The Portland daily press., 1888-04-26
How it Feels to Freeze.
Minneapolis Tribune.


Early in January, 1854, left Red Wing in
company with S. ]. Willard, John Day, and
Albert Oleson for place IA miles distant.
near where Vasa church now stands, for the
purpose of cutting and hauling logs prepar-
ing for our settlement at that point the COM
ing spring. 1t was clear, beautiful day,
with the thermometer 200 above zero. We
loaded with lumber, forage, and provisions
for few days. We arrived at the spot just
before dark, and camped in ravine well
sheltered with timber. After making our
selves comfortable with good supper, and
a blazing log fire. all four laid down to sleep
on a bed made on the snow, with thin layer
of hay on top of some boards and were all
well wrapped up in blankets. During the
night the temperature changed to a terrible
cold, the thermometer falling to AS below ze-
ro as we learned afterward. Hadwe known
this and kept our fire burning, there wou Id,
of course, have been no danger. But being
very comfortable we fell asleep early In the
night. and we're unconcious of the danger we
were in until awakened by the pain of in
tense cold, and then we were already so
overcome with the cold that we lacked pow
er or energy to get up or even to move.
Comparing notes afterward we found that
all had experienced like sensation, namely
first. an acute pain, like the point of
needle in every pore, but free from all men,
tai anxiety except dull conception of
something wrong and desire to get up but
without sufficient energy TO do DO so. ms
feeling, however, did not last long, and SUD-
sided gradually into one OF quiet rest ana
satisfaction until consciousness ceased alto
gether, and without any struggle or pain,
either bodily or mental. We had all reached
that stage when, by accident, the arm and
bare hand of Mr.. Day, who lay on the out
side, fell in the snow. This started the cir
culation in his body, and gave him such in.
| tense pain that he quickly aroused himself
and got on his feet, and of course we were
| all saved. 1t took a long time before we
| could use our limbs sufficiently to rebuild the
| fire. and during that time we suffered much
| more pain than we had before. am satls-
| fed from that experience that person per-
| ishing in that way has very easy death,
| because lie sinks gradually into a Stupor,
which blunts his sensibility both to physical
pain and mental agony long before lie be-
| comes extinct. 1t was about 90 degrees IN
| the morning when we got up we dld not ne
| down again or attempt to haul out any Duilu-
ing logs. but started IN tew hourS on a pee
| line for a ravine that would lead us back to
| Red Wing. 1t was struggle OF lie and
| death to get across the rolling sprairle, and
had the cold been accompanied by blizzard
| we would not have got across. 10 keep
| warm we took turns to walk or run behind
the sleigh. and Mr.. Willard was walking
| when he was suddenly missed and the team
| turned back, following its track short dis
| tance to hill side, where we found him SIT
ting down in the snow, apparently comfort
able and with no desire to move He rather
censured us for coming back after him, claim
that he was all right, and would have come
along when he got ready, but the fact was
that he was already so stupehed with the
ertion to move. After drive of ten miles
we arrived at the first and only inhabited
house between Vasa and Red Wing, and It
was high time that we found shelter, both
for ourselves and the horses. That was the
coldest day of that year. and TO me the cold
est in the history of Minnesota.