The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-10-19
SEVERITY or THE STORM
At Least Four Herders Have
Perished on the Plains,
SHEEP AND CATTLE LOSS
Fears Are Entertained for the Safety Of
Camping Parties Four Feet OF
Snow and Intense Cold in
Northern Montana.

Great rails, Oct. 1S.-Without much
doubt the recent storm has caused
much loss of life in Teton county and
the loss of many sheep and cattle.
AS the list now stands four men are
dead. The Homer Sheep company loses
VIII Graham, herder. His body has
been recovered, though it took the res
cue party with four horses four days to
cover distance of IL miles, bringing
In the body frozen stiff on a tobog-
gan. W.k. Flowerree loses two herders,
Norman Bruce and another man, whose
name has not been learned. ]. C. Quig-
ley has no doubt lost two herders, as
the sheep have been found, while the
herders are still missing. A searching
party Is out after these men, McIn-
tosh and Conley. Wallace Taylor has
man missing Of the name of Ladd. and
1t is probable that he is dead Two
camping and hunting parties are in the
mountains and nothing has been heard
from them. They have tents and an
unlimited supply of food, and may
pull through all right. They are W.
F. Ralston and his four sons, camping
In Birch creek canyon; w. NJ. Co.
burn and Charles Mcdonnell with their
wives, camping in the Upper Sun river
canyon. The presence of ladies in the
latter party makes their situation Sc
we're and the outcome is doubtful.
B. Percy Clark. who arrived in town
last night from Bynum, states that the
snow between that place and Choteau
is more than two feet deep. Two mail
carriers were starting from the latter
place with the sacks on three pack
horses. At Dupuyer the snow is four
feet on level, and the drifts are enor-
nous. Four men started for Dupuyer
this week from the upper end Of Du-
puyer canyon, where the sawmill is
located. They had to abandon their
horses few miles from Dupuyer and
finish the trip on foot. Two had their
feet badly frozen. Mr.. Clark stopped
at the Otis Whaley ranch on the Bur-
ton bench and found them out of flour,
though man had been started for
town to get provisions. The same con-
ditions prevailed at Burton, even the
store having run short of grub. Pro-
visions We're plentiful in Choteau, but
there was famine in fuel, the people
being obliged to borrow of one an
other, and this on very scanty sup
ply.
Mr.. Clark also saw five head of cattle
frozen stiff by the roadside and he be-
lieves that there must have been
heavy loss further in, where the cattle
are more accustomed to range. On
reached here to-day, printed the fol-
lowing account Of the storm, and later
reports make 1t far worse:
The weather up to Tuesday morn
ing had been exceptionally fine and
everybody was in fine spirits over the
prospects Tuesday at daylight the
sky was overcast with dull, misty
ftful gusts. This was kept up all day
with intervals of sunshine. the snow
melting as fast as it fell. In the even
ing the clouds thickened, the wind in
creased from the north northwest and
the snow came steadily down in great
quantities, SO that by s o'clock the
ground was we'll covered, and numer-
steadily up during Tuesday night,
Wednesday night, Thursday and until
2 o'clock Friday morning, when the
wind, which had blown steadily from
the north-northwest. fell and soon the
snow ceased falling. and by daylight
the clouds began to dispense, and when
the sun came up it showed through
sky is practically clear of clouds,
though here and there along the noun
tains there are remnants of the fleecy
storm clouds.
"As result of three days storm be-
tween two and three feet of snow lies
upon the ground, ana Wherever there
is a depression or obstruction it is pill
ed deep and high, the amount depend
ing only upon the capacity of the hol-
low or bump to retain it.
The losses in sheep must be con-
siderable. though none are known at |
this writing. Flowerree telephoned on |
that he had $500 sheep scat
tered and one herder nearly persisted.
w. J. Sweeney had 1900 scattered and
F. D. Cooper's band of 1900, in the
bottom above town, is also broken up
and scattered, but the losses, If any, are
not known. Otis Whaley, on Spring
coulee, suffered no loss, neither did !
George I. Smith, nor C. w. Gray. west
Of Choteau. Further than these we
IAN hear nothing.
This has been unquestionably the
deepest snow ever known to fall in
his section. and fears are entertain
I'd for the lives of these persons who
nay have been caught out in it. Mr..
md Mrs. w. d. Coburn and Mr.. and
Mrs. C. S. Mcdonald are at the Hot
Springs in the North Fork canyon on
| hunting trip. but no fears are felt
'or them, as they were we'll provided
With camp equipage and provisions.
rhe thermometer registered nine de-
rreeS below zero tO-night