The Children’s Blizzard is an extremely informative book about the Great Blizzard of 1888. The point of this book is to inform the reader about the struggles and heartaches this blizzard caused in the midwest in the late 1800’s. This blizzard is known as the Schoolhouse Blizzard, or the Children’s Blizzard. The effects of this blizzard were disastrous. The events and circumstances leading up to the blizzard made it even more treacherous.
The Children’s Blizzard book begins with the stories of different immigrants from Europe, in particular from Norway and the surrounding areas. The author perfectly sets the stage for the rest of the book by giving you the adequate amount of background information. The immigrants come to New York from their countries, and endure harsh conditions on the way over. Many children and adults didn’t make it to the United States, and die aboard the ships. The book follows the story of a few different immigrants and their children, and also the meteorologists of the day.
The background of the state of the art of meteorology is explained in depth, and the story of the individuals who were in charge of meteorology in the midwest at the time is told. There are many inconsistencies in the reasoning behind why the public was not notified of the blizzard, and not given enough time to prepare. The main reasoning is that it was a rather balmy morning, and that it was the first morning in weeks that wasn’t frigid. In lieu of the balmy weather, many children went to school, and many adults to work, with less clothing and winter protective gear than usual. This caused them to be exposed when the blizzard came in, and also caused meteorologists to disregard the harsh weather readings as a mistake or inconsistency.
The blizzard came in extremely rapidly. The extreme temperature drop made livestock freeze in their tracks. In Holt County, Nebraska Etta Shattuck, a nineteen year old school teacher was making her way home when the blizzard rolled in. She took shelter under a haystack, and remained there until she was rescued 78 hours later. She later died on February 6th due to complications of removing her frostbitten feet and legs. In Plainview, Nebraska, Lois Royce was trapped with her students in the schoolhouse. Her heating fuel was running out, so she attempted to get the children to her boarding house 82 yards away. The three children froze to death. In Mira Valley, Nebraska, Minnie Freeman led thirteen children to safety. The territories effected by the storm included the Dakotas, Nebraska, Montana, and Kansas.
This book had many specific examples of human anatomy and physiology. In chapter six, there were numerous occasions of human anatomy and physiology intertwined in the reading. The explosion, as chapter six is named, refers to the happening of the blizzard. Walter Allen, the child who went to a schoolhouse during the blizzard, led all of the children in his row to safety on a wagon, however, he jumped off of the wagon because he forgot his perfume bottle. The wagon left without him and left him stranded in the storm. The book tells of how he knew that he had become lost when he left the schoolhouse. “The sizzle of the driving snow hummed in his ears, and the frozen needles cut his face and throat. He knew he was lost.” The book suggests that it was probably only a matter of minutes before Walter collapsed. His feet became too frozen to bear his weight.
Chapter eight is titled “Exposure”. This entire chapter informs the reader about what the victims of the storm were experiencing when they were exposed to the horrific storm. “The fear came first, but the cold followed so hard on its heels that it was impossible to tell the difference.” The author puts it very bluntly. “Physics dictated that their warm body tissues and fluids would eventually reach equilibrium with the cold fluid of the ambient air. It was biology that infinitely complicated the equation. The size and shape, weight, consistency, and age of their bodies; their gender; the actions, both voluntary and involuntary, that their brains initiated’ the subtle physical and chemical changes tripped by their emotions— all of these would determine how long they survived.”
Another example of human anatomy and physiology in this book is the story of Etta Shattuck. The nineteen year old took shelter in a haystack, and was later rescued. Her body enabled her to stay alive for 78 hours in the winter conditions. She had severely frostbitten feet and legs, and had to have them amputated. She died from complications of surgery when having amputations.
A majority of the victims that died in this book died of hypothermia, essentially, they froze to death. When one freezes to death, a certain series of events takes place. First, the blood flow in your capillaries constricts. Your body makes keeping your internal organs warm its number one priority. Blood flow increases to the vital organs, but leaves extremities even colder. Second, your respiratory rate and heart rate accelerate. Your sympathetic nervous system goes into overdrive. Then, you start shivering. Shivering is your body’s way of generating heat. When you shiver, your muscles contract rapidly. Hypotheria is characterized by violent shivering. Next, you lose the color in your skin. Blood flow is diverted away from the surface of your body and extremities, so your skin will turn white, or significantly lighter. This also means that frostbite is making way. Then, you have difficulty moving because your muscles become cold, you become confused and may hallucinate, you get frostbite, your heart rate and respiratory rate decreases, and your organs begin to shut down. The author of this book explained this set of events as follows: “The functions of their vital organs slowed. The chilled blood thickened. Their hearts turned stiff and frail as the cold penetrated deeper. Like the muscles of their legs and arms, their heart muscles failed to respond efficiently to nerve impulses.” Another part of chapter eight tells of the cycle that ensued in the victims untimely deaths: “A vicious cycle set up as their weakened hearts failed to supply the tissues with the oxygen they were craving”. The natural response to the threat of the cold is to burrow, however this is also a sign of hypothermia. Terminal burrowing occurs when the victim gets into small, enclosed space, similar to hibernating animals. This is what Etta Shattuck did.
In this book, the victims core temperatures began to drop as their bodies lost heat to the air, in particular, the Schweizer boys. They essential carried their own frigid streams of water around their bodies. Nearly half of their bodies’ total heat production radiated through their uncovered heads. Their wet clothing also sapped away additional body heat by evaporation and conduction. The wet absorbent material of their shirts and trousers soaked up heat.
The story of this blizzard is really emotionally moving. There were moments when it was difficult to read because of the detail. My great grandparents were immigrants, and to read about the stories of the immigrants really opened my eyes to how things were and in some ways continue to be for immigrants coming into the United States. These immigrants wanted to better their lives and wanted better for their families, which makes the story of the blizzard and how it affected the immigrants to be extremely emotional.
I also feel that the fact that this storm affected so many children really hits home for a lot of readers. When I think of children dying in a storm, it is something that is hard to think about. Our minds want to repress the fact that this happened, but it is good to remember the victims of this storm. I am pleased that this author is telling their story in the most raw and rigid way, because the victims deserve to be heard accurately.
I think that the author really wrote this book well. He accurately told the story of the events that unfolded. The author really put into perspective how the blizzard took place and how the people who were affected by it lived. I love how he told their daily lives leading up to the blizzard. It really put me in a different paradigm to read their stories. It felt as if I was there seeing their lives firsthand.
While the story is riveting and emotional, I cannot say that it kept my attention the entire time. This book was extremely interesting and informative, however it read like a textbook. It did not keep my interest in the beginning of the book. I feel like the book went into the background information of meteorology and the different meteorologists a little bit too much, however I could see how this background information could help you further understand how the event took place.
Overall, this book was really enlightening. It makes you take into account how fortunate we are, and helps you to not take your general health and wellbeing for granted. This heart wrenching book is very well researched and technical, and extremely informative. The conclusion of the stories of the victims, and the telling of the aftermath sent chills down my spine. I am very thankful that this book was required to be read for my class. It opened my eyes and informed me of this storm and the havoc it wreaked.