The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1898-11-25
BIG DRIFTS.
The Worst Storm in Four
Years.
Snow interrupts Railway Traffic, Tele.
graph Service and Local
Business.

The storm which set in Monday
morning and ended this forenoon was
the most severe that has visited this
section for four years. Fine snow
continued to fall all night and the
wind ragged and howled and piled the
snow in huge drifts everywhere.
The streets and sidewalks were a
sight to behold this morning. People
generally gave up the task of clearing
the walks until after the wind had
subsidized, and all who were obliged to
90 out on the streets found walking
no easy matter.
Inspector Halstead started the
city's snow pillow out early that morn
ing, but 1t got stuck in q big snow
drift, and the work was not resumed
again during the forenoon.
There was very little business trans.
acted in this city. Country
roads sre badly drifted, and compare
lively few people were on the streets.
The snow is expected to make bust.
ness much better, because it will in
terfere with much farm work, and the
farmers will be marketing their farm
produce.
The sun shone Tuesday after
noon, and the wind subsidized to large
extent. Our people should now get
their walks cleaned as soon as posi-
BILE. as walking single file over snow
drifts is not very pleasant.
Bobsleds and cutters were out TO-
day. In, fact, few made their ap
pearance Monday evening. There are
plenty of people who predict that the
snow will not last.
The storm was general over the
Northwestern states, and has inter
fered with railway traffic very ser
iously, as the roads have been having
all of the business this fall that they
can handle. All freight trains were
abandoned that night and Tueday on
the four roads entering Mankato.
The Omaha road has suffered severe
ly from the snow, which is drifted
badly along the line. The trouble
began Monday when the 400 p. M.
passenger from the west did not ar
rive until $50 p. m. Every train
since has been from two to six hours
late The first train to arrive Tuesday
was the ElmOre train, due at 100 a.
M, which came in at 1000 a. m. Like
every other passenger train on the
road, it had two engines attached to
it, and these locomotives looked as
though they had just come from the
Klondike. They were battered and
snow coated and half hidden with
icicles. The 400 a. m. train from
Omaha arrived at about noon, as did
also the 10:45 a. IN. train from the
Twin Cities. The afternoon trains
were delayed. 1t was hoped to have
everything in running order by
Wedne sday.
The Chicago & Northwestern road
did not attempt TO run freight trains,
but passenger trains were run On
their own schedules, making the best
time that they could. Time table
service, both freight and passenger, is
promised hereafter.
The Milwaukee had much difficulty
on it's main line. Trains from both
directionswere stuck at WellsTuesday
morning, but were moving along slow,
ly during the day. All freight trains
were aba ndoned. No effort was made
to run a train on the branch until
afternoon, and it is feared that it
will meet.with difficulty in getting
through.
The Minneapolis s. Louis road
abandoned. it's freight trains Tues
day, but is indeavoring to maintain
a passenger service. The afternoon
train was an hour and a half late.
The Milwaukee roads telegraph ser
vice east and west was demoralIzed.
Some of the other roads suffered
slightly, but the Western Union re.
ported no difficulty.