The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1905-03-22
A WINTERS TALE.
Some "reminiscences Of the Time That
Tried Mems Souls.

1880, and OF the following WlnIcI.
All who were then residents of these
prairies can tell story OF some
sort, as the experiences were OF a
kind not to be forgotten.
The day before was mild, with
blowing, threshing and other fall
work going on in the usual way,
followed by thunder storm during
the night, and the 10Th opened with
a moderate rain that changed to-
snow little later, driven by a high
wind and we began to realize that
something out of the ordinary was
doing. The wind aud snow fall
increased as the day drew on until
both the heavens and the cal th
seemed to be given over to the
storm fend. The atmosphere was
mass of swirling, seething snow
which, with the roaring of the wind
shut out both sight and hearing.
One might as we'll stop one ears to
the roar of Niagara as to this tenn
pest. The storm kept up for three
days, though somewhat moderated
the third day. The season was late
and farm work a good deal behind,
nearly one-half of the grain being
still in the stack and all corn and
most of the potatoes in the field.
The cold was not intense and those
who were in doors had very little
discomfort. Live stock that was on
the prairie was driven before the
wind. and considerable loss to the
farmers came in this way. When
the wind went down and we could
again look around we found snow
fields in every place favorable for
drift. Threshing machines near
stacks in the fields were good snow
breaks, and it required good bit
of digging to get them free. Many
of the grain stacks had been scat
tered over the fields and those
standing were covered with snow
and ice. The snow was cleared off
the stacks and threshing resumed
as soon as possible, but so much
snow and ice had been driven into
the stacks that the farmers sus-
tanned heavy losses, especially in
what had to stand ont until spring.
My second experience of the biz
zard bound winter of so and 81
was on trip from St. Paul, about
the goth of December. On arriving
at Kasota at night we learned that
the road was blocked beyond ST.
Peter, and that we must wait until
morning, when we could go on with
the work train. Supt. Sanborn was
there and gave out that he would
leave at the next morning with q
locomotive and caboose and a crew
of shovelers, and that passengers
who chose to go along would no
doubt be in New Ulm to dinner.
We left on time and got along fairly
well until about three miles this
side of St. Peter, where we had to
wait for the shovelers to open the
way-a wait that was again and
again repeated, until before noon
we we're fast in a huge snow drift.
San born then sent his men ahead
and opened the road for same dis
lance and then tackled the drift we
were in to find, when released, that
the work they had done ahead was
all filled in again. The work was
kept up until towards night, when
Sanborn and the work crew gave
up the struggle and left for st.
Peter, leaving the two passengers
and the train crew to the tender
mercies of the elements. The crew
must remain and the passengers
thought staying by the ship better
than the chance of getting to town
The next morning the wind Still
kept its place and mercury % be
low. At night we Clipped in what
ever we had to eat for supper II
common, my share. being two cans
! of oysters, but. there was nothing
left for breakfast. and we began
Hooking with longing toward a farm
house about a quarter of a lnil
away, which we could see when tn
wind lulled little, and soon al
who could leave the engine made
start over the hardest quarter OF
mile I ever attempted. At first
few steps on the crust of the snoV
and then Slnmn in and crawl on