1954 — Dec 28-31, winter snow / ice storms and arctic cold, southwest to northeast –48-52

–57 UP. “Storms Throughout Nation…Raise…Traffic Deaths.” Marshall Evening Chronicle, MI. 12-31-1954, 1.
–52 South Haven Daily Tribune, MI. “Roads Treacherous, Cars Encased in Ice.” 12-30-1954, 1.
— 4 Exposure.
— 9 Heart attacks or exhaustion.
–25 Traffic accidents.
— 5 Miscellaneous accidents.
–49 UP. “Snowstorm Heads Into Northeast.” Mason City Globe-Gazette, IA. 12-30-1954, p. 1.
— 4 Exposure.
— 7 Heart attacks related to snow efforts.
–24 Traffic accidents.
— 5 Miscellaneous accidents.
–48 Blanchard tally from State breakouts below.
–22 AP. “Latest Blast of Arctic Air Stalled in Illinois, Nebraska.” Big Spring Weekly Herald, TX. 12-31-1954, p.1.

Blanchard note on fatalities: We note 48 as the low-end of our death toll range in that this was the number we were able to derive in a State-by-State breakout. It should be noted that in our State-by State breakout we have only been able to specifically identify twenty-one traffic fatalities, whereas the UP and South Haven Daily Tribune (based on wire reports) reporting of Dec 30 notes 24 and 25 traffic fatalities respectively. If we were to add four traffic fatalities which we were not able to identify by State or localty, our total would be 52.

We choose to use 52 as the high-end of the range in that it was based on wire service reporting and is only three fatalities higher than the United Press report of Dec 30, both of which provide breakouts by cause of death. We choose not to use the United Press report of Dec 31 in that it is five deaths higher than the largest number we have located (and we searched through Jan 1, 1955). In that several newspaper reports included the Dec 29 loss of an Air Force C-119 when its rear-door failed and the plane crashed near New Hope, AL, killing nine servicemen, we speculate that the Dec 31 UP report my have included these nine deaths. We list the plane loss separately in that the reporting we cite in that entry does not attribute the loss to this winter weather event, though one notes that the door failure occurred during “bad weather.” If that loss in AL were to be included here, the estimate I show of 48 deaths, would rise to 57.

Summary of State Breakouts Below
Illinois (6)
Indiana (1)
Iowa (2)
Kansas (1)
Michigan (5)
New York (8)
Oklahoma (7)
Texas (7)
Wisconsin (9)
Total 48

Breakout of Winter Snow and Sleet Storm and Deep Cold Fatalities by State

Illinois (6)
–6 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.
–5 Assoc. Press. “Ice, Snow Blanket N. Illinois.” Moline Daily Dispatch, IL. 12-30-1954, p. 1.
–4 AP. “Latest Blast of Arctic Air Stalled in Illinois, Nebraska.” Big Spring Weekly Herald, TX. 12-31-54, 1.
Breakout of Illinois winter storm fatalities by locality:
–2 Chicago. “…heart attacks, the result of shoveling snow.” Men.
–1 Joliet area, US 66. Semi-trailer jackknifed and overturned; Leland Kamp, 43.
–1 Mapleton area. Car skidded on ice and overturned; James Bryan, 14, of McCarthy Acres.
–1 Moline. Apparent heart attack; collapsed while putting chains on his car; Arthur R. Scott, 60.
–1 Rockford. Heart attack “while trying to push is car out of a snowdrift.”

Indiana (1)
–1 AP. “Latest Blast of Arctic Air Stalled in Illinois, Nebraska.” Big Spring Weekly Herald, TX. 12-31-54, 1.
–1 Alexandria area, 29th. Exposure and exhaustion; body found in field; Homer Halterman, 79.

Iowa (2)
–1 Clinton, Dec 30. Heart attack while pushing his car from a snow drift; Victor Anderson, 66.
–1 Davenport, Dec 30. Heart attack while putting chains on his car; Arthur Scott, 60.

Kansas (1)
–1 Lawrence area. Car skidded off highway and flips; Mrs. Eliza E. Ross, 50 of Heston.

