The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1885-03-07
Winter in Manitoba.


From Harper's Bazdr.
The snow outside our house was from
six to ten feet deep from November to
April | tried to wear boots last NoTem-
Der and one Of my feet froze. Moccasins,
made by Indians, Of mooseskin, are used
instead of shoes to cover the feet, which
are first cased in several pairs of stockings.
For travelling on foot, snowshoes are best.
Mittens 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
90 intense that when melted snowwater
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
stick before Che cattle could drink, it froze
so hard whilst being carried distance of
some sixty yards in the open air. My
husband would sometimes come in from a
short visit to the stock-yard with his nose
frozen; indeed, it is rather a common sight
to see people partly frozen. The part at
fected turns as white as marble, and loses
all feeling. Unless you see yourself in
glass, or are told Of it, you are not con-
scious 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,
OF, better still, with parafine oil. Occas-
ionally, 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 neighbor's pony lost its
ears in the same way.
I was surprised when | first found the
mustard freeze in my mustard-pot, which
stood foot from the kitchen stove-pipe
and twofeet above the stove, where there was
a blazing fire all day and every day Though
the winter. Yet the mustard froze between
every meal. Bread froze if left for half
an hour in room without fire. once
left pitcher full of milk in the kitchen
all night, and next morning, 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 lump of it
in tin into the oven, or on the top of the
stove, the first part that melted would burn
to the tin before the rest Of it had thawed.
| managed to melt it by first ehopping the
ice-miIk into very small pieces. Clothes
which had been washed froze before could
hang them on the line to dry | used to
leave them out two or three nights for the
snow and frost to bleach, and they always
needed thawing and drying again when
they were brought indoors Even after
being damped and folded they would freeze
together, and when have been ironing
the top of a pocket-handkerchief the low
er part would freeze to the table, which
was close by roaring fire. Ironing
under these conditions is rather slow work.
Such stories must sound almost incredi-
bic, except to those who, like myself, have
witnessed the facts, though of course, only
in the most severe weather. A bearded
Englishnan who stayed with us last winter
was often forced when he came indoors to
thaw the icicles from his moustache, which
froze to his beard and hindered him from
talking to u.s. A pail of water left in the
kitchen all night would freeze solid to
the bottom before morning. This hap
pened every time one was left for two
months
In such climate every one who can af-
ford it is dressed in fur. The Winnipeg
policemen all dress in buffalo coats down
to their heels in winter The keenest 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 severety-for you live
in a warm house-but its length. Snow
lay on the ground last season for six months
and half, and the great lakes are frozen
for the same period This sounds almost
unbearably tedious to English ears; and
ones eyes grow very weary of the bare,
blank whiteness, and long for something
green to look at; yet the bright, clean, still
frosts, with brilliant sunshine, glorious
skies and moonlit aurora-colored nights
have great conversations of their own