The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-12-11

For Three Days 1t whirled Snow from the
Bad lands 20 the Gulf.
From ne 50. LOuts Globe Democrat.

bnd Lnnuh 10 Inc Suhs
From he So. Louis Globe Democrat.
To appreciate the severity Of the storm that
ragged in Nebraska from Intervening of Nov.
20 to the morning Of Nov. % one must have
been In the position OF the stockmen OF the
State. exposed to all the fury OF the blizzard
on the open prairie. where the wind had an
uninterrupted sweep from the Bad Lands OF
South Dakota on the north to the Gulf OF Mex
leo on the south. and from the Rocky Mountain
range on the west to the timbered States OF
the Mississippi Valley on the east. For nearly
three days and nights the velocity Of the wind
was that Of a frst-olass tornado-eeventY-1ve
miles an hour-and during that whole period
the atmosphere was filled with lne particles
Of snow and ice carried with the force OF a
men. found It impossible to Withstand the ele-
ments; even with their nlsters and furs But
S Ssen II d thsy eonld J, haze SsS zone ed Snss IL m mould y hsgs
from their homes to the rescue Of the stock.
slnoe it would have been impossible to have
must inevitably have perished. During this
the sensible en- tempeFatGre was many degrees
colder. This was che condition responsible
for the heavy loss OF sheer. and cattle, on the
Commission men OF the Eastern markets
ascertain the extent Of the loss. but il was a
week before the ranchmen could agree as to the
loss sustained, and oven yet many OF them
the, cattle lunches wandered, 100 miles from
which losses were sustained in sheep is given
F eS SSn IS sit Bstsg' n g laf Hsh shsip but SEn a Few T hGne
Platte River, A bunch Of about 1000. sheep
After the storm had prevailed with great fury
for several hours this bunch began to smother
wall which served A. a windhreSk. The
herdcrs went among them for the purpose Of
saving the. weaker animals. when the whole
bunch made a rush Tor the open, carried away
a strong fence and rushed madly of across
the prairie. When the river. was reached the
many feet deep. and every a animal peiiisShed.
This was the worst disaster chronicled during
The storm 81 I n but , IT, t her ", Wer9 y m any t Instances t1s
over preoipices. Even those herds which
hind sandhiils were little Better Of. S as they hey
S Sn3t ID 4. together 81 s closely as bi to sm9'tah sr
rescued that had been smut up in small draws
by large drifts. many, of them persisted.
While the snowfall OF the three days in the
the furious wind kept the mass constantly
In the atmosphere. moving, with great force.
clouds the whole three days M nights OF the
storm. Frequently rushing herds Of cattle
and sheen would. strike these great drifts out
on the open prairie and 60 half way through
only to then stick there and perish OF colo and
hunger. This. was especially true Of sheep,
cases TO go through the largest drifts or kick
their, way out after a time; The manner in
prairie in this storm was a surprise to the old:
est pioneers in the State. None OF them had
ever seen, anything like it before. .Obstrpc-
tions no larger than a sandhill q foot fieh
would start . drift. which would assume the
proportions OF a gigantic. mountain within an
hour, only to melt away the next hour.