Michigan (5)
–5 South Haven Daily Tribune, MI. “Roads Treacherous, Cars Encased in Ice.” 12-30-1954, p.1.
–2 Jackson, Dec 29. Railroad section hands hit by train while salting iced switches.
–3 Locales not noted. Separate incidents; cars skidded on icy roads into oncoming vehicles.

New York (8)
–8 Traffic deaths. UP. “Snowstorm Heads Into Northeast.” Mason City Globe-Gazette, IA. 12-30-1954, p. 1.
–1 Brooklyn, Dec 29. Car hits pedestrian crossing road under an umbrella; Samuel Berger.
–1 White Plains, Dec 29. Pedestrian hit by car; rain and poor visibility; Mrs. Priscilla Bickal, 26.

Oklahoma (7)
–7 UP. “Texas Warmup Wipes Out Ravages of Storm.” Brownwood Bulletin, TX. 12-30-1954, 1.
–5 Accidents “on slick highways.” AP. “Cold, Snow Toll Hits 9,” San Antonio Express. 12-30-1954, p. 1.
–1 Oklahoma City area. “…stricken in a stalled car…”
–1 Tulsa. Heart attack while shoveling snow.

Texas (7)
–7 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.
–5 UP. “Texas Warmup Wipes Out Ravages of Storm.” Brownwood Bulletin, TX. 12-30-1954, 1.
Texas winter weather related fatalities by locality.
–1 Anson area, US 180, Dec 28. Two cars collide on icy road; Charles J. Beaupre, 55.
–3 Marfa. Apparent carbon monoxide asphyxiation “in their tightly-closed house trailer.”
–1 Port Arthur. Exposure; unnamed man.
–1 Ruby area, US 180, Dec 28. Car skids on loose snow on side of road; spins into culvert.
–1 Snyder area, Dec 29 a.m. Exposure; found in snow-covered field; Luther Edmondson, 65.

Wisconsin (9)
–9 Blanchard tally from locality breakouts below.
–6 AP/Sheboygan Press. 12-30-1954, 1. Heart attacks related to snow removal over-exertion.
Breakout of Wisconsin winter storm related fatalities by locality:
–1 Fennimore. Heart attack while shoveling snow; George Thomas, 74.
–1 Kenosha. Heart attack after shoveling snow at home; August Labowsky, 54.
–3 Milwaukee
–1 Louis Krieke, 71; “died after trudging to a mail box in the heavy snow.”
–1 Frederick Mildenbert, 66, fatal heart attack after shoveling snow.
–1 Anthony S. Orlikowski [sp.], 69 “stricken while walking home from a bus.
–1 Prairie Farm. Snow sled crosses in front of milk truck; Harry Middendorf, 6.
–3 Racine.
–1 Harry Hanson, 57, shoveling snow and attempting to push his car into garage.
–1 Jacob Slobodkin, 60, heart attack pushing his stalled car.
–1 Theodore Williamson, 79, collapsed/died walking home through deep snow.

Narrative Information

Dec 28, Abilene Reporter-News: “Between four and five inches of snow fell on Abilene Tuesday, while area towns received up to 7½ inches of cold, fluffy whiteness. Following the snow came the coldest weather of the year, with Abilene reporting 16 degrees at 3 a.m. Wednesday, Colorado City 7 degrees, and Roscoe 10 degrees….” (Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Abilene Gets 5-Inch Snow; 16 Low Here.” 12-29-1954, p. 1.)

Dec 30, UP: “A furious winter storm which paralyzed parts of the Southwest Thursday [Dec 30] roared into the nation’s heavily-populated northeast with blasts of snow and sleet. The vast storm system laid down an advance barrage which penetrated as far east as New York, where driving rain and poor visibility caused at least eight traffic deaths.

“Rescue crews had freed thousands of motorists who were marooned by six-foot snowbanks in Texas and Oklahoma. But a numbing cold wave was moving into the West and Midwest in the storm’s wake.

