The Democratic pioneer. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1845-1853, 1849-03-09
e
Prairie snow stotH.

Mexico. The lIietItenant ana tils party
Is,ad lef, Bent's Fort on fhefr retufo 10
Isl. Louis. on the Goth ofJapuary.
FEE. 2U.--All night the storm ragged
with fury as awful as that Of lie slor
mentes' Of Mt. Blaac. The partices OF
snow beat with w,ld rage against my tent
while tile efrail 1ructure qnivered, and the
poles hat fupp9Fted IT ed and groadl
ed so much tbat'it was impossible for me
to sleep; Such was the force Of the wind
that it drove the snow through the can
vass walls ofmy tent, and found my bed
ahd papers Covered wit. il. During the
night heard one ofthe men who had got
his feet wet in attempting to cross t he
river, impIoring some Of his companions
to let him get into the wagon with them.
The uight was terribly cold, and fear
ed that all our animals would be frozen to
death before morning. At length morn.
ing came, but when look ed out the snow
was drifting along in degse clouds of hard
icy Particles, that flew along with exs
treme velocity. AS tie sun began to
appear the storm ceased, and IL was most
fouuuate for us that II did cease. ] now
forced my way onl Of the tent, which was
banked with snow. When l looked "a
round, a scene Of utter destruction pre-
sened Itself; most of my men had lam
down on the ground to sleep. but now not
| ~ l. I ~
lond TREY heard me not, being covered
beneath the deep snow. now went Il"
tie wagons; Ia one found 2 Ika and
Laing; 10 Tie other, two or three men,
QUO Of whom had been very i'll ever since
leaving Benls Fort. He came rushing
towards haIi ditracted, his shirt covered
with snow, his head bare, and croutching
at my feet, lie implored me TO take hlm
TO house. oh Lieutenant, take me to
a house! ] rhaIl freeze 70 death! lm
reezlus! I'm fretzing!' His arms were
drawn up and tttfened, bis body almost
paralyzed with cold. took the poor fel
low and pat him in my own bed, aud GOV
cred him with blankets and buff 10 robes;
it was all could do,
We now searched about and found the
men by the aid of the cracks on the sur.
! face Of the snow caused by the movements
of lne restless sleepers; covered by the
heavy mantle of snow they had kept ex
'remcly warm; aud now the chill air felt
10 hem more intolerable.
FEB 2l,--Tms morning. is the first time
| FIR 36 hours that any one has venlnred
out, Ny meu had their provisions read,
co ok ed and shared them with Mr.. Browns
party. or all the tents that had been
pitched on Friday night, minc was III
Only one which still remained. The snow
had SO heap around the rest that their
inmates were obliged to desert them and
take refuge in The wagons, About nine
the wind had swept 10 such a way as =.
open path around it, although the sno"
WAS 90 a level with the ridge pele Of the
ent. We now broke up sune boards
that were in our wagons and kindieJ
little Gre. Soon the sun rose; but instead
Of one sun we had three: all seemed Of
equa biiliiancy, but as tNey continued tu
rise, tie middle one only fetsiued It's cir
cular form. while the Others shot into
huge columns Of FIRE. The bread Ii OF the
columns vas that Of the suns apparent di
ameter, they were betweea twenty aud
thirty degrees distant from the sun. Be-
lore the sun Ind risen ten degrees this
phenomenon had entirely disappeared -
Some of the men called my attention n,
this strange appearance, but SO engres s,ed
we're they with their own caiamities ,ha,
hey hardly seemed 10 he IN the least as.
,onished al what they saw.
Auer some little time we missed Press
ton aud the sick mao, we enqu,red but no
Que knew aoy hing about them. Ii was
now evident that they had been buried
benea h the snow drift, which for some
distance around had filed up the nook in
which we had encamped To the levei OF
he prairie; as the drift was of cousidera
BILE extent, much time would be wasted
in examining il unles, we could Gnd where
hey had pitched their tent.
Al last | 0otlced one poor fellow dig
eIng away to iud his boots he showed ne
where the sick man had beeu I called
the men and Immediately set to work
The snow @as six feet deep. and we had
only lttle piece OF board to dig with
and The cold was so great tnat no ona
could work long before bls hands became
perfectly rigid. After good deal OF
hard digging we found pair of boots
which were recognized by the men a.
Pres'ons properly. This urged us TO re
newed e&ertions; at length we cleared the
snow from a portion Of his buffalo robe
and lIftlng il mp, we got sight II the poor
! fellow lace; he cried out in a weak Voice,
begging us for Gods sake not to leave