The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-02-11
A STORM OF SEVERITY
Wind and Snow stopped Railroad
Trains, Closed the Schools and
Then Some.
From Tuesdays Daily.

Not in a good many years has the
storm king struck this section with
such an overwhelming storm as start
ed Monday afternoon about 4
o'clock. There was a slight evidence
of snow early Monday morning and
the elements tried to turn loose dur
ing the day, but the day was we'll
spent before the storm broke loose
in all it's intensity.
BY 3 o'clock it had secured a good
foothold and an hour later it seemed
located for an all night session. The
wind howled and beat ON the houses
with fury; the snow came in clouds
and was swirled hither and thither
by wind and when this morning
dawned there was not the slightest
evidence OF cessation on the part of
the wind n snow. 1T was difficult
to tell whether it was really showing
or the snow was being shifted from
one mound to another. In either
event it was decidedly bad, and one
felt very reluctant about starting off
down town to business and work.
The pedestrian had a hard time of
it making his way through the drifts.
The snow was blowing with such
binding fury hat one could not see
his way until he went into a drift
and had to dig himself out, perhaps
to plunge unconsciously into another,
I or1 IN tho r,norfir,o fbo y,i~J r,oc
cutting with unpleasant f%ierceness in
his face. The thermometer indicated
that the mercury had gone to 10 de-
grees below zero, and that added to
the stormy elements did not add
anything easy to locomotion.
The storm played sad havoc with
the railroads. The five or six freight
and passenger trains which leave
here early in the morning over the
Milwaukee road we're abandoned
about the first thing. 1t was nearly
impossible to get an engine out of
the roundhouse OF account Of the
snow which drifted during the night.
The yards are pretty we'll filled up
and v e the switch engines were
not used to any extent. The Aberdeen
passenger, due here at 1855, was
abandoned by the officials in that
city, for the storm is practically as
bad up in that portion of the state.
Chief Dispatcher Anderson at this
point after receiving information
from Chamberlain as to the severity
of the storm decided to abandon the
passenger train coming in from the
west. Several efforts were made at
Chamberlain to get the engine out
of the roundhouse but the snow was
too much for the men with the SHOW
els, for it blowed in as fast as it
could be shoveled out. The storm
was in progress long enough to fill
up the cuts along the line of railroad
and with storm still on 1t would be
impossible for an engine to get
through them.
Over or the Omaha system the
wheels of traffic are lying just as
quiet as on the Milwaukee. The
freight and passenger that leave here
early in the morning were both tied
up and the information from the
depot is to the effect that there will
be nothing doing on that lin. today.
The reports that were received from
the east were to the effect that the
storm between here and Worthington
was just as bad as here, and that
there is not a wheel turning any
place.
There was nothing doing in the
city schools. AS early as possible
Superintendent Hof caught the jan
itors at the various school houses by
phone and informed them that school
would be suspended for the day, and
for them to send the children home
who ventured to go to the building.
Not over a dozen children made the
attempt to get to the school build
ings. II after warming up a bit they
made the trip home.
The local telephone system was not
laid out to any great extent as a re-
suit of the storm and very good con-
nections, under the circumstances,
were secured during the day. Tele-
phone connections with outside towns
was not good M Huron and Sioux
Falls were about the only places
where services could be rendered.
The Western Union lines were in
operation without much trouble.
Manager McGrath said they had no
direct line to Minneapolis, and have
not had since the storm OF ten days
ago, all messages for the win cities
having been Sent aroun by the way
of Chicago.
The delivery of mail around the
city was suspended for the entire day
except for a morning delivery made
by Carrier Purdy to the business dis