Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 19, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 February 1898 — COVERED WITH SNOW. [ARTICLE]

COVERED WITH SNOW.

GREATi STORM IN THE MIDDLE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY. Reports Tell of Dire Effects of the Blizzard—Wires Down, Trains Abandoned, tf-ehools Closed.) and Business Suspended—Several Lives Lost. ■ Winter Is King. The wind and snow storms of Tuesday taged all over the middle Mississippi valley, caused the loss of several lives, much damage to property, and great hindrance to traffic. In the Southwestern region the gale was preceded by violent thunder storms, and the wind in some places reached a velocity exceeding all previous records for this season of the year. The most considerable direct loss of life was at St. Louis. The wind there reached a velocity of sixty-three miles an hour, the highest since the tornado of May 27, 1896. August Weymeyer, a eorpenter, was blown from, the Shields school roof and killed. Thomas J. Peterson, 4 years old, was blown from a porch roof at his borne and killed. Mi's. Sarah Lorin was caught under a falling fence and will probably die. Many minor injuries are reported. A street ear narrowly escaped being crushed by the falling walls of the Ravenswood distillery ruins. The roof of a store next the St. Nicholas hotel was blown across the street. A frame building on Twelfth street, between Locust and Washington, was wrecked. Several other buildings lost their roofs, and there was much damage to fences, signs, outhouses and window glass. The gale reached its height about 11 o’clock, and was preceded by a violent thunder storm, beginning shortly after 3a. in. The stoirm caused great alarm, the people fearing a repetition of the great tornado. In East St. Louis the baseball park w r as demolished, signs scattered over the streets, and sections of wooden sidewalk blown across the commons, but no casualties are reported. A wet snow fell throughout the Southwest Monday night, followed by a freezing wind, which broke many telegraph and telephone wires and poles. Kansas City was cut off from communication for several hours and many trains were delayed. Houses were demolished near El. Reno, Ok.; but no serious injury to inmates is rep'orted. At Guthrie, Ok., the w'ind was so violent that many peoplq took refuge in cyclone cellars. The same conditions prevailed through south and central Kansas. In Kansas City itself many wires were broken and street cars delayed, but no great damage to buildings occurred. St. Joseph, Mo., reports considerable damage by wind, rain turning to snow, with railway trains delayed, street car traffic demoralized and wires dow'n. Omaha seems to have been out of the direct path of the storm, and reports only two inches of snow', little w'ind and no great cold. >«.

Dubuque, lowa, reports the worst storm in several years. A passenger and freight train on the Manchester branch of the Illinois Central collided in the storm. Fireman Ellis Sweet was killed and Engineer Harvey and Postal Clerk McDuff were probably fatally injured. Over a foot of snow fell at Clinton, lowa, partly suspending street car traffic and breaking down wires. low'a City reports the worst storm in six years, with passenger trains delayed and freight trains abandoned, owing to snow blockades. All the schools at Ottumwa, low'a, were closed, street ears abandoned, trains delayed, aud business suspended. All traffic was stopped at Cedar Rapids, lowa, and even the letter carriers were forced to quit. High winds drifted the snow badly, and stock suffers from the increasing cold. Galesburg, 111., reports schools closed, street ears blockaded, business practically suspended, and traveling almost impossible. A Chicago, Burlington and Quincy passenger train stuck in a snowdrift near Oneida. Rockford, 111., reports over a foot of snow, schools closed, street cars stalled, railroad trains delayed and the W'orst storm in fifteen years. In some localities the country roads are impassable on account of snowdrifts, and in many of the smaller towns of northern Illinois and eastern lowa the schools were closed and business almost entirely suspended.