Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-08-29
sNOW-BOUND.
IN Adventure In the Sie1TGs


IN Adventure In the Sie,4as.
Twice in my experience as a miner in
California have been bound in by i'm
passable barriers of snow on the foot
hills of the Sierra Nevada. The first
time I had a single companion. Wehad
been mining in an isolated but rich
gulch, where we had constructed rude
cabin. We knew nothing at that time
of the great snow-storms Of the Sierra,
so we had neglected to lay in provisions
OR fuel, and up to this time had procured
wood from the scattering pine trees on
the mountain side, but on rising one
morning we found at least two feet of
snow fallen. It continued all day long,
and when we rose next morning we
found our one little window darkened.
We managed to make hole through
corner of the roof of our cabin, when
down came wagon load of snow and in
came food of light! We succeeded
in shoveling away the snow from the
roof and cut of our cabin, but the snow
kept on coming down all day, and on
the arrival Of the next day we were again
in darkness, and again we toiled for
light. During this day the storm
abated, but the snow had fallen to
depth of more than ten feet, and we
were prisoners.
Here for three weary weeks we were
compelled to stay. We had burned up
every scrap of furniture in our cabin
except the long boards on the bottom of
our hunks. Even the thinking and
clapboards on the inside of our cabin
and the handles of our shoyels and tools
were consumed. Our meat had been
gone more than week, and we had
eaten all our beans and were entirely
destitute. 1t had showed every day
little, SO as to keep the snow soft on top,
and it was impossible to walk through
it, OF in any way change our location Or
situation.
We could see nothing before us but
death, either from cold or starvation.
Each looked upon the other with suspi-
cion; each thought the other would
take his life if he could without losing
his own. This was our horrible condi-
ton, when suddenly the hole above our
heads was darkened, and we heard
voice say, els there anybody down
there?" A shout of joy and surprise
was the response.
"Who are you, and how did you get
here I'VE asked.
'sI am 'Snowshoe Thompson. I came
here on snow-shoes," he answered.
"Help us out; we are starving"
In another minute Thompson was in
our midst. He gave us some cheese and
crackers, which we eagerly devoured.
He asked us if we had any tools out of
which he could make for us each pair
of snow-shoes. We had burned the
handles of all our tools except hand
saw and drawing knife. He took these,
however, and out of the long boards
which composed the bottoms Of our
hunks soon shaped for us each pair Of
snow-shoes. They were about twelve
feet long and four inches wide, shaped
so as to turn up at the front end, some
what like sleigh-runner; pieces of
leather were tackled across the center,
into which the Travellers feet are
slipped.
After you learn how to travel with
these, you find that the process is SINH
lar to skating. To the best Of my recol-
lection, at my first essay felt much as
should suppose toad would feel on
stills. After a series of eyolutions that
would puzzle professional acrobat, I
got fairly under weigh. I can give you
no idea Of the exhilaration produced by
a wild, frenzied rush through the air, as
it were, upon snow-shoes. I started
down slight slope Of the mountain
with no ambition to out-run the wind,
or professor Snow-shoes either, I
can assure you. It was glorious, SO I
thought, as I sailed along at moderate
speed, with no effort except to try to
guide the machine with long, slim
pole which Snow-shoes had loaned
me, but when I commenced going down
steep side of the mountain, and shot
forward like an arrow from the strong
bow Of an archer, it was no longer so
glorious. The velocity with which I
Travelled was marvellous. I was unable
to clearly distinguish objects which I
passed. An occasional pine tree shot
past me with zip like cannon bal,
and made my brain whirl.
Down I went, faster and faster. l
shot across table-land, or level space;
at speed somewhat abated; then I
started up slope Of the mountain; then
I came to steep place, and then my
snow-shoes stopped, but I went on