Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1897-12-26

suffered! mo OAS nnS ~ = -.
not able to make their way ~ el1l
neighbor's on account or tle dIilts anu
the extreme cold, for strahseiy eAousu,
the blizzard temperature was ABOUT -
degrees above zero, and as soon as .ne
storm ceased the mercury Tell 70 ~
degrees below.
Sunday was a dreary and restless
day. People were wondering anu
dreading what had happened on the
vast prairie. Had any SerisAed! Al
hoped not, but all feared the more. -
was not until Monday morning luae
the first definite news OF the STORM
came. Farmers reached town to neg
coal or wood for their colo MONIES,
MANY of them were able to buy. but
he'd moi, prepared for such storm 50
early in the winter. Several were no1
able to make path to their staoie
doors Int had to dig down through
tho roof of the stable into the NOW 10
| cot bav to their horses, which were py
This time faint with hunger and gnaW-
Tx rntIiv hangers. FITS rauu az
in several h'oases, and deaths were mar
rowly averteG by the timely arrivals
of neighbors.
But there were worse things. Two
Russians, man and wife, had come that
spring to the Mennonite settlement and
were doing we'll in their little shack"
The woman's father had come over the
week Of the storm to visit them, but
was on that fateful day at the home Of
a neighbor. He Get out Saturday, anx-
ious as to the comfort Of his children,
but he found in place CT the little shack
only the charred evidence of dwelling
scattered around. There was no mys-
terry about that scene. All who saw it
understood it. The fire had caught,
probably in the night, perhaps from the
STRAW stove" and had sent those two
brave exiles from home into the fury of
the storm and to sudden death. But
with with characteristic frugality, they
were determined that their goods should
be saved, and they were dragged out of
the blazing hut and removed to safe
place. When the fire died away there
was nothing left for the twain but to
set their faces to the storm and search
for a haven which they found not on
earth. Their bodies lay not far away
from the fire in a large drift.
Only few miles away lived a Ger
man family AS ia the custom, the hue-
band .'nG father had BEEN working
OUT tat fall for a Leighbor. Friday
night h. reached home TO find the chill
dren almost wild with terror. Their
mother had started to make a path TO
the stable to bring relief to the impris-
oned beGs'G, whom she heard crying for
food, had lost her way and had perish
ed. Her body WIS found several rods
distant. There were minor casualties,
too, but no other deaths known in that
country. The following spring, how
ever, a plowman breaking up" claim
found the skeleton Of man whom no
one could Identify or had missed; he,
too, may have been a victim Of the bliz-
Yard.
On Monday the wires became cuff
GENTLY useful to give the wheat quota
tons, and to let the people know that
y attempt was being made to open up
re line With snow shovel and plowa.
Tuesday re egram gave the first news
Of the e Ent ard spread Of the blizzard,
with itsAong record Of lives lest in the
Northwest. Day by day the train came
nearer. In the meantime the lack Of
fuel began to be felt. Almost no wood
came in, and the supply that did
fetched fabulous prices, while as the
hard coaI supply grew low, the fear OF
a fuel famine stared the people in the
face. Some did. in fact, suffer from
lack of coal or any other kind Of fuel.
What would have happened to that viii
lage if another storm had come within
the next week causes one to shudder
when he thinks Of it, and the fear
haunted all, for several days were big
with Omens of storms.
At Lass, On Friday, nine days after
the previous arrival of the train, came
three engines behind the snow pillow,
with crew of men who were almost
ciazed from lack Of sleep. twenty-five
men had been working on that division
since Monday morning, and their suf-
ferings had been great. The long
waited train was only few hours be-
hind. But time ard again during the
winter, that lire az every other line
in the Northwest wag ohoked VITA
snow. and there was one branch road
which was not opened after that storm
until the next spring. Deaths occurred
from exposure and from need Of med
ical care One Of the leading women
Of the village gave I'D her life because
no surgeon could arrive 70 operate for
appendicitis until too late. Yet SO
buoyant is human nature that people