The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1884-12-05
A WINTER IN MANITOBA.
EXTREME EIGoR OF THE WEATHER
IN THE NORTHWEST.
Almost Everything Freezing solid Mt
short NOtiCe-StOries OF the Cold
That sound Incredible.

A lady who lived in Manitoba, British
America, describing her experience in
Hdrper's Bazar, says: The snow outside
our house was from six to ten feet deep
from November to April. | tried to wear
boots last November, and one of my feet
froze. Moccasins, made by Indians, of
moose skin, are used instead of shoes to
cover the feet, which are first cased in
several pairs Of stockings. For travel
ing on foot, snow shoes are best. Nit
tens supersede gloves during the winter,
as the fingers, if separated, generally
freeze.
We were forced to melt snow for all
the water we used last winter The cold
was so intense that when melted snow
water was poured from the boiler into
pail, and taken at once across to the
stable, the ice on it frequently had to be
broken with a stick before the cattle
could drink, it froze so hard while
being carried a distance of some sixty
yards in the open air. Ny hus-
band would sometimes come in from
short visit to the stock yard with his
nose frozen; indeed it is rather a COM
mon sight to see people partly frozen.
The part affected turns as white as
marble and loses all feeling. Unless you
see yourself in glass, or are told of it,
you are not conscious of being frozen.
In this plight it is not best to go near
fire, as sudden thawing is very painful.
People generally try friction, rubbing
themselves with snow. or, better still,
with paratiine oil. Occasionally when
one is frozen, and far from help. the
part frozen, if an extremity, will snap
off. My kittens ears froze and broke off
last winter, and a neighbours pony lost
its ears in the same way.
| was surprised when first found the
mustard freeze in my mustard pot, which
stood foot from the kitchen stove pipe
and two feet above the stove, where there
was blazing fire all day and every day
I through the winter. Yet the mustard
froze between every meal Bread froze
if left for half an hour in room without
fire. | once left a pitcher full of milk
IN the kitchen all night, and next morn
ing, on trying to move it, the pitcher
fell to pieces and left the milk standing
solid in its place. We could buy
frozen milk by the pound, frozen
SO intensely that when | put a
lump of it in a tin into the oven or on
top of the stove, the first part that melted
would burn to the tin before the rest of
1t had been thawed. | managed to melt
it by first chopping the ice milk into very
small pieces. Clothes which had been
washed froze before | could hang them
on the line to dry. l used to leave Them
out two or three nights for the snow and
ice 10 bleach, and they always needed
thawing and drying again when they
were brought in doors. Even after being
damped and folded they would freeze to.
gether, and when | have been ironing
the top of a pocket handkerchief the
lower part would freeze to the table,
which was close to roaring fire. Iron
ing under these conditions is rather slow
work.
Such stories must sound almost in
credible, except to those who, like my
self have witnessed the facts, though, of
course, only in the most severe weather.
A bearded Englishman who stayed with
us last winter was often forced when
he came indoors to thaw the icices
from his mustache which froze to his
beard and hindered him from talking to
us. pail of water left in the kitchen
all night would freeze solid to the bot
tom before morning. This happened
every time one was left for two months.
In such a climate everyone who can
afford it is dressed in fur. The Winni-
peg policemen all dress in buffalo coats
down to the heels in winter. The keen
est wind cannot pierce them.
Winter is, of course, not equally severe
throughout. Part of my description APP
plies only to its colder half. But to a
woman the most trying part of a winter
in Manitoba is not its severity-for you
live in warm house-but its length
Snow lay on the ground last season Tor
six months and half, and the great
lakes are frozen for the same period.
Ones eyes grow very weary of the bare,
blank whiteness and long fer something
green to look at; yet the bright, clean,
still frost, with brilliant sunshine, glor-
ious skies and moonlit, aurora. colored
nights, have great compensations of their
own.
Ia.. r