispatches say the storm
extends as far west as the Black Hills. In