The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1849-01-04
WHOLE NUMBER 38l.

mne tho wind had swept in such 4 wav 20
to keep open path around il, although tho
snow was on level with tho ridge-polo
II the tent We broke up some boards
'ha, were in tho wagons, aud kindIcd . liz
lie hrc. Soon the sun rosc; but, Instead Of
one sun, We had three, all seemed ot equal
brIll'ancy; but, as they continued to rice,
the middle one only retained iis circular
form. while the others shot into hugo col
umns ct iirc. which blended with the air
near their SUBMITS. The breadth Of the
columns was that Of the suns apparent d.
ameicr, and their height abou, twelve times
their diameter; they were between twenty
md thirty degrees distant from the sun
Before the sun had risen more than ten de.
grees this phenomenon entirely disappear
cd. Some OF my men called my attention
70 tins strange appearance, but so cngross.
cd were they with their own cnlamiiics
that they hardly seemed To be the least 10.
tonshed ut whit they saw.
After somo little time we missed Preston
md The sick man: we inquired, bu, no one
knew ANYTHING about them. Il was now
evident that they had been buried beneath
the snow drift, which for some distance
around filled up the nook in which wa had
encnmpcd 70 the level ot ,hs prairie; as tho
dril was Of considerable extent, much
time would no wasted in examining il,
"nloss we could find where they had pitched
their tent. At last | noticed ono poor fol-
low digging away 10 find his boots; ho
showed 'nc where where tho sic., man had
hcen. The snow wns six fee, deep, md
wa Ind only little piece of board to dig
with. md tho cold was no grca, that no one
could work very long before his hands be.
cnmc perfectly rigid. After n good deal
Of hard digging we found pair of boots
which were recognized BY tho men as
preston's property. This urged US to re-.
ncwcd cxcrtions; At length We cleared tho
snow from portion Of the buffalo robe.
mud lifting ], up we got a sight IL the poor
fellows face; he cried ont in weak voice,
begging rs for Gods sake Nv. to leave him
to die.
We assured him wc wnnld not fnrsaks
him. and again covered his face until No
could remove moro Of the snow; having dug
M fnr ns his whist, five mon caught hold of
him to drng him out. but tho snow had been
moist md was packed very hard, and he
wns held tight by the tent, which had been
broken down bv tho pressure Of the snow;
however. we dug little moro until wo
could get at the ridge pole OF the tent,
which We cut in two with our axes. We
now drew Preston out Of tho drift, which
had liked to have proved his grave. His
he'd fellow, who had been mach weakened
by sickness. was already dcnd; he WINS the
man whom we had dragged from Jackson's
grove 10 "Pawncc Fork;' where no had
been picked up by Mr.. Brown. since which
time hc had been rccovcrin. fast Poor
fellow! il was his destiny To leave his
homes on tho desert prairics. where wolves
howl his requiem. Icaused the men 10 dig
him also cut al the drift. and tn put his bo.
DIV into wagon, in order TINT wo might
bury him nj the Cotton -w0od Fork.
Several mules Ind already been frozen
to death. A. wo proceeded. mules, that
had started oifin apparently good condition,
would drop down in the harness, md their
limbs would become perfectly rigid Even
one Of the oxen fell down bennmbed with
cold. IN a few hours We los. six mules and
one OK; so that our road WAS marked out
with diving animals. A. We approached
our destined camp ground, VIZ saw a wolf
that was 80 badlv frozen as to DO unable In
move. Ono n tho mcn pu, m end to lis
suflcrings by lullc, from his rifle.