The Centre reporter. [volume] (Centre Hall, Pa.) 1871-1940, 1877-06-28
now 1T FEELS TO FREEZE.
Record Of Personal Experiences eR the
GFens Plains EptertainlnE Readiag for
summNF Weather.

A writer in the New York SIN gives
graphie account of his experience during
trip in February across one Of the
great plains Of British North America
He was accompanied by n Etalwart
French hhlf-brecd. nnl had for convey
ances two alodges drawn by eight dogs,
Al first the journey wnE pleasant enough
and unattended by much Inconvenience
but the weather gradually became cold
/ or, and on the afternoon Of the mxtl
day they were compelled to halt on ths
| bare plain. with no trees or other shelter
handy. The writer goes ON 20 sny
II wns about six O'Clock IN the evening
when, after scoopingn hole IN The snow,
aud building nbont Il q miniature en-.
/ banlment uf sledges and baggage, We
lay down in our oyercoats and caps, with
: the thermometer showing thiriy-ono do.
grees below Zero Yet / had no fear,
no thought even, Of freezing 30 death.
Lying down, as va did, with siinenod
limbs and blistered feet, sleep came Ia
US by the sheer force Of fatigue
did not awake until about eleven
o'clock, when ! was aroused by a sharp
blow from the hhlf-breed, Layie. He
told me that i was growing much colder,
and that the wind had voered. Hastily
rising, we shifted about, and then crept
back under the blankets, Lavie on the
WindWard side. / soon feel asleep.
/ awoke again, as nearly as cnn judge
about half-paEt twelve o'clock, 10 q gen,
eral consciousness Of increasing cold. /
found myself shiYering oil over. Upon
speaking 10 my companion, discovered
ilnt he was wide awake he bad been
unable 10 sleep. He told me he had en-
deayOred to coax the sledge dogs upon
the blankets but, having been repeat
edly driven from that comfortable posi-.
ton on previous nights, they had refused
his oyertures. The gale seemed b have
increased in violence, and the minute
particles Of snow interfered uncomfort-
ahAg with respiration. The cold WIS SO
intense as % produce q singing sensa-
tion in the nostrils aud a dTyness Of the
throas whenever the head Was exposed.
/ took the thermometer from the snow by
my head, aud found il indicating, as wen
as could make out by the uncertain
Light. forty-foHr degrees below zero.
Covering ourselves up As snHgly as pos
sible, and lying close 70 each other, we
talked fof d time about the severity Of
the storm, and its probable duration
then gradually reiapsed into silence.
recall feeling the skin on my arms and
limbs it was cold 10 the touch. NV
bones, too, were cold, and / seemed -
feel their articulation distinctly over
every portion q the body. They gave
me the impression 81 foreign substance
which had been introduced somehow into
the flesh, and which had lot a. yet been
raised to aa equal temperature with the
bodily tissues
Soon / was conscious 81 growing
colder; my limbs, especially, felt heavier
and chillieF. A peculiar sensation, as
Il the flesh for the depth Of a quarter or
half al inch WAS fIozel solid and the
epngealment rapidly extending 10 the
bone, began to creep over ME. The
bones themselves nc times felt like red
hot iron bars; then as suddellv became
cold again. InOtice1, also. an increased
labor in tie action IL the heart. and
could distinguish the puisaiions very
easily. Al every tbrob seemed to feel
the blood strike the end Of tie veins and
arteries u the extr mites. This after a
time prOdueel a slight dizziness In the
head. and a laborei respiration.
As the leaden hours sent ca, the
sensation Of surface freezing. felt before
Ia the limbs. extended 10 the trunk OF
the body. Ny thoughts, hitherto 80
versatile, grew less connected, changing
frequently from subject to subject, and
finally narrowing down 10 nav own
suherings. noticed that I.avie spoke
10 me more frequently than before, and
shook me repeatedly. Yet even then
had no thought Of danger.
During this whole time. covering 2
period OF two hours or more, wns
shiverng and shaking without intermis-
sion. / repeatedly eDdeavorcd t0 con
trol my nerves, aud lie quietly in one
position but the effort. although de-
terminel, WIS of mo avail in a few
minutes ] was shaking as violently as
before Al last noticed that I WAS
becoming qnieter, but that The mental
suffering was greater. NV only thought
now was - Fet warm. No earthly pos
session was toe dear nov 10 be sacrificed
for heat.
II
get warn--that Is, had the sensation
Of returning warmth and comfort.
Pinching the flesh in several places pro
duced only a numb, prieklp feeling,
similar 70 that when a limb is asleep.
But l was comfortable and happy now.
because ! was warm. grew angry with
my oompanioa because OF his unwearied
thumps and tie answers he required 20
his questions He bored me. / wanted
70 be let alone, i wanted % lie quite
sfill and dreim. Fully conscious that IL
vent 10 sleep should never awake, 1
was perfectly willing, auxious, 90 20 60
sleep. / even recall picturing drowsily
10 myself how / should look in the
morning when I was dead.
As grew warmer, ceased 90 pay at
tentiou 30 the thRmpings Of NV COM
panion, or 10 bis questions, gathered
myself up and lay thinking how CON-
Portable I was. Pretty soon / began 30
doze. then TO awake suddenly, when /
received more severe blow than usual.
/ awoke once more, % see the half breed
sitting up aud bending eagerly over my
face-and then / was desd. Sensation,
vOliiion. al intelligence, had left me.
In thirty or forty minutes. an hour at
most, the paralysis would extend from
the brain into tne spinal system, stop
ping the function Of respiration, and the
living action would cease for good.
From this living death / was aroused
hy what seemed 20 me q most unpro-
volled assault The powerful half breed,
holding me in an iron grasp 10y the col
lar. was engaged in kicking and cutting
my limp body in the most savage manner.
Several times / became conscious of
undergoing this severe treatment, only
70 drop down and fall asleep again the
moment he relaxed his hold. At length,
however, he persistently kicked and
culfed me until, annoyed beyond en-
duranoe, I began feebly to retaliate.
Yet it was fully half an hour before /
began in the least TO comprehend that
anything extraordinary had occurred.
True, / saw a fire blazing brightly,
about which was curled ina seni-circle.
I saw LAVE examining my hands and
feet carefully. saw that the bedding,
with the exception Of the robe / Law
upon, was thrown aside, yet / felt no
surprise or curiosity.
After time, however, ] regained con-
sciousness sufficiently to understand
that, finding me fast freezing, and not
10 be awakened, the half breed had hast
ily made a fire Of one of the sledges, the
heat of which he had augmented consid-
erably by feeding it with the pemmican,
which was more than half buffalo fat,
and burned readily. He had then drag
ged me, totally unconscious, TO the fire,