Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-02-26
to England and standing cause of irri-
tation between the two countries.
From the Greeley tColoradol Tribune.
LOST In THE SNOW.
4 Night of Peril bya Green Mountain
Boy IN a Fierce Storm.

Tuesday, the 23d of January, 1872,
will long be remembered by the people
of northern Colorado. Snow covered the
ground, yet the weather was pleasant
and the mountains stood out grandly in
the sunlight. On the afternoon of this
day, Jeremiah Fisk left the Higley coal
mine with load of coal for his home
in Greeley. The distance is fourteen
miles. Two teams had gone before him
and others were on their way to the
mine. A little after o'clock, when in
sight of the town, he passed two Of his
neighbors who were cutting ice in a lake
seven miles north west of Greeley. The
Cache la Poudre River lay at the foot of
the slope, about two miles due south of
him, and the road leads almost directly
down to the river, and follows it to the
town limits. Not long after leaving
the lake he heard noise like the roar
ing of a great water spout. Instructive
ly he turned toward the mountains they
were calm and beautiful as in the morn
ing, but northward, where the Black
Hills rise from the plain, he saw vast
wall of cloud approaching with the speed
Of whirlwind The roaring increased.
At this instant the frozen tidal-wave
touched the foot hills and chased the
sunbeams from the mountains like an
avalanche. The horses rushed forward
in terror, and a second later they were
in darkness, the storm sweeping over
them with aresistless fury, Snow, finer
than the finest -four, filled the air SO
that it was impossible to see hundred
feet in any direction. Fisk wrapped a
buffalo robe around his neck and should
ers, and urged the trembling horses on,
but they could not keep the road, and
in short time the plain was as track
less as the sea. After the horses had
left the beaten way they could hardly
walk, and it was not long before they
refused to move. The darkness increas-
ed, and the murcury was fast running
down to zero.
No time must be lost. The traces
were unhitched, and mounting the
strongest horse, Fisk attempted to urge
him forward but he would not 60.
Then he led them for a time, but find
ing that it required all his strength to
keep the buffalo robe from blowing away
he left the team and pushed on before
the wind, for the wind was his only
compass. The storm increased in VIC
lence every moment. In many places
the snow was deep, and more than TWEEN
ty times the strong man was hurled into
the drifts, so terrible was the storm.
By eight o'clock the murcury stood at
10 deg. below zero. The snow blew
from all points of the compass, and pen
etrated every stitch of his clothing that
was not protected by the buffalo robe
He knew that several houses were near
but how could he find single one O
them, when on that very night the engi
neers on the railroad were unable to fine
the water-tank at Pierce station in tn,
darkness. The man knew that dealt
was on his trail. His strength was fail
ing rapidly and the cold increasing will
the fury of the storm. All his garment
were frozen stiff and his eyelashes coate,
with ice. 1t seems that he crossed tn
river few hundred feet below Boyd
rancho. but he has only faint recollec
, ton of stumbling down bank and Q
dreaming that he might possibly be nea
a house. He felt that his time had al
most come. To go on was madness, we
he could not stop, except to brush ava,
the frozen tears, for wife with he
, babes are waiting and praying not tire
miles away from his sinking heart.
He managed to walk an hour longer
/ when dizziness came on, and his brai
reeled like the storm. Then he bega
5 digging hole in the deepest drift tia
he could find. 1t was like digging hi
t own grave, for he knew not how soon b
e might sink with exhaustion. Afte
f working long time the ground Wa
| reached, and, then drawing the rot
over his head, he waited for the snow I
bury him. The wind did its work wei
0 and in an hour eighteen inches of sno
r covered his roof of fur Never did
e man long to sleep more than he. but |
: knew that if he closed his eyes, it woul
be forever. He fought with his sens
: like Bunyan's Christian Pilgrim, al
+ kept awake. Burning pains shot throue
S his swollen limbs, and his legs crampt
: as if on the rack, and finally somethil
/ like nettles prickled in his boots. The
e he knew that his feet were freezing.
IS Was he to die after all the hours Of a
se ony. No, he would keep his muscl
d moving and he did so, long after his to
v were frozen stiff. Hour after hour tt
man from the Green Mountains foug
Ii with death, while snowy pillows we
Of rolling above his head.
At daylight he crawled out. Hous
of were near. Then he staggered and fel
r got up again, and dragged his froz
h limbs toward the limits of the town. 1
~ ter walking an hour he reached Coope
2e ranche-the summer residence of Q
V, town clerk-and pushed in the ba
d. door. Another hour was consumed
making fire. Some matches, pie
o. of candle and an old broad-ax W,
en- found. Then he melted snow in pa
and thawed his frozen feet. He a
Oh found dry clothing and pair of caval
n boots. Although completely exhaust
i'm he started for Greeley, distance of
miles. The mercury was Is deg. bel
on zero, and it took him an hour to wall
is single mile. Often he thought he wol
fall to the ground. The houses seen
"a to spin round as he passed them, and
as miliar streets, in which he saw child
playing the day before, were but
nv landmarks of dream At last he rea
is ed his fathers gate, and staggered
the door. Then there was a rush ant
To- scream, and the next instant black ;
so bloated face was lying on a woma
I'VE breast.