The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1913-02-28
Small Boy Sank Out
Sight in a Deep Drift
From SATURDAYS Daiiv,

From Saturdays Daily.
While the battle ragged in the tor.
rid zone of the Mankato Theatre,
while merry couples danced on the
smooth floors of the ElkS hall. while
fathers and mothers and children
sat around comfortable firesides Of
ferings thanks that their winters
supply of coal still lasted, while
happy pairs of young people cud-
died in big settees and divans In
warm parlors with the lights turned
low: fur coated patrolmen paced the
streets ever watchful. half drunken
men lurched homeward in the teeth
of the gale, street cars ploughed heav-
lily through the snow, and wet, hall
frozen brakemen and switchmen
waded the snow in the yards. know
ing not what second they might
stumble over some snow hidden oh.
ject and fall beneath the wheels Of
q numbering locomotive which was
hidden from their sight by the blind.
ing. swirling snow storm.
Such night as last night has not
had an equal this winter. By seven
O'Clock there was six inches of snow
on the ground and walking became
something more than an effort. At
1870 the big sweeper had TO be run
over the car tracks in order to get
the cars through. About nine o'clock
q hill line car was stalled on the
turn at Fifth and Main streets and
the sweeper was able and that was all
to push it round the turn. The
Front street cars experienced some
difficulty but none Of them were
stopped The sweeper was kept on
the tracks steadily from 7:45 until
1890. At this time the storm had
abated somewhat and the sweeper
lay idle until about two o'clock. Then
it had to be gotten out again and
was kept working until about five
o'clock.
Before the sidewalks were cleaned
off this morning they We're almost
impossible. Early risers took the
car tracks and motormen had to
watch very closely through the swirl
ing fakes to keep from running them
down.
: Rescued Boy From Drift.
This morning three little boys were
having the time of their lives jump
ing off the grade into a snow drift
on the corner of willard and Front
streets. A Front street car stood on
the corner waiting for the hill line
coach, and Conductor Emil Thyse
was watching the sportiye young
sters. They would jump off into the
.,,1, ,lo y nj
then come laundering out. One OF
the lads took a run for it and jump.
ed too far. He went down. over his
head, out OF sight. AS Conductor
! Thyse leaped from the car smother
ed cries for help came from unde,
the drift. After much wallowing
and struggling in six or seven feet
OF freshly fallen snow the conductO-
was able TO rescue the boy, When
he was finally brought to light again
his face was beginning to blaeken
for want of air and the boy was SO
faint he could hardly stand lad
not the conductor seen him just in
time the boy would certainly have
smothered in the snow. Needless ia
say. the youngsters went home With
out any more snowy high dives
No Accidents Occurred.
/; Fortunately no accidents occurred
in the Mankato railroad yards last
night. Until late in the. evening il
was almost impossible TO see ahead
of one looking north. Every hardy
brakeman or swItchman who plodded
faithfully through the beautiful snow
over concealed ties and rails walked
with his life in his hands. He knew
not what minute he would step
through the snow and catch his foot
in frog and stand there helpless un.
til run down by passing engine. He
might shout for help, but it would
be miracle ii he were heard more
than a few feet away.
None of the trains coming into
Mankato have so far been delayed
appreciably by the fall OF snow. No
5, on the Omaha, due here at 90
a. m. was fifteen minutes late this
morning. No. Al. on the Milwaukee
due here at 1910, was reported an
hour and twenty minutes late but
this was on account of a delay in
the main line at Wells. Freights
nave Deel coming III IN ABOUT the
usual degree of regularity and nc
disasters or even derailment have
been reported.
And it still SHOWS. 1t was esti.
mated that there was ten inches OF
snow on the ground this morning
almost twice as much as has fallen
at any time this winter.
The Temperature Wavered.
During the fall Of snow the tenn.
perature has wavered from just be
low freezing to just above The
snow was wet and melting most of
the time and there are a good many
people walking the streets of Man.
kato today with wet feet. The wind
last night, while moderately strong,
did not cause the snow to drift much.
The lowering temperature this morn
ing and this afternoon has made the
snow little drier and it is now
drifting some. The street sweeper
will probably have to be used again
this afternoon to remove the drifts
which have formed on the tracks
in some places. Because today Is a
4 ~.