The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-24
CATTLE LOSS HEAVY
RECENT BLIZZARD WROUGHT
HAVOC IN NORTH DAKOTA
AND MONTANA
FROZEN STIFF ON A TRAIN
James TrainOr, of Grand Forks, and
TyTenty-EiGht Horses Perish Be
fore Assistance Arrives
Ranchmen Hard Hit

James r. Hankinson, a Boston wool
buyer, passed through ST. Paul yesterday
on mis- way from Montana to his home
He was az MinOt, n. D., during the re
cent blizzard which delayed all the east
bound trains for $50 hours, and reports
that the loss of live stock and sheep in
the district between Minot and Glasgow,
Mont, has been greater than any year
since 1886. From sheep and cattiemen
who reside between Bismarck, N. D., ana
Wibaux, Mont, he has learned that that
section of the country likewise suffered
heavy losses.
As far as known, when he left the bliz-
zard-sW ept country, the loss OF life had
been comparatively small, when the Sc
verify Of the storm is taken into consid-
Grafton and the number of people VINO
were exposed to its violence. He says
that great part of the loss of sheep was
occasioned by the falling of the shelter
sheds which were not built sufficiently
strong to withstand the large quantity of
snow that was driven on top Of them.
When seen by T e G 0 b yesterday
Mr.. Hankinson said: The only fatality
that | heard Of was of horseman, James
Trainor. of Grand Forks, who was frozen
to death near the Canadian line Trainor
had three carloads of horses on the train
when it ran into drift about thirty feet
high. The train came to a standstiil
Some of the crew made their way on foot
back to a siding telegraph office and two
engines came out to the rescue. All the
trainmen left with the rescung engines,
which took one carload of horses, the in
tention being to return and get Trainor
and the rest of the stock.
THE blizzard got worse, however ana:
when the rescuing crew tried to get back
to the train they found it beyond all hui
man possibility. Trainor stuck by his
horses in the car, expecting every minute
to be pulled out of the bank When thew
did get to him they found that he and the
twenty-eight head of horses had frozen
as stiff as bricks.
Died ON Their Feet.
81 talked with a man who had seen INN
when the train was brought back and he
said that it was as weird and uncanny a
sight as he had ever heard tell of The
horses all died on their feet, and being
packed 50 closely together did not fail,
but stood in line as if alive. TrainOr hSd
tried every device known to keep himself
warm and was covered with blankets and
clothing when discovered
AT the time of the storm there was q
general fear that the large number OIL
immigrants that have lately arrived III
the MinOt country would perish, as for the
most part they had nothing more secure
IMAM ISuISJ DeHeNlnS, as ulQ almost every
person, that the winter was entirely over
Communication with the outlying dis
tricts was just beginning to be opened
when l left, and | would not be surprise d
if there were more fatalities than is now
supposed.
THE sheepmen suffered the greatest
loss, as far as l can learn, and not a few
of the cattlemen of that section Of the
country will lose their profits for some
Montana line, and even across the line,
there are reports of entire herds, number
ing 1850 head, which were totally wiped
out of existence, with the exception of a
few struggling lots. the salvation o.
which will be no saving. In a great many
cases the loss was entirely due to the
frailty of the shelter sheds. On the Level
country any obstruction whatever is sure
to bank up a drift of snow that in tn.
course of d few hours will exert an enor-
nous pressure Many of the sheds erect
ed by the sheepmen were unable to with
stand the strain and collapsed on the
sheep that had taken refuge under them
either crushing them to death or smother
ing them.
I'D. B. Zimmerman, of Battle Butte,
had a herd of 800 overtaken and OF
these fully one-half persisted. The fore
man tried to get them into the hills when
broke into the shelter sheds A Montana
sheep owner named Moss had shipped A
large herd from Billings to Wibaux a few
days before the blizzard, and, believing
the winter was over no precaution was
taken. The result was that the entire
band died, and it is supposed that a Couple
Of herders persisted along with them.
William Walmsey, whose ranch is about
twelve miles from New England, had a
flock of 1900 that was completely wiped
out. The herder attempted to bring the
lambs to the corral but owing to the
driving SHOW he missed the gate by about
100 feet, and only 800 lambs out of O00
were saved The Paul Brown ranch. in
the same locality, managed to save abol,f
800 head out of 2.400
The cattle losses were not so heavy
and resulted principally from the cattle
being driven into the open water by we
wind. There We're several losses Of LOG
| head Of horses from the cattle country u
Dakota, and am rather inclined to think
that in Montana the cattlemen lost their
stock in greater numbers"