The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-03-04
SENSATION. OF Freezing.

q Anc schSALAouS vi AccLihk Aiu snN@ -
scribed BY = man who recently nearly psEish-
cd from cold in Leadyille, Colorado: = I
VISA three miles mp the gulch, looking after
some prospect holes Il had. up there, and
didn't start for home until quite late. had
no more than started when the snow began
to fall, and In 10 minutes the storm was In
full fury. knew the way we'll, but the
snow fell so thick and fast that all land
marks were soon blotted ont, and 1t was ut
terly impossible to see more than 20 feet be-
fore ones face. After wandering blindly on
for half an hour, the extremely rough and
rocky nature of the path gave me warning
that had strayed far from the proper route.
Up to this time had forced penistently
ahead, but there stopped, my back to the
zusty wind, md tried 70 calmly consider my
situation. Taking the extreme supposision
that had walked in an exactly opposite d.
rection to the right one, could not be over
four miles from home; but in the binding
storm had no assurance whether I would
be right in walking back or forward, right or
left, but finally at random chose the first and
continued my journey straight ahead. Up
to this time had felt no cold, but when
stopped to think, the warmth created by my
active exertions died away and I began to
feel severely the biting air. Beside this the
was plainly falling lower and
my warm breath began to CONCEAL in brittle
icicles in my beard and on my scarf, just in
front of my mouth. Still / walked briskly
on, but somehow my utmost exertions failed
to circulate my blood and warm me as before.
Ten minutes later began to feel stinging
pains In my hands and feet, and the numb
ness that invariably follows extreme cold.
1t was about this time that | noticed that my
eyes seemed swollen and the lids so heavy
that had difficulty in opening them. .~.~
When they were closed, a succession Of
brilliant lights flashed before me, and pres
emily these lights began to appear when
they were open. In every direction / seemed
to see them-green, purple, red, blue and
golden-until with difficulty could trace
the outline Of my hand as held ii before
my face. If staggered before, reeled
blindly now, and when pressed my be-
numbed fingers to my face found 1t covered
with frozen tears. BY this time the pain In
my limbs and feet had grown to the most
intense agony. The prickling sensation felt
at first was gone now, and in Its places . long,
steady, keen pain, as If from great open
wound. At one time groped my way to =
sheltered place beneath some rocks and
pulled my mittens off In vain attempt to
warm my hands by friction. The flesh was
perfectly livid and blue in places, as If it
had already begun to decompose. The nails
were deep blue, and quantities Of blood
seemed to have settled directly beneath
them. Finding 1t impossible to create any
warmth, rose to my feet and walked on.
resolved to die, If die must, in desperate
struggle. ssss. s.-.e.t
The prismatic coiors had new fAded hsabse
m eyes to long parallel bars that seemed
to stretch from the horizon. As / walked
faster noted, too, with joy, that the pain
in my feet was not nearly so intense As be-
fore. attributed this to the rapid circnla-
ton of the blood, but was sadly deceived,
for when / stopped down and touched my
foot it responded no more to the fingers than
a block of marble. Itwas practically dead
Up to this time my mental suffering eqnalled
my physical, but with my stifiening body my
mind seemed to grow dull and torpid too.
Presently I felt no more pain, and q heavy
and drowsy, sensation substituted itself.
This grew stronger, and felt as though 1t
would be heaven itself to sink down into
one Of the snow drifts and 60 to sleep. A
most delicious sense of lasstude and tired
began to creep over me, and it seemed as If
the warm breath Of summer was playing In
my face. knew dimly and vaguely, as
one knows things In . dream, that I was
freezing to death, but had no care or anxiety
about whatever. My ontstretched hand
struck against something. It was the door
a cabin-my own, although ! did not know
it-and falling in, rolled upon the floor.
The next thing remember was the sense Of
awful pain, and, opening my eyes, ! could
see people rubbing me with snow, and
and begged them to desist. The
pain grew keener and more intense, and Il
seemed As II my whole frame was being
rasped apart. felt this pain for days. 4 The
doctors said that ten short minutes more
would have made me frozen corpse. adI ac