Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-02-13
A NIGHT IN The DRIFTS.
Eighteen Travelling Men Kept Alive
Through Perilous Storm.

lnfQ1Sb ' TcftiCt5 CiOfT-
Old Captain Nay donned his official cap
Monday morning and took charge of the
drawing room coach bound north on the q.
r. 4 l., little thinking be was destined 10 be
showed in for two days and one night. The
trip up the road was made quite easily. aud
trouble was not reached until the engine
struck the snow banks al Walton, on the re-
turn trip. No feadway could be made and
soon the passengers became uneasy; some
were really cross and wanted the Captain 10
20 forward, take tow line and pull the
train through. Just one of tle Captains
side-splittlng yarns was all that was needed
TO restore peace and make the crowd sorry
they had even wished To complain. At
nightfall he found his apartments contained
bat seven gentlemen, but this number, how
ever, was soon increased 10 eighteen; for
eleven travelling men. who had left the other
coaches in search of bed and board. made a
sally into his quarters AMI demanded lodg-
ings. Travelling men are always good-na-
fured and the Captain relates many
humorous stories concerning his e1-
He says: II told the boys my accommo-
dations were not frst-class for night bust
ness, but one thing was certain they were
clean; and / proceeded To make them up
beds on the floor. had just two blankets
in stock-never carry more-and one fellow
would wrap up III these until he thawed out
and then he'd pass them along. In this way
/ made them comfortable until the steam
apparatus got out of order, and if l hadn'i
had this co-kscrew in my pocket every last
one of US would have suffered. A good trav-
cling man always carries bottle
of something TO cure indigestion and
that part of the story must lie touched
upon lightly, my boy No sooner would
half-a-dozen get nicely TO mapping before a
head would bob up and cry for the blankets.
Then all heads would come up and a story
from each was in order" Did you ever
hear lot of travelling men tell storiesf
asked tie Captain. "Well. my boy, tle
en- beat your humble servant most glori-
ously. But | NUT not repeat those yarns.
Just here the Captain remembered he had
not seen square meal for several hours and
he tore away.
The reporter next came across one of the
travelling men of the party. He said: You
know something about Capt. May then dc
yol?' "Well, whether you believe it or not
I've just spent one of the ioliest nights OF
my life. Eighteen of Us tr rvellng men were
snowed-in with the Captain last night. and
had it not been f,r his inexhaustable suppl,
of yarns think we would have all frozen to
death. The CIptain begln telling stories nj
) O'Clock Tuesday night. kapt right on with
ont food or drink until 3 O'Clock Wednesday
morning. He then broke off short in the mid.
die of story. settled back in Il reclining chair
and fell asleep. The silence WAS SO awful
after the continuous uprOar of laughter that
two of Us approached the old gentleman to
ascertain the cause of this sudden break
There he lay fast asleep, and for dead fact
his jaws were going up and down for one
hour and forty-two minutes, while he slept
The machine that was wound up for forty
eight hours. was going, the cog-whees were
all right, bat the vocal organs failed to per-
form their functions