The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1888-04-05
wagon for fear the blankets and buifa-
10 robes would be swept away.

now naa the storm at our back,
and the wind. which hOwled ike =
thousand fiends. blew the wagon be-
fore il, forcing the horses 10 walk
along until we were rIow,led on the
hard beaten road and almost upset.
when the wagon wcut down the snowy
embankment out ON Ia the prairie.
The cold became intense. Snow as
tine as -four Sifird under our wraps.
got under our clothes-in fact. could
feel il down in INV stockings almost
freezing the life out 81 me. For few
minutes the sensation was simply hor-
rible. We became hewildercd and lii
not know ia what Arerii"n 10 20 should
we get the horses To- move ON. We
knew the direction Of the storm when
il first came. bu; