Daily Kennebec Journal

Daily Kennebec Journal.

THE GREAT SNOW STORM IN MINNESOTA.

The St. Paul (Minn.) Press of the 10th inst., contains particulars of the great snow storm in South-western Minnesota on the line of the Winona and St. Peter railroad. The storm, it appears, commenced on the previous Tuesday, and so suddenly that no one saw its coming or anticipated its fury. But let the Press tell the story:

Major J. H. Donaldson of St. Paul, Vice President of the St. Paul and Dubuque railroad, with Dr. L. P. Fluke of Farmington, started from St. Paul for a trip to Lake Kampaska, D. T., over the line of the Winona and St. Peter railroad last Tuesday morning. There were no indications of a disturbance of the elements then. But after passing New Ulm, snow began to fall. and when the train arrived at Big Cottonwood, 40 miles west of New Ulm, the air was filled with the flakes, which fell and were whirled across the big almost treeless prairie, that it could go no further. Other trains reached the same spot in the same condition. and before long three westward and two eastward bound trains were snowed in. It was midnight on the prairie. These were all construction trains, but on them were 125 passengers. Colonel DeGraff had joined Major Donaldson at New Ulm, on his way to the end of the road, where 1000 men were working for him. The night and the next day was spent in the cars, and then provisions were out and something must be done.

The passengers already repented that they had taken at this season of the year H. G.'s advice to go west. It was 26 miles to the nearest telegraph station. Two of the conductors succeeded in getting there and in telegraphing the situation to Winona This was done on Thursday.

It would make an interesting story to relate the particulars and serio-comic incidents of these four days. to tell how those who visited the cars held on to each other's coat tails to keep from getting separated and lost in the blinding storm; how they had to climb up immense drifts and slide down them to their cars: but finally they got back to Winona not much the worse for the four days' blockade.

The same writer. referring to the snowed up track layers about whose fate great fears are entertained, says 'they had received 100 sacks of flour and eight head of cattle just before the storm. but this could not last them long. They were scattered along a distance of thirty miles. They had two locomotives with them.