Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-05-26
LOST IN THE SNOW.
The Terrible Experience of a Man
without Food In the Idaho MOun-
Iains.

The Wood River Times has a lengthy
account of the adventures of Thomas F.
Cox, a miner, who left Bonanza April 10
for Stanley basin, expecting to get work
in the Dlacers at that place. Failing TO OBJ
tain work, he started for Sawtooth City,
distant As miles, and camped on the
night of the 14th at Valley Creek. The
next morning, shortly after stating out.
he met two men from Sawtooth, and
made inquiries about the trail. These
men either misdirected him or he misun-
derstood their directions, for on arriving
at the creek that flows out of Reddish
Lake, he took up that creek instead of
keeping on about six miles fur
ther to Beaver creek. He followed
the creek, arriving at the cabins, at
the head of the lake, about p. m.
Surprising the town was just beyond,
he kept travelling until after dark. Then
a snow storm setting in he became be-
| wildered and wandered about in the tim
| Der near the summit of the Atlanta pass
divide until after midnight Finally he
got his bearings and started back for the
cabins, when he became aware that his
feet were frozen. Throwing away his
roll of blankets, he fastened forward,
making the cabins the second time about
eleven o'clock on the forenoon of the
10th. Hastily building fire. he pulled
off his boots and found both feet frozen.
Not being able to pull on his boots again
he concluded to use the only remedy at
| hand-a snow poultice-to relieve the
pain. He kept his feet pOulticed for four
days, but at the end of that time, finding tho
snow brought no relief, he discontinued
its use. His next thought was to keep a
good lookout for passers by. He would
crawl out of the cabin, take look, and
crawl back again. No sooner back, and
hearing the swaying of the giant pines
that surrounded the cabin and mistaking
that noise for the sound of human
voices, out he would crawl again, only
to return disappointed. During the
long, cold nights. suddenly awakened
from a troubled sleep by the hoarse
| screech of night owl, he would crawl
out in the darkness, hoping for the long
| looked for assistance, only to be more
thoroughly aroused to his real situation.
There being no wood at the cabins to
keep the fire going, he burned up the
Oh board bedstead, cupboard and
other cabin furniture, together with the
CuluhluR lIOlu UClWGCu bnC lORS rs ldI up
as ne could reach, which he knocked out
with an old shOrt-handled axe that he
found. This exhausted he kindled fire
in one corner of the cabin, which burned
the ends off six or seven logs. when the
corner of the house dropped down about
five feet. Putting out the fire with
snow, he kindled fire in the other cor
ner on the same side. which burned
down as did the first, thus getting the
middle of the logs for fuel. About this
time, despairing of assistance pass
ing by, he conceived the idea of
making a pair of hand snow-shoes,
with which to try and crawl to the set
| Element He used the old axe in split
ting and cutting a cabin log to the re-
| quired siZe-about twenty inches long
| by five inches wide-then cut his boots
for hand straps, which he fastened to
the wood with nails he pulled out of
the cabin walls. He then made knee pads
with the remaining parts of his boots,
making them as pulled up and thick as
possible, so as to keep his feet off the
frozen snow when crawling. At last
they were completed, and he was ready
| to make one more effort to save that
which he would have destroyed in his
fits of agony from pain-his life-when
the long -looked-for assistance arrived.
About four o'clock on the afternoon
of the 9th. three men, journeying from
HALEY to Atlanta, started from Saw
tooth, on the Atlanta trail, intending to
camp at the cabins that night and make
Atlanta the next day, some twenty-five
miles On nearing the cabins, one of the
party saw Cox, but mistook him for an
Indian, so black had ne become from
smoke. The joy of the poor frozen,
famished man can be imagined. They
gave him what nourishment they had
with them, and one of the party went
back to Sawtooth for assistance. From
the time Mr.. Cox left Valley Creek till
his discovery. twelve days, he had eaten
but four crackers aud part of box of
sardines. Upon taking the information
to HALEY, where a surgeon was obtained,
it was found necessary to amputate both
feet, so badly were they frozen.