The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1860-1863, 1863-06-04
THR1LLING NARRATIVE,
Experience in a Rocky Mountain
20 Show Storm, se..
DEATH OF TWO FAIRFIELD BoYi

County, Griffith and CourlrisIt, were
members o. Captyan Penrse's Company.
On the 23d of February. 1868. a part
of The 1st Ind pendent Battalion Ohio
Volunteer Cavalry Was ordered 10 60 from
Fort Laramie 70 the relief Of For; Halleck,
post situated at The foot Of the Medi-
cine Bow Butte about 1875 miles distant
A skirmisb with The Ute Indians had Ia
ken place IN that vicinity By an express
messenger who came f + hep. MI.
Short time allowed was for preparation.
and en- the 24lh the party started II
consisted of Company c, and small de-
tachment from Companies A anA D, which
followed the next day and overlook tie
maiu body. Nothing important occurred
until afier leaving the Medicine Bow
River. some fifteen miles from our des'i-
nation on the last Of february. 1t bad,
been cold and s'ormy for two,days pre-
yious, aud the drifted snow bad caused
some trouble and delay. On nearing the
fort in the afternoon. and when eight or
ten miles from it. the snow storm.
which Lad steadily increas in VIC
lppce. became terrible. 1t was evident
that one Of those wonderful mountain
storms which, baye SO often swallowed up
and destroyed travellers in these regions
was upon us. By the French mountains
eers tn styled poude. and always
dreaded for when il rag s in lis fullest
force po,hing animate can long face it
and I've. TIE conformation Of the Med.
icine Bow Buae aud the surround og
mouDtains, canses o impression of the
north, west and northwest wiude through
this locality, and tle north side Of the
butte, where the fort is situated, is esp
cially noted and dreaded by all familiar
with 1t. The butte is avast pie. rising
two or three thousand feet above the
plain, usually crested with c!ou le, and
upon il the narrator found new snow
msssipg in quantiie in September last.
The loo ton Of the post iu This mountain
WI suck was i'll advised, and could only
ave bsen made on a summers day,
! A little before noon, when on tie Med
icine Bow River, there WIS wood and
comparative shelter. il was sugsssted
that we should stop, build fire, warm,
and perhaps, eaI iul the storm was not
then viol,bt,no danger was apprrhended
aud all preferrel pushing on to the fort
i The men were resolute, cheerful and anX-
ious 10 reach their destination. But The
storm irtr ased as We proceeded, and wal
nearly dead against Us 1t met the fact
obIiquely, little 10 the ight Of the from
and the snow coming horizontally. struck
like shot: 1t sturg and sealded. ant
blinded man and horse. Crossing som'
rocky ridge or exposed POINT, the lors,
would halt, siasger and steady himself
and pr pps mex before he would NOV
forward. The snow SO filed the air ths
/ often one could scarcely see ten lee
around HIN. The last five or six mile
f was the time ofporil The dirsc'i ion wa
knowu from the course Of The wind AM
oher means, Int vast drifts. and dec
ravnes filled with snow, or some preci
: pice. would be ,ncountcred, which Of @
made change cessary, No road o
path could be seen, except upon som
-, spot cleaned by the wind. A Irnsty sci
geant, who knew the country well, an
; had been acting as guide, was At loss
, The narrator was called TO the 'front.'
= The direction is good, II anything littl
more to ihs right There should be
: lake in a valley near. We canuot be ia
! from thp loit. Has any one seen tn
,, , Butte lately? Yes t Mol 1t is yer
\ doubtful That vast pile, SO near,
reened from eight by the mingling {
earth and sky, rush onl An impass
Dblr snow drift is met, A soldier at
e temps TO Gloss 1t. Floundefng on, h
horse fulIs cnsuIfsd in the snowy moras
{ The rider Scrambles off, and both max
: their way out as best the can. The oh
= stacle must be turned and we move
the LIT. A prceipicr ia encountered
u Turn ! ack, We must go toa pass TO I'll
" right, and down hollow, and then re
y sumo our course. Keep the men in NC
0 ton, eomO are getting chilled. Heat
. taken from the body as fast as generate,
h" Clothing is no proteelion. This 6erc
+! wind circles through and undcF, next IL
u person, searches every point, and evapC
b rates all warmth that reaches the surfac
u / 3 viusnre intensifes the sold, as u
u blow pipe incnsi6es heal No rock
s. obstacle can offend ag~iusl it, The viii
% addyiny. whirls back Ike surges in Il
u !, pool Of Niagar'.
n There goes my cap in tho air. 1t is
:, litlB military regulation llriry, with
J., much warmth as bit OF dried gou
- shell. What is TO be done. This s,or
will be hard to face bare-headed.
a pocket handkerchief be better tn
!" nothing. But bepumbed fingers cam
'e manage it, While fumb ing to tie, it
" whisk-d away, and follows the cap T
u saddle blanket may do, DismounIing,
u is taken of, and an attempt made to wi
y it around tho heat. But the gale h
'o now something OF size TO take hold of
- II pulls straight out and proves t
'o stronger. Tho blanket goes kiling II
y" the sky. and is seen no more, FrC
that time ill the fort is reached my he
va has noproteotion. Aud now the oor
on mand is far ahead aud out ofsight. 81
ne orsl mirut.s have elapsed, no tracks :
's,, visible, for moment suffice to oblit
~ rate every vestge Of a trail The sn
AZ AZ sweeping along, psrallel'to the surfa
~ fills up aud covers over all marks as &C