The Norfolk weekly news-journal., 1904-01-15
THE FAMOUS BLIZZARD.
Storm of Sixteen Years Ago
Reviewed.
ANNIVERSARY OF THE DAY.
How the Wind Swooped Down from
the North and Froze Men, Women
and Children as Told by The News
Of the tAth-Stock Frozen.
tFrom Tuesdays Daily1

TFrom Tuesdays Dallyl
Sixteen years ago today there oc-
CURED the worst blizzard ever known
In this section of Nebraska. The fore
noon and up until about o'clock, was
a day of surprising loveiness, even
for Nebraska. The sun shone bright
and warm, the snow was melting, and
the water from the melted particles
was streaming from the caves and
rushing down the hillsidcs People
were out enjoying the day to its ut
most, and were minus overcoats and
wraps, as the day was more like spring
than January, and it was this that
caught them by the storm unawares,
The storm was first noticed as
fog bank lying to the northwest, and
it came with awful suddcnness. The
fOglikc appearance proved to be mi
by terrific windstorm of increasing
violence. and when it struck it blottcd
sun, sky and landscape from sight as
completely as though the people had
suddenly gone blind. People who at
tempted to pass up or down the streets
were blown out of their way at every
crossroad and were compelled, fre-
QuCntly to face the wind on hands and
knees to make any headway. Breath
ing was very difficult. The fine snow
was whipped by the blast into the
mouths and nostrils of people and an
imals, and froze there If they were out
for any length of time. Eyes were
stung by the icy particles and finally
were covered by icy blinds, adding to
the difficulty of people and stock.
Many lives were lost and much stock
and property was destroyed. Acts of
heroism were numerous, and more
events were crowded into the short
afternoon and evening than during any
storm ever recorded before or since.
Following is the story of the dis
aster as taken from the files of The
News, January 13, 1883.
The early part of Thursday was
quite pleasant, the mercury lowering
about the neighborhood of 80 degrees.
Considerable snow had fallen the pre-
vious night but the air was pleasant
enough to invite people to throw aside
heavy wraps and mutllers. About 2
o'clock. however, the wind, which had
been blowing from the south, sudden
ly shifted to the north, and almost
without a moments warning terrific
blizzard was bowling about our ears.
The storm ragged with unabated fury
for over twelve hours, during most of
which time the snow was flying so
thick that it was impossible to see
across the street. The mercury fell
rapidly and before morning registered
as low as 26 degrees below zero.
The wind blew with terrible force,
piling the snow into huge drifts and
making it extremely difficult and dan
gerous to get about Railroad men
| found it impossible to move trains,
and the storm had not lasted long
when orders were sent out to abandon
all trains on the lines centering here
until the storm was over.
when the storm came up but the teach
er would not allow any of the smaller
pupils to leave the building unless
accompanied by some person anle
to take care of them. Two or three
little chaps gave them the slip, how
ever, and came very near losing their
! lives for their imprudence. A number
of citizens and some of the larger boys
did heroic work in assisting the small
er scholars to their homes and man
aged to get the majority of them home.
A few remained at the Grant school
building, and some of the scholars of
the Pacific school were quartered in
the hotel for the night, The scholars
of the parish schools of st. Paul's Lu-
theran church were kept in the school
building all night, the teachers remain
ing to keep up warm fires and Mrs.
Rev, Pankow furnishing them with an
abundant supply of provisions, so that
they Jared very comfortably.
Tuesdays west bound passenger
train on the Elkhorn road was the only
train that arrived here yesterday 1t
had put in the night at Pilger and
got through to Norfolk about o'clock
yesterday afternoon. 1t started on
west, but what progress was made
had not been learned. Superintendent
Halsey who was on the train, said
they We're going as far west as they
could and if they could not get through
would turn around and come back.
Inquiry at the railroad offices re-
vealed the fact that all roads were
badly blockaded and no gerat effort
being made to move trains. Engineer
Reed of the st. Paul freight was sent
down the Omaha line bucking snow,
and Dan Murphy was trying to pound
his way from Sioux City here but was
not expected to arrive until this morn.
ing or today The engine of the L. p.
freight is in the round house disabled
so that the train will not so out until
another engine comes up. Outside of
Thursdays 5 west-bound passenger train
the Elkhorn road attempted to move
! M trains until e o'clock last aVanin ~