Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-05-27
FULL EFFECTS
OF THE STORM
Fergus County Stockmen Not Serious
ly Hit by the Terrible Storm
of Last Week.
LOSSES GREATLY EXAGGERATED
In Few Cases viii They Reach Over
Twenty Per cent-Storm More
Beneficial Than Harmful.

tne storm king opened up on fergus
county again Thursday and continued
operations in this section the remain
der of the week. With the exception
of Thursday night, very little snow
fell during the last half Of the storm,
but it rained almost necessarily and
the rain, which was very cold, was
made more disagreeable by the driv-
ing northwest wind.
Stockmen Jared very well, indeed,
during the storm of the first of the
week, but the cold rain during the lat
ter part of the week materially add
ed to the percentage of losses among
both cattle and sheep. But from re-
ports from outside points in the coun-
ty, Lewistown was the storm center
and to the south and east there was
much less snow, rain and wind.
]. ID. Waite, who was in Utica, said
that even in that place the storm was
not so severe as it was in Lewistown.
A careful estimate of his losses at
that place show them not to exceed
five per cent.
At the Waite & Elliott ranch at
Deerfield, the losses will not exceed
fifteen per cent, which is very small
when it is considered that they had
5000 lambs to look after.
p. G. Weydert, manager of the Nc
Donald Creek Sheep company, was
in the city Monday and stated that
his loss will be about fifteen per cent,
the greater number of the lambs dy-
ing during the last storm.
John Raw, who came in from the
N-Bar Thursday, says that Manager
Sweeney and his men will save 80
per cent. If the weather is at all fav-
orable from now on. They are done
lambing and up to the time of the
storm had had excellent luck.
Other large outfits heard from re-
port about the same state of affairs.
In the south and east, where the ef-
fects of the snow were not felt. bur
where it rained enough to start the
grass and fill the water holes, feel
ing of cheerfulness has replaced the
blue outlook of ten days ago.
Probably the heaviest sufferers from
the rain and snow will be the mer-
chants of Lewistown. Every firm in
town has freight piled up at Harlow
ton and it will now be some time be
fore any amount of 1t can be removed.
Some of the larger firms have as much
as six and seven car loads over there
and are unable to find freighters to
move it for them. Counting the loss
which will result from not having the
goods to sell, the demurrage which
they will have to pay and the posi-
BILE loss from inadequate warehouse
facilities in Harlowton, their total loss
will reach a large figure.
Outside of Fergus county the losses
will be much less than were given
out last week. The destruction in Te-
ton county, where the storm was the
worst and where sheepmen were the
most lily prepared for bad weather,
the loss will necessarily be consider
able, but an estimate based upon re-
liable reports place them at not over
25 per cent.
j. b. Long, whose foreman and two
herders abandoned two bands in the
brakes across the river from Rocky |
Point. succeeded in finding larger |
number of the sheep.
In Choteau county the number OF
lambs lost because of the storm Is not
any greater than the number that
would have been killed to save the |
ewes If the storm had not come. The
range in that county, in many places,
was so dry and short that cattle and |
sheep were perishing, while hay had
gone up to $40 per ton, and the sheep |
men of that county generally feel that |
they would have lost more money by |
the drouth, II 1t had continued for |
two weeks, than they have lost be-
cause of the storm.
The storm at such time, and with !
such warning, that nearly all sheep |
should have been in sheds or corrals, |
and while the snow drifted deep In |
some open corrals, there were enough |
men on hand to keep the sheep up, |
and very few were lost by piling. In
one respect, the storm came at fav- |
orable time; there were enough men |
on hand to handle the sheep, and, gen. |
orally speaking, If any bands were
caught away from shelter, In charge |
of a single herder, any loss that may |
have resulted was due to careless |
ness.
Reports of loss OF cattle have been |
more grossly exaggerated than those
concerning sheep. The only losses of
grown stock were caused by cattle !
drifting under a cut bank, where snow
covered them, or by stampeding into
a coulee. and such instances were
few. Most OF the dead cattle were
dogies. many of which had come
through the winter in such shape that |
they would have soon died. The loss |
of calves has not been so very great |
Probably all that were calyed within |
the last ten days are dead. II on the |
range; practically all calyed during |
the storm died, and many very young |
and weak calves were smothered by |
the deep snow in places, but hundreds |
of two-weeks-old calves may be seen |
on every range. Calves. unlike lambs.
do not come rapidly, and many cows
and calves are not on the range, and |
It Is probable that not two per cent. |
of the springs calves perished in the |
storm. while there will be food for |
cows and calves on much range that |