The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-09
Mexicans Find Snow Had ShOv-
ed It Off Track.
Drift Ia Feet Deep and 800
Feet Long.
lust MODERATE SOON
Western Settlers Face Famine
of Food and Fuel.
Cattle Dying in Worst Storm
in States History.

Larned, Kan. Jan. s.-The engine of
train No. 5S7, westbound on the I4arned-
Jetmore branch Of the Santa Fe. was
rescued near Hanston today by large
party of Mexicans. It was recently
buried almost out of sight in a drift in
an attempt to clear the track through
| to the beleagured city of Jetmore When
dug out 1t was found to be several
feet off the track with the fire out. the
boiler frozen up and nearly all the
pipes burst.
The drift in the cut at this point is
II feet deep. 300 feet long and capped
with a crust of ice several feet in
thickness. Rescuers have Just sue
ceeded in getting supplies to Jetmore
overland from Spearville, a distance of
about 30 miles.
The weather moderated somewhat at
this point today but for the last three
nights the government thermometers
have recorded temperatures of Is de-
grees or more below zero.
Food and Fuel Gone.
Dodge City, Kan, Jan. ct is feared
here that many people in the south
western counties remote from the rail-
roads will perish if the cold weather
continues much longer. Most of the
ported already to be out of fuel. They
have burned every available scrap of
wood and are unable to reach the
towns for supplies. Cowchips, which are
their only fuel
Only five persons have reached here
from that territory since the cold
weather began. Miss Nellie F. Lacy
and Miss Mary Martz were compelled
to come from Stanton county to the
Land office here to make proof on
their claims. They were forty miles
from a railroad, and it took them four
days to make the trip. They reported
that practically all of the homestead
erS there were out of fuel.
Roy d. Newly came in from Nor
ton county yesterday. He says most
of the people there are without coal or
other fuel He was five days in MAX
ing the trip.
Fuel, Food and Feed short.
Garden City, Kan, Jan. AT last
there is some danger to stock and of
food and fuel shortage in the south
west country from the continued storm
and cold.
E. ]. stafford of this place. just
back from Richfield, says it took him
four days to get from Richfield to
had been out of stock a week and coal
was nearly gone. However, a supply
wagon had got as far as Syracuse and
had turned back, so he was not espe-
cialIy alarmed. Richfield, county seat
of Morton county, the extreme south
west county of the state, has a popula-
ton of about rs.
Rumors of extreme restitution and
death come in here, but can not be
verified. The lowest temperature was
Saturday night, % degrees below zero,
the second coolest in the memory of
old timers. Local people, especially
the commissioners and the provident
association, are watchfuI for cases of
want or need. The railroads are tied
up.
Worst Storm in History.
Sharon Springs, Kan, Jan. g.
IL l. i
at Sharon Springs and on the western
border of the state. Fifteen inches of
snow is drifting badly, and the Union
Pacific is out of business. double
through the cuts last night, but got
stuck and all passenger trains are
held at Denver and Ellis. The district
most affected by this storm is between
Hugo, Colo, and Oakley, Kan, with
the heaviest snow on the state line.
Farmers are out of feed, and the loss
of stock is reported very heavy. The
tn ermOmeter has registered 20 de-
grees below for almost a week. Jack
rabbits are eating what alfalfa that
is stacked. and the county commission
ers in a meeting today placed a bounty
on their scalps- This is the worst
Of the state, not excepting the big
storm in 1886.
Thaw Must Come Soon.
Great Bend, Kan, Jan. 9.-Unless
there is a big thaw within two weeks
the stories of loss of cattle in western
Kansas will be greater than those told
as a result of the big blizzard of
1886, when thousands of cattle
were frozen to death because of lack
of shelter and feed. The danger at
present is not due to absence of shell
ter, but of seed.
Thomas Clayton of this city, who is
one of the big cattle dealers of west
ern Kansas, has a few hundred head
of grade cattle and some registered
cattle on his big ranch in Ness county
and reports while they have prepared
for bad weather there and have a
months supply of feed on hand that
many around them will not be able to
go two weeks longer with the roads
in the present condition. There is no
way of getting the feed to the railroad
stations or of hauling it to the farms
and ranches unless the snow melts.
Losses on Small Ranches.
d. H Meacham of this city and
Kinsley, who is acquainted with cat
tlemen all over the west, says that he
has heard of few reports yet of loss
of cattle, but that on the small farms
and those ranches some distance from
the railroad there is bound to be big
loss of cattle. He reports that Barney
O'Connor, cattleman southwest of
Iakin, has been wintering three thous-
and head and that week ago Satur-
day he heard from him to the effect
that he had lost fifty head as the re-
suit of the storm.
Charles johnson. another cattleman
living between Jetmore and CimarFon,
has been wintering a big bunch of
cattle, among them five loads of steers
which he has been fattening for mar
ket, and the report comes from his
place that he is out of feed. He has
been trying to get cars in which to
ship part of his stock to a farm near
Before, where he has feed, but has
been unable to get cars.
Cattlemen here who buy over the
49, 80. L 49, l. n