Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-04-03
IN TIE SNOW F|V[ DAYS
Passengers Tell OF Terrible Ex-
perience On Snowbound
Train in North Dakota.
Scarcity Of Food Almost Caused
a Riot-.Cold Was
Intense.
College Professor Becomes De-
! spondent and Cuts Throat
With Razor.

st. Paul, April 3.-Passengers arriv-
| ing Wednesday on Great Northern
train due last Friday tell of being
snowbound for four days and five
nights on 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
day and with such small amount OF
fuel that the women had to wrap them
selves in blankets and the men to wear
their ovei coats day and night to keep
from freezing. The train was COM
pletely lost to the world.
Late Thursday afternoon it picked Its
precarious way out of Williston in the
hope of being able to reach Minot, some
fourteen miles to the east, before right.
Almost midway, at little stopping
place called Ray, where there is only a
siding, water tank and coal shed,
the train was stalled. The engineer
thought that he could run the engine
back to Williston and secure aid, and
taking the conductor with him, started
on the trip. The lone engine was stuck
in drift short distance out of town
and had to be abandoned. This left
the train of eight coaches and about ESQ
passengers alone on the siding and
with all communication cut off. Then
started the long. siege, during which
the cold had to be borne and hunger
stitied. There was much suffering.
There was an inoipient riot on the
first 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 ravenous appetites, 1t was diff
cult to conffne them to their quota.
Many were not willing, as the first class
passengers insisted, that the women
and children should be fed and taken
care of first, but after some argument
they were prevailed upon to subside.
Monday evening Professor Colegrove
Of the University of Washington, who
was en- route east on a vacation trip,
and who had been Respondent and
morose, attempted suicide by cutting
his throat with razor. There was
physician on the train, but he had no
facilities for performing the necessary
operation and it was absolutely neces-
sary to get into communication with
one of the neighboring towns In their
desperation the passengers broke open
everything in the trains chests and In
the conductors box found telegraph
instrument. A young man. an cleo
trician on the train, faced the blizzard
and tapped one of the wires and at
tached the instrument. He knew a
little about telegraphing and notified
the operators at both Minot and VIII
liston of what had occurred.
From each place a snow plow was
started in front of an engine bearing a
surgeon. The one from Mniot, after
hard nights work reached the siding
early the following morning, and the
wounded man was removed on the first
train to ST. Paul, where he was cared
for at the city hospital
The almost famished passengers
who had suffered from cold and ex-
posture, were given food and warm
herths in the first train that pushed
thru the drifts. The rotary plow made
one trip thru the drift between Ray
and Minot, but the snow piled in SO
rapidly that it was necessary for the
rotary to pass thru again and then
precede the passenger train thru the
cut. M
Professor iColegrove was brought to
st. Paul early yesterday. The Jug
ular vein is partially severed and it If
not believed hercan recoyeri He has
been i'll, from too close application to
work and had decided to spend a
month with friends and relatives at
Hamilton, N. T..