“The winter’s first and most vicious storm was already blamed for a total of 49 deaths. They included 24 persons killed in traffic, 4 who froze to death or died of exposure, 7 who died of heart attacks or exhaustion and 5 who perished in miscellaneous accidents….

“An ice-slick covered most of Michigan and icy runways halted commercial flights at Willow Run Airport for more than six hours. Many Detroit streetcars were haled by ice on overhead wires.

“Driving sleet and rain made roads hazardous in central and western Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. New Hampshire State Police asked motorists to leave their cars at home and Maine forecasters predicted 5 to 10 inches of snow by nightfall.

“The storm dealt its most paralyzing blow at the Southwest, where late Wednesday rescue crews broke through six-foot drifts to rescue thousands of shivering motorists in Texas and Oklahoma. Army tanks, helicopters, railroad trains and bulldozers were used to free the marooned thousands. At least 2,000 persons were rescued in the 100-mile area around Wichita Falls, Tex., alone. Between Vernon and Seymour, Tex., a helicopter picked up five persons in a stalled automobile.

“In Oklahoma, where thousands more had been marooned, all major highways were reported clear. Many of the stranded motorists had been travelling on Route 66 to attend the Rose Bowl game at Pasadena, Calif.

“A railroad crewman who helped rescue 350 persons between Harold and Electra, Tex., said ‘the looks on those people’s faces showed near panic – they were just sitting there awaiting their fate.’

“Near Lawton, Okla., a baby was born in a snow-bound automobile.

“In Kansas, 26 inches of snow turned Fort Scott into a ghost town. The city’s business came to a dead halt and National Guard troops were called out to clear the snow-clogged streets.” (United Press. “Snowstorm Heads Into Northeast.” Mason City Globe-Gazette, IA. 12-30-1954, p. 1.)

Dec 31, AP: “A blast of arctic air which had been spreading across most of the Midwest and the snow-covered areas of the Rockies stalled today in an area stretching from Lake Ontario through northern Illinois to southern Nebraska….The Weather Bureau at Chicago said current cold, blustery conditions would continue moving eastward across the nation, but at a very slow pace. One cold air mass out of Canada already was almost stationary on a line from Billings, Mont., toward Chadron, Neb., and Rapid City, S.D. It barely edged into Wyoming to lower the temperature at Sheridan, Wyo., to 8 above zero early Thursday. There was no pressure behind this cold front and it was expected to linger a couple of days. Predawn temperatures Thursday in Colorado included 23 below zero at Fraser and 21 below at Eagle, both in the mountains.

“Sleet, rain and snow pelted north-eastern sections of the nation, while colder air dipped along the eastern coast to northern Florida and into the lower Mississippi Valley. The intense storm center which Wednesday dumped snow, sleet6 and freezing rain over wide areas of the midcontinent, paralyzing travel in many areas, was centered in the Lake Ontario region Thursday….

“At least 22 deaths were attributed to the winter’s worst storm….The storm was blamed for at least seven deaths in Oklahoma. Four deaths attributed to the snow and sleet were reported in Michigan and four in Illinois, while one death was reported in Kansas, Texas, Indiana and Iowa….The death toll from the weather in the midcontinent were attributed to overexertion in the snowstorm or resulted from traffic accidents caused by storm conditions on the roads.

“Fresh falls of snow blanketed much of the central Mississippi Valley and the central Great Lakes region. New snow measured nearly a foot in some areas. But as the frigid air from Montana moved into the Midwest, snow ended in the hard-hit Southwest region…

“Early today sleet and freezing rain hit in a belt around 150 miles wide through northeastern New York and central New England. Light snow fell in northern areas.

“The colder Canadian air moved eastward to the south of the storm center in Michigan. The leading edge extended southward from northeastern Ohio and southwestern Pennsylvania through western North Carolina and northwest Florida.” (Associated Press. “Latest Blast of Arctic Air Stalled in Illinois, Nebraska.” Big Spring Weekly Herald, TX. 12-31-1954, p.1.)

