The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-01-30
IN CANADA.
Edward Stevenson Among th,
Canucks.
A Good Country for Sleigh.riding.

CANADA, January 20, 1884.
Editors Herald:
After writing last month I have
seen portions of three counties of
the province of Ontario, and will be
able to say something of the coun-
try and climate of this part of Can.
ada, but as Elder J. w. Beckstead
and my self are filing q missionary
appointment in this country, you
will excuse US for giving a detail of
both. On November 30th was fur
nished the first use for the jingling
sleighbells. Some slight SHOWS had
fallen previously, bat not like unto
the 18th, which lasted only about
one week. The country abounds
with cutters and sleighs, and a
Canuck would just about as econ
think of doing without wife
or a hat as without a cutter,
and of course something 70
pull it, and the faster the better,
especially when it is swapping cold.
l have heard about swapping cold
weather, but had to come to Canada
to find the Interpretation of it. It
was on December 22nd that we took
our first lesson. We are living in q
two-stOry brick house, and within
four or five feet of it is cheese fac
tory built of wood; during the night
we began to hear swapping sound
occasionally and beginning just
previous to our retiring, perhaps 10
p. M; the swapping increased until
it began to pop; and before morning
the swapping and popping became
quite alarming. The floor down
stairs snapped, the portico on the
east and the roof of the house
snapped and popped, and you ought
to have:deardIthe snap and pop of the
old cheese house. [ believe one
would have thought instead OF
Christmas the glorious Fourth had
popped in; some friends calling in to
see us soon after explained that
when it got zeal cold the fences !
popped, the bush SIS it is called here,
Climber land or trees) popped ar d
split, some of them clear down TO |
the roots. Thus we learned what |
swapping cold weather was.
This is the time that fast horses
and jingling bells 60 ard are in
good demand. On these occasions
the gents, and often the ladies, are
wrapped up well in fu.s aud coon |
skins, (of which the country |
abounds), and it is not at all infre
quent that the sterner sex have |
large heavy buffalo coats. Although |
many pride themselves on fair fast
teams, [ have not seen a single |
sleigh race in Canada. Perhaps |
there is very good reason, how
ever for this. The roads are mar
row and turnpiked, and when the
snow road is packed, to get out of |
the read means business, as some |
call it. The horses think so, at least, !
when they go down sometimes to
their sides, through a sharp crust |
just keen enough TO fetch blood.
Some times in passing on those snow
roads people have to lift, dig and
tramp snow and help each other
back into the road. When it is very
bad horses sometimes get killed,
or have legs broken. At
the worst times when the snow
is very deep there are side places
occasionally made to turn out, and
the law cOmpels careful passing. |
Also if person with faster team
than the one in front asks the other
to give the road, the other Is com.
PEELED by law and fine to supply at |
the first convenient opportunity.
About the goth of December eight |
inches Of snow afforded week of
good sleighing, and since the 3rd
of January we have had about three /
feet of snow or the level and six
feet in drift with occasional squalls.
Often the roads are made through |
the fields, as in some cases the snow
is drifted even with the fences. 1t
is said that this has been one Of the
hardest months experienced for
many years, land more than th q usual
amount of snow has fallen. On the
Sd inst. a woman four miles from
here frOze to death, and about that
time four other persons in this
province were also frozen TO death
one Of them, an old lady, froZe stiff |
in her house-an Old one made of
logs.
Since writing last we have had
nine public meetings in three coun-
ties, with an attendance of from
eighty to 250. except the first one,
In a small new schoolhouse, when
there were but fifty. We have
travelled 270 miles, mostly on foot
have found many very intelligent,
Woodworking people. On one occa-
sion we had to wade snow two miles
and it took two hours. We ESCAPED
very well, as we only froze our ears
slightly. | am quite satisfied that
because OF the low altitude and !
dampness. IS degrees below zero
will be more severe AMI fresZe sooner
than 40 IL Utah. People work hard
down here, five months to feed cut
n seven months. Il
EDWARD STEVENSOE,