Year: 1873

FROM Thomas Keys, Esq, and Mr.. John
Evans, of the firm of Evans & Durnall, we
gather the following particulars of the
damage done on the line of the Union Pa
cific by the late storm. In company with
G.. D. Clark, purchasing agent of the
Union Pacific, and Z. j. Staley, they lef7
here last Sunday for Gibbon to organize
an Odd Fellows lodge.


| Mr.. Evans represented the severity o.
the storm as being almost equal to thai
experienced here in. 1856. At Gibbon
where they remained until the blockade
was open, it ragged with almost indescriba
| BILE fury-the drifting snow in places heap
| ing up to the proportion of mountains
while the wind swept over the plains at d
| velocity of about seventy miles an hour
carrying with it everything of a nova
BILE nature. Realizing the danger they
would incur by wandering ten steps
from the house where they were
| stopping they concluded to Sc
cure the doors, stop up the
cracks, and have good time in general
until such time as they could safely re-
turn to Omaha. Enclosed by four dingy
walls, in a room seven by nine feet, TWEEN
| ty-five men remained from Sunday night
| till Wednesday noon, not daring to open
the door. But while they felt themselves
| secure from the violent storm raging with
out there were other persons in the vicin-
| ity of Gibbon suffering the agoniZing tor
lures of death by the slow process of
freezing and suffocation.


A man and his wife, living few miles
from Gibbon, could not be found after the
storm abated, and it was believed, at the
time our informants left, that they remain
ed buried beneath the ruins of the house,
which had blown down during the storm,
and on which was heaped an immense
snow-drift. Every effort was being; made
to recover the bodies.


Three horses, owned by resident of
Gibbon, perished from suffocation.
Another man had fifteen head of fat cattle
in a corral, out of which they succeeded in
making their way, wandered off to the
river and were all drowned. Five more
in another corral met the same fate. A
herd of cattle, valued at $4,000, stampeded,
and it is supposed all perished, as none of
them had been found alive up to Wednes-
day evening.


At Wood River no lives are known to
be lost, but the loss in stock is very great.
The farmers were organizing themselves
into companies for the purpose of scout
ing the country to ascertain the extent of
damage done, and to render such assist
ance as may be necessary to those who
survive and may require it. The river was
completely bridged with snow, ranging in
depth from fifteen to eighteen feet, and
was packed in between the banks so hard
that loaded wagon could pass over it
with perfect safety
One man picked up several prairie
chickens that were alive, but so benumbed
they could not fly.


At Lone Tree, boy who stepped out
side the hotel to get some fuel was unable
| to retrace his steps, wandered short dis
tance from the house, and perished. While
search was being made for him, the body
of trapper was found. 1t is thought
more lives were lost than those already
reported, as nothing can be heard of the
immigrants that were camped along the
line of the road before the storm COM
menced.


Two men are known to have perished
near Grand Island, and great deal of
stock is also reported lost.


Some of the hogs taken out Of the freight
train at Lone Tree, which was unable to
side-track, were found to be entirely desti-
tute of hair, and had the appearance of
having Just been dragged from a vat of
scalding water. This was caused proba-
blv bv the heat becoming SO intense in
their endeavor to keep on top of the snow.
But very little stock was removed from
this train alive.


1t will be some days yet before the full
extent of the damage done is known
omaha Herald, april 10.


ST. JOSEPH, Mo-, April d.


Much anxiety has been felt here for the
welfare of the citizens of the border 200
miles west of here during the late storm
We have had no communication with
them until to-day, when we learn of their
terrible suffering and loss of life, unparal-
leled in the annals of our history. For
three days the people did not dare to leave
their houses, and they became terrified at
having to stay in them, as many were
blown down. Saturday night, before the
storm, the house of a man named Grain,
near Belleville, was burned down, and the
family went to the house of Mr.. Burnett,
a neighbor, for shelter On Sunday night
Burnett's house was blown down by the
storm, and Mrs. Grain and two children
and Mrs Burnett and four children per-
ished. Mr.. Burnett survived, and escaped
to shelter with one of Mrs. Grains chill
dren. Mr.. Grain was in Atchison, and
did not know of the fearful catastrophe
until yesterday. The Office of the Sentinel,
at Cawker, was blown down. -Four per-
sons were brought into that place and
many others are supposed to have died
from exposure in that region. At Belle
vile mill and daguerrean gallery were
Brother, large building forty by sixty
faot c+orioC hi ioI haH1u rio ra6
At New Scandinavia the roof of stone
stable was blown into mail coach, which
was crushed, as also one of the stone walls
of the stable A large Touring mill was
carried bodily two or three feet from its
foundation. The engine house was COM
pletely blown away. The ferry-boat across
the Republican River was sunk. Three
dead bodies were brought into the place
Wednesday. Mr.. Morgan says that for
two days one could not reach the
hitching post in front of the hotel
where he was stopping, the snow was
SO thick, and that men who lived in
the town and happened to be at the hotel
when the storm came up could not get
home, although several attempts were
made. The town is supplied with water
from cistern in the public square, and
whenever lull occurred in the storm men
could be seen approaching it from all di-
rections to procure water, but could not
get back to their houses with any guam
| tity. Water was obtained by melting snow.
Stock was not fed or watered for three
days, and in some instances, where snow
had drifted against the stables, the stock
had not been reached up to Thursday
| The loss of stock which was not sheltered,
it is estimated, will reach one-half of all in
that section. Those who have lived in that
country for years say they never saw any