Dec 31, UP: “By United Press. The devastating effects of the winter’s first major storm threatened today to raise the total of highway deaths during the New Year’s weekend. The lethal blast which roared out of the Southwest Tuesday wound up with a barrage of snow, sleet and freezing rain in the nation’s northeast late Thursday.

“It left a wake of at least 57 deaths and heavy snow cover in much of the nation’s midsection.

“The snow, along with slush and ice-slicked roads, created traffic hazards from Wisconsin through Kansas and into Texas and Oklahoma, where drifts had marooned thousands of motorists for a time.

“The National Safety Council predicted before the storm hit that traffic accidents would kill 240 persons in the nation between 6 p.m. tonight and midnight Sunday. Police and safety officials throughout the nation pleaded with motorists today to take it easy on making New Year’s whoopee, or – if they don’t – to let someone else take over the steering wheel….

“The Midwest snow cover included more than 10 inches at Racine, Wis., and 26 inches at Ft. Scott, Kan. – a record for a 24-hour fall in the state. Highways were slick and slushy in the Chicago area and parts of northern Indiana and Michigan, while up to eight inches of new snow in New England clogged roads in upper Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine….” (United Press. “Texas Warmup Wipes Out Ravages of Storm.” Brownwood Bulletin, TX. 12-30-1954, p. 1.)

Sources

Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Abilene Gets 5-Inch Snow; 16 Low Here.” 12-29-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-dec-29-1954-p-19/

Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Storm Kills Snyder Man.” 12-29-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-dec-29-1954-p-19/

Abilene Reporter-News, TX. “Two Killed On Icy 180.” 12-29-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/abilene-reporter-news-dec-29-1954-p-19/

Associated Press. “Cold, Snow Toll Hits 9,” San Antonio Express, TX. 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-express-dec-30-1954-p-1/

Associated Press. “Count Six Dead in State Storm. Snow Up to 12½ Inches in SE Areas.” Sheboygan Press, WI. 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-3-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/sheboygan-press-dec-30-1954-p-1/

Associated Press. “Exposure Caused Death.” Logansport Pharos-Tribune, IN. 12-30-1954, p. 15. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/logansport-pharos-tribune-dec-30-1954-p-15/

Associated Press. “Ice, Snow Blanket N. Illinois.” Moline Daily Dispatch, IL. 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/moline-daily-dispatch-dec-30-1954-p-1/

Associated Press. “Latest Blast of Arctic Air Stalled in Illinois, Nebraska.” Big Spring Weekly Herald, TX. 12-31-1954, p.1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/big-spring-weekly-herald-dec-31-1954-p-1/

Associated Press. “Snow Covers Southern Iowa; Cold to Follow.” Mason City Globe-Gazette, IA. 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/mason-city-globe-gazette-dec-30-1954-p-23/

Eau Claire Leader, WI. “Snow Buries Southern Wisconsin.” 12-31-1954, p. 13. Accessed 5-3-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eau-claire-leader-dec-31-1954-p-13/

Moline Daily Dispatch, IL. “Order of Day: Dig Out. Heaviest In Nearly 14 Years.” 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/moline-daily-dispatch-dec-30-1954-p-1/

New York Times. “Two Killed By Cars On Rainy Highways.” 12-30-1954. Accessed 5-3-3023 at: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/12/30/96518478.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0

South Haven Daily Tribune, MI. “Roads Treacherous, Cars Encased in Ice.” 12-30-1954, p.1. Accessed 5-3-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/south-haven-daily-tribune-dec-30-1954-p-1/

United Press. “Snowstorm Heads Into Northeast.” Mason City Globe-Gazette, IA. 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/mason-city-globe-gazette-dec-30-1954-p-23/

United Press. “Storms Throughout Nation Expected to Raise Total of Highway Traffic Deaths.” Marshall Evening Chronicle, MI. 12-31-1954, 1. Accessed 5-3-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/marshall-evening-chronicle-dec-31-1954-p-1/

United Press. “Texas Warmup Wipes Out Ravages of Storm.” Brownwood Bulletin, TX. 12-30-1954, p. 1. Accessed 5-2-2023 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/brownwood-bulletin-dec-30-1954-p-1/