Show EDITOR LOST IN DAKOTA BLIZZARD UNABLE TO MAKE HIS WAY TO HOME ONLY SEVEN BLOCKS FROM OFFICE LOSES WAY IN OPEN STRETCH finally finds shelter for the night forced to give up struggle to reach family when near end of struggle minneapolis ralph W wheelock editor of a paper in one of the smaller north dakota towns bad an expert ence with a blizzard recently that he would not care to repeat the follow ing Is his story ol 01 the occurrence the forenoon had been mild almost muggy for january and while there were signs of a snowstorm in the air there was nothing to indicate to a tenderfoot at least that a real dis aster was at hand As I 1 passed up stairs a moment later and entered the front office a glance through the win dow which looked to the north showed a whirling mass of fine snow coming up from the open prairie northwest of town and I 1 found the storm was in full blast with no more warning than has been suggested it was impossible to see across the street the mercury that a few sec ands before had stood above freezing had dropped close to zero and the wind was blowing apparently from all points at once darkness fell early but brought no letup in the violence of the storm in tact the wind grew fiercer while the mercury went lower I 1 lived seven bleci s from the office in a northeasterly direction and after putting the paper to press about 4 30 clock in the afternoon I 1 started for home for five blocks due east I 1 struggled and floundered along through the swirling deepening drifts of fine snow that cut the face like sharp sand bl nimg the sight and freezing about the nose mouth until breathing became difficult As I 1 felt my way along from fence to fence I 1 could imagine what show for life there would be tor either man or beast out on the open prairie near the end of the trip it was necessary to cut diagonally across some vacant lots to reach the house a distance of about a block and a halt and although I 1 could not see an inch ahead and was almost exhausted from the twisting grip of the shit ting snowdrifts about my feet and legs and my breath was almost sucked from my lungs by the peculiar effect of the whirling wind I 1 determined to take the chance of crossing that open stretch but I 1 had not struggled ahead ten feet before I 1 lost all sense of diorec alon in turning to get my back against the wind I 1 had let go of my objective point with my mind or in or whatever it was that was working and I 1 could not regain it to the north a short distance were the bluffs of firesteel cheek and to the east the jim river bottoms and I 1 had no desire to explore either dark ness was fast descend ng the cold was getting more and more bitter and there began to come over me that sense of drowsiness and indifference vat you want herec to t renei effort that Is said to pre cede freezing to death A slight lift in the clouds of snow however gave me a glimpse of the fence corner I 1 had just left and I 1 real zed that I 1 had turned almost en tire around and was headed down town again I 1 took the hint made a desperate plunge or two for the fence and imagined that it would be easy to get back to the hotel for the night but it gasn wasn t and as the storm lifted again tor a moment I 1 saw that I 1 had unwittingly turned a corner and was headed due south toward the rail road tracks instead of being on my way west to the hotel no further warning was needed and I 1 fought my way to the nearest house to ask shel ter for the night I 1 struggled up the steps to the front door and pounded on it lustily the door was opened cautiously and an old german baker who lived there with no family but his wife stuck his face a little ways out into the storm and grunted vat ou want herec I 1 would like to come in and rest until this storm lets up a little I 1 al arost gasped thinking of course I 1 would be welcomed under the cir cum atances you no come in here growled the old baker as he slammed the door in my face and I 1 without breath enough left to do justice to my feelings or strength enough to force my way in across the street was another house where I 1 was sure I 1 would be admitted but it looked miles and miles away after further strenuous effort I 1 man ged to reach it and was hospitably put up tor the night but the sensation of being within a few blocks from home and naturally anxious to know that the family was safe and comfort able and yet absolutely barred from getting to them or hearing from them was decidedly peculiar not to say painful |