TX BIOS:  A. E. White
   Selected and converted.American Memory, Library of Congress.
   
   Washington, 1994.
   
   Preceding element provides place and date of transcription only.
   
   This transcription intended to be 99.95% accurate.
   
   For more information about this text and this American Memory
   collection, refer to accompanying matter.
   
   U.S. Work Projects Administration, Federal Writers' Project (Folklore
   Project, Life Histories, 1936-39); Manuscript Division, Library of
   Congress.Copyright status not determined.
   
   00011
   
   [?] Tales - (Factual)
   
   Marjorie Key
   
   November 21, 1936
   
   Lamb county
   
   District 17
   
   Bibliography
   
   Mrs. A. E. White, Early Settler,
   
   Littlefield, Texas. [30?]
   
   Blizzard of 1918 240
   
   Page 1 Interview
   
   Mr. and Mrs. A. E. White, who lived on a farm two miles east of
   Littlefield, were entertainling friends on a night in January, [DEL:
   [?] :DEL] 1918. The four played "500" until about one o'clock in the
   morning and when their guests decided to leave, Mr and Mrs White
   walked to the gate with them. They commented on the beauty of the
   night. Only a few fluffy, white clouds [DEL: would :DEL] could be seen
   in the sky and the moon was shining brightly.
   
   On returning to the house the family [DEL: retured :DEL] returned only
   to be awakened [DEL: a :DEL] about four o'clock in the morning by the
   intense cold and the lowing of the cattle. To their surprise, they
   found snow all over the house, even the bed [DEL: was :DEL] were
   completely covered. The house was built of ship-lap and well papered
   on the inside, but was of little protection against the driving wind
   and snow. Mr. and Mrs White and children went to work to get the snow
   out of the house and in the days that followed, bushel baskets were
   used to carry it out. They took [DEL: broom :DEL] brooms to the barns
   and used them to sweep off the cattle. Rain had evidently fallen early
   in the night for the cattle were frozen on the side that faced the
   wind.
   
   About [DEL: seven :DEL] 7 o'clock the next morning, the storm abated.
   The school truck came by for the children and two of the boys went,
   the other two remaining at home with their parents. The truck had been
   gone only a short time when the snow began to fall again. A few hours
   later the thermometer read [DEL: ten :DEL] 10 degrees below zero. Mrs.
   White moved the bed and couch close to the stove and the family went
   to bed to keep warm. One of the boys made his bed in a large wicker
   chair. They stoked the stove with coal and tried to keep the house as
   warm as possible.
   
     NOTE: C12 - 2/11/41 - Texas
     
   00022The electricity was so great that when one of the boys in a
   playful mood touched the stove with one hand and his mothers forehead
   with the other, it almost pulled the skin off.
   
   Mrs. White became very worried about her two children who had left
   that morning for school. She wanted to go in search of them but her
   husband convinced her that she [DEL: couldnt :DEL] could not get any /
   place in the storm. In desperation she [DEL: finally :DEL] had about
   decided to saddle the horse and go after them when word came that Mrs.
   T. F. Wright had taken the children to her home in town. Mrs. White
   appreciated this gesture because they were strangers in this western
   country, having moved out from Wisconsin the year before , 1917. [DEL:
   1937. :DEL]
   
   Before the storm that lasted three days was over, many cattle froze to
   death and were found heaped in fence corners. One fine bull that Mr.
   White had just bought [DEL: at the price of five hundred dollars :DEL]
   for $500.00 had followed the drifting cattle and was found in one of
   the large piles of dead cattle. As late as [?] evidences of the
   blizzard [DEL: [?] :DEL] could be seen. Heaps of [?] bones could be
   found on the ranchlands. One man was found frozen to [DEL: deaht :DEL]
   death near the spot where the town of Shallowater now stands. The man
   had called at the White farm the afternoon before the storm began. He
   had on plenty of clothes but they were in a very rugged condition.
   Mrs. White invited the man to come in but he told her that he would
   like to have a little coffee and a can to make it in. Mrs. White told
   him that she would be glad to make the coffee for him but he refused.
   She therefore furnished an empty [DEL: tomatoe :DEL] tomato can to
   make the coffee in, and half a loaf of white bread. During the war
   people were allowed only a certain amount of white flour and were
   forced to substitute cornbread. The man accepted the coffee and bread
   but declined to come into the house and warm. A / short time later his
   camp fire could be seen. That night the blizzard came and the next day
   the same man was found frozen to death. 00033Mrs White said that she
   felt very bad about the man's death. Although she had done her best to
   get the man to come into the house and accept food and warmth, [and?]
   he steadfastly refused, Mrs. White said that / Blizzard was really
   something to live through and all the years they have lived in and
   around Littlefield, they have never experienced such cold weather as
   they did then.

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