The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-01-24

wind began 70 increase and blew directly In their
faces They viewed the situation with consider
able dismay, and about half concluded to turn
about and retreat TO the house about eight miles
in the rear, and fortunate would 1t have been had
they done so. But about mile ahead was the
house of Mr.. Meagher, and the party finally de-
termined to press on to tins refuge.
THE STORM
continued to increase in violence, however, and
the wind hurled the falling and drifting particles
OF Ice against and about them until they were
Obliged to turn their faces from the storm and
trust to the instinct Of their animals to keep the
right direction. Drifts began to meet them, and
their horses could scarcely nounder through them.
IL was now too late and equally too hazardous to
bitter hurricane IN the hope OF reaching Meaghers.
But now their
HORSES GAVE OUT
and became stalled in a succession OF deep drifts.
1t was found impossible to extricate the sleighs,
and the only alternative was to build the best pro-
lection their circumstances would allow. One
sleigh box was set up edgeways, turned from the
wind, and another was leaned against 1t TO serve as
cover and brace. About this insecure and nimsy
shelter sacks OF grain packed. and inside the
five men were crowded, after having first cut loose
the horses. This was about
FOUR O'CLOCK TUESDAY,
and OF course they had no food and but meagre
supply OF blankets. The snow, driven across the
through every crevice and packed against and
above the little shelter and in upon the men,
apa WI an pSssF Ssa SGSS g .e a0" Of t% ss
Tuesday night passed, and Wednesday Mike
Holden announced his Intention of seeking Meagh-
er's house. He tried to persuade the others to ac
safest where they were and declined. Mike started
out. and succeeded In reaching the house, having
eat on oe coe be- to
rescue the others at tnat time. They In the mean
time were suffering all the pangs of cold and hun
became delriOus, for when found they were lying
out OF and near the shelter.
TIE DISCOVERY
About ten O'Clock Friday morning a man passing
along the road with an OK team heard shouts as OF
some one in Distress and upon making search dis
snow, and was horri1cd upon disturbing several
apparent knobs in the vicinity to find that they
contained the dead bodies OF men. He found
the bodies Of Thomas Holden, Stephen O'Neil and
John ONei, the first two quite dead and the latter
the cover he discovered two feet protruding from
the snow, and breaking away the crust he found
Charles ONeil, alive, but in a
TERRIBLE CONDITION.
The bodies were at once lugged to his sled and
conveyed to Meagher's and thence to Wilmar,
John ONe dying before reaching that place. The
details Of the sufferings OF Charles ONei are hor
rifying and almost incredible. 1t seems that he
had lain down Immediately upon entering the
tened down by the terrible weight of the snow
which drl1ted upon him. or rather upon the upper
10 al ms SO ne
he found that he was unable TO rise, and
that the snow was covering his head, he feared
sufocation, and to keep that member free he con-
stantly raised and lowered H., and in this manner,
while he could not prevent the drift from forming
over It, he formed an air chamber, which pre-
vented sulfOcatiOn. In his endeavOr to free his
head The poor fellow actually
TORE THE HAIR
almost entirely from the scalp. Here he lay, with
his eet exposed to the air and frozen stiff, and
with the cruel frost slowly creeping up his limbs,
and unable to move scarce muscle of his body,
from Tuesday night till nearly Friday noon. Can
more horrible situation be imaginedp The poor
fellows right arm Is frozen TO the elbow, the right
leg to the knee and the left leg above the ankle.
TneSc members are tIltS lar completely dead. and
he has been lying at Wimar until yesterday, when
the first train succeeded in getting through.
Five Of the horses were frozen TO death, and the
others were found five miles away, all right.