Daily national Democrat., 1861-02-19
Snow Scenes.
ST. LOUIS, Sierra Co., Feb. ii.

men were killed and two others buried for
six hours. The funeral occurred yesterday
and was conducted with great impressive
ness The clergyman came eight miles on
snow shoes, and most Of the neighbors came
bv the same means of conveyance only
thinl< ola funeral company on snow shoes
true the procession did not so travel, but
the friends of the deceased came in from the
adjacent camps with those indispensable aids
to travel. Here is an example for tender eX
clesiastical plants who can scarcely travel a
mile on foot without fatigue, or who enter
the pulpit gloye1 and pcrfumcd to deliver
fashionable gospel Send them to these irig-
id heights to learn humanity, manly courage
and scf-sacrifcing devotion. Theological
statisticians are amazed at the wonderful in
crease Of the Catholic and Methodist churcl-
cs, without rejecting that their missionaries
are traversing the byplaces Of the earth,
bravcly encountering snow and storm, build
ing their altar5 in lonesome solitudes which
are afterwards to be popuous, and gathering
in the straying sheep which nobody else
cares for.
Locomotion in this region is peculiar. Par
ties who travel with "unas,istcd feet" are re-
quired to rise and depart very carly in the
morning, while the crust on the snow will
hold up the traveller. About 10 o'clock he
finds it necessary TO lay up at some welcome
cabin or way-side hotel But the slillful
"snow-shoer' skins along at all hours, slow
ly ascending hills to descend with the vcloc-
ity Of an experienced skater. Everybody,
from age TO youth and even infancy, has
snow shoes These appliances intended for
grown persons are about eight feet in length,
turned up in front like slcgh-runner, Eo!-
lowed on the under side about an inch in the
their edges. You know the surface of com
mon skate is grooved out, so is the snow shoe,
on corresponding scale. The face Of the
shoe is either vanished or spread with bees
wax, rosin and tallow to make it go sleek; the
foot is strapped to the middle of the shoe,
the traveller is furnished with a pole the end
of which projects through a large round but
son, the spike digs into the snow and the but
ton keeps the pole from sinking too decep--
and then he is ready to sail. The motion is
very much like that Of skater though the
feet are not lifted SO high. | have seen per-
tons slide along narrow divide, with barely
room to travel, and where misstcp would
have sent them down to kingdom come, or
at least halfa mile. For my part, have had
the discretion to keep off the grotesque con-
trivances, though ashamed of my cowardice
when seeing fyc-year old boys and even ia
dies traversing pcrilous places.
The other morning had the ineXpressJle
of seeing an awkward snow shoer
descending a step hill under reversed circum
stances. lie had fallen at the outset and
permitted the Norwegian slipper to get up
permost, had lost the break pole, and lying
on his back with feet abalt was in the fix of
the turtle unable to turn over besides he had
no time to adjust himself and nothing to
catch hold Of until he went over a snow bank
plump into pool of good, cool mountain
water The last | sa W of'him he was "hull-
down, the shoes only above the horizon
showing conclusivcly that the world is round.
Perhaps | should add that these dcplorable
never happen to ladies, owing eth
cr to the philosophical construction of the
shoes, or pecuiariiy of ballance-at least no
similar accident is recorded, much to the
credit of the inventor. a lady Of discretion,
affixed to snow shoes. may safely reckon Jon
the stability of Paddy's ducks.
Mr. Wilson, Of the express and banking
house Of Evcrts, Wilson G Co.. informs me
hat more gold has been taken out this win
er in vicinity Of st. Louis than during any
PREVIOUS winter season. There is great deal
# drifting done, but there is not much water.
Vt the first ditch supply, immense quantities
{ gold will come into market-thousands
pom Thousands Of dollars are lying almost
within reach, requiring water, only, to be-
ONE Immediately available. After a pretty
Xtensiye observation, am of opinion that
his immediate region is the richest in Cali
ornia, and this opinion is based not only on
learsay and observation, but on experience.
There is a spot near by which it pains me
o look at or even pass. There ''your cor
(see Frank Leslie'5 stump-tail |
ow Magazine used to own mining claim,
worth about twenty-five thousand dollars
}ut "your correspondent" didn't know it at
hat evil time-your correspondent sold the
lain for $700 and-curses on the day, 50 to !
peak, started a ne,cspaPer! Your CORES
,ondent was ambitious in those days; he had |
eard that the "pen was good deal mightier |
han the sword though it didn't prove near
y so practically powerful as the croN-bar .
night have been, judiciously applied Speak
ng of that deplorable mistake and looking in
he direction of that scene of folly and re-
many subsequent financial cri-
is, your correspondent becomes low spirited,
yrathful and silent. Mac
TERRIBLE PHILLIpr1C AGAINST THE SoUrm
JARoLINIANs.-The Baltimore Patriot, of a
ecent date is fearful in its dcnunciations of
he South Carolina Convention. 1t styles
heir action unparalleled in human history'
81 crirnn n opalnst humanity a ori,no o,ro;pst