The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-04-16
STALLED IN 4 BLIZZARD
Passengers Snowbound On a Train
For Five Days.
tUffERED HUNGER AND COLD

Riot Broke Out In the Struggle FOR ROOD
and . Professor Tried suicids-cold
Iussnss and Coal supply short-Hov
Aid Finally Reached ths Imprisened
rraveisrs-An xisetrieisn's Hsroism.
} St. Paul, MInn.-Passengers arriving
ibn Great Northern train tell Of being
snowbound for four days and I'VE
nights on the praIries Of North Dakota
In the midst Of the worst blizzard the
Northwest has seen In many years.
with only food enough for two frugal
meals.a day. and with such an amount
Of fuel that the women had to wrap
themselves In BLANKETS and the men to
wear their overcoats day and night
to keep from Pressing.
The train was completely lost to the
world. On Thursday afternoon It
picke,l Ito way out Of WflIston In
the hope Of belngsable to reach Minot.
some fourteen miles to the east. be-
fore night. Almost midway. at little
stopping place called Ray. where there
are only siding. q water tank and o
coal shed, the train was stalled.
The engineer thought be could run
the engine back to Williston and get
aid, and, taking the conductor with
him, started on the trip. The lone
engine was stuck In q drift In cut
a short distance ont Of town and had
10 be abandoned This left the train
of eight coaches and about 25O passen.
gers alone on the siding. with all COM
munlcation cut OF. Then began the
hong Siege, during which the cold had
to be borne and hunger stifed.
There was an incipient riot on the
flrst day. The second-class passengers
insisted that they must have as much
or more food than the others. and as
they were In larger numbers and had
more savenous appetities, 1t was din.
cult to conhne them to their quota.
Many were not willing. a. the first.
class passengers insisted. that the
women and children should be fed and
taken care Of first. but after some ar.
gument they were prevailed upon to
Subsfde.
Monday evening Professor Colegrove.
Of the University Of Washington. who
had been despondent and morose. at.
tempted suicide by cutting bis throat
with Q rasos. There was q physician
On the train, but he had no facilities
for performing the necessary operation.
and Il was absolutly necessary TO get
into communication with one Of the
neighb9ring towns.
broke open everything In the trains
chest, and In the conductors box found
q telegraph instrument. A young man,
!an electrician, faced the blizzard and
tapped one Of the wires and attnched
the instrument. He notified the opera.
tors at both Minot and Williston OF
what had occurred.
From each place q snow plow was
started in front Of an engine bearing
q surgeon. The one from Minot. after
q hard nights work. reached the siding
wounded man was removed on the drst
train to q. Paul. where he .was cared
for at the City Hospital The almost
famished passengers who had suffered
from the cold aud exposure were sup
piled with eDod md warm berths In the
nrst train pushed through the drifts.
The rotary plow made one trip through
the drift between Ray and Minot. but
the snow Piled In 50 rapidly that It was
necessary for the rotary to pass
through again and then precede the
passenger train through the cut.