The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1882-12-21
Lost In che snoy.

came near losing his LIE IN Gn0 oierraS
week before last, arrived In this ciGy yes
terday morning. He still suffers from
o badly frost bitten foot, but Is able TO
limp about pretty well. In other res.
poets he looks as hale and rugged rs q
grizzly. 1t appears that he left Bennett
vile, o camp on the west side of tho
mountains, to inspect for Eastern par
ties some mining property on Mount
He had for guide and companion Dan,
McKinnen, o man familiar with the sec.
ton OF country into which they were
going. When they got up to Mount
Gibbs furious snow-sborm set in. The
guide soon lost his way, and for two
nights and two days and q half the two
men struggled In the snow, which was
two feet deep on the level, and in many
places had SD drifted that Il reached
almost breast high.
They had no provisions with them,
and all they had that they could cat was
small pieoe of raw, fat bacon which
they had taken with them for use In
greasing their Snow-shoes. They were
exceedingly hungry the first day, and
divided and ate the bacon raw. After
the first day they did not much feel the
pangs Of hunger, but felt great weak.
ness. They had no blankets and dare
not attempt to sleep. The place was
full of precipices, and the nights being
very dark they could only travel during
daylight. They were obliged to STOP
wherever dark came upon them.
The first night they stopped where
there was some wood, but the next dark
came upon them in place where all was
bare and barren. At distance they had
seen what appeared to be small grove,
far down In Q big canyon, but darkness
came upon them before they could reach
the place. There were so many perpen-
dicular terraces and precipioes in the
place that they dare not venture to 90
on In the dark.
a "cou1cil Of war; was held, and
they decided to split to pieces their snow
shoes making torches Of them, and
push on down to where they had seen
what presented the appearance of u
grove. The pitchy wood of their snow
shoes made excellent torches, but being
filled with grease they burned away rap
idly. The distance to the fiat in the
canyon, where lay the supposed grove,
was much greater than they had antici-
pated; besides, their progress through
the deep snow was slow, and when they
finally came to the fiat their last torch
was almost burned out. Enough of it
| remained, however, to show them that
what they had taken to be a grove was
only Q black patch of sagebrush, the
tops Of which they had seen above the
snow. However, as they could make
sufficient fire with the sage brush tu
keep them from freezing, they decided
to pass the night at the spot. They kept
/ q lyn oil nd ot>z
half the time pulling sagebrush in order
to keep up their fire,
The next day they discovered that
they had got down into Bloody CANYON,
the mouth of which strikes the plains In
the neighborhood of Mono Lake. They
pushed on, wallowing through heavy
drifts and tumbling down the terraces
with which the canyon is filed, it beiue
the toughest pass in the whole range oi
the Sierra Nevada Mountains. During
the day McKinnen became delirious and
MIR. Sperling had great difficulty In get
ting him to travel. He imagined al
manner of things. At one time he dc
clared he saw horse tied to o tree
"There he is,'' cried he; s'don't you set
himP And the dog-there Is "a dog with
the horse. There must be q man near. ,
"rhere Is no tree, no horse, no dog, >
said Mr.. Sporting; ''you only imagine
these things. Come, or we shall perish
1t Is only little way down the can
yon." 1t was necessary to haul McKin
men along the canyon as he persisted Ii
declaring that he saw horse and dog
If Mr.. Sperling could not see them b,
must DO snow blind.
Next McKinnen declared that he saw
man but a little way off with q baske
on his arm. ''He is beckoning us t.
come to him." he said. "Let us 20. H,
is man sent to find US. He has in thu
basket something for us to eat" "Yor
are Mistaken" said Mr. Sperliug
"There is no man there. There /
nothing at ALL" 81 tell you that you ar,
snow blind. There Is man there will
basket, ana no wants US to come t.
him" "Come along" cried Sperling
"there Is ra man, and we shall perish i
we stop here" "No," DRIED Mokinnen
"we shall die If we don't 20 to tn
man. "You are little flighty-a littl
out OF your head" said Sperling; "be
lieve what l tell Yon and come on" 4"
] shall not 60 on. 1 see the man plainl,
! enough. He has basket on his arm
and motions for us to come to him. /
you can't see him you are either blnt
or crazy. have as much right to m,
way as you have to yours, and say le
us go to the mani" Sperling found /
necessary to drag his companion ava,
by force. Soon he became so mucl
worse that he would stop and talk t,
stumps and stones, telling them he wa
lost, and asking them to lead him out o
the mountains.
With infinite toll and trouble Mr.
Sperlng and his companion finall
reached Troy's ranch, near Mono Lake
and all their troubles were soon over
Mr.. Troy was not at home, lat his wifi
did all that any one could have done 70
the two men. MoHinnen came out al
right In mind after he had eaten ant
slept, but still thought he must hav,
seen q horse and dog and man with
basket on his arm.--VIrgintG (Ncv.
Enterprise.