The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-03
PRINCES OF THE STORM
Thursdays Blizzard Left Butte
Untouched.
1T DELAYED THE TRAINS
An Exceptionally Heavy snow Fall in
Nearly All Parts OF the State.
The Ranges Are In Good
Condition.

The blizzard of Thursday night
struck the our quarters OF Western
Montana and comparatively left Butte
untouched. The fringes of the storm
struck this city. but the great bulk of
the snow was piled up in Deer Lodge
valley, in Elk Park. Browns gulch, Di-
vide and the southern edge of Silver
Bow park. All the incoming trains bore
evidence of having plowed through
snow banks. the cowcatchers of the
moguls being encrusted with ice and
snow. While the snowfall was heavy
all around Butte, il was c~omparatiyely
light in the city. although an inch or
two were piled up IN top of the very
good sleighing already to be had.
Stock In Deer Lodge valley never be-
fore faced a winter under such favor
able conditions as now exist. The hay
crop last fall was exceptionally large
n every hoof will find abundance of
fodder for months to come. Stockgrow-
ers In the valley will feed exclusively.
The ranges extending north from
Browns gulch to Garrison and Elliston
are said to be in excellent condition and
the few stray head of horses and cat
tie will not want, even though they face
~ StNtlt NlliltI.
In this connection the reports of the
vegetable crops are most encouraging.
Every patch of potatoes, turnips, cab
bage and smaller truck yielded most
bountifully, and while the acreage OF
grain was small the yield was COMPARE
lively good.
Considering the abundant crops, the
splendid condition of the stock and the
lnn0 small Of W1naEnn xrrnn tha~ ...Gf aHg-
cedlng the winter months. together with
the predictions of Indians based on
these facts, Montana may look forward
TO a long, hard winter.
Hardware dealers have put in a big
stock of skates and IL winter doe its
part, the u people, and some of the
older ones. will enjoy skating on the sew
eral Kinks and Ice ponds in and near
the city.
W~oodchoppers are already taking or
ders for Christmas trees. These indis-
pensable evergreens have to be hauled
several miles to this market.
The festive hobo who comes to Butte
TO spend the winter finds little to en-
courage him to remain long. In most
cases he gets out of town as soon as he
can and doesn't wait for the judicial
mandate. Many. however, think that
by remaining something will turn up
favorable to them. and with this trem-
bling hope they await their opportunity.
Butte is a pretty cold place for tramps
in the winter time and sometimes when
one or two OF their humble get real
hungry and desperate a holdup occurs
and the police are given another OPP
p%ortunity to show their skill as sleuths.
Twenty years ago Montana expert
enced one of the severest winters of
record. In Northern Montana "A flock Of
200 sheep encountered a blizzard on the
drive from a coulee TO the sheds. The
sheep huddled together on the prairie
and every one Of them was frozen stiff.
In the spring when the snow melted
away under them, there stood the 200
sheep, mutton for the carrion crow.
That same winter two half-breeds
were living in a log cabin which they
had just built. The frost expanded
the logs. every n Of which cracked
with such terrific force as to throw the
occupants out of the cabin into a snow
drift, where both froze to death. The
cabin was educe to splinters. Their
horses went to the creek after a drink
The water froze as IL went down their
threats and the animals choked TO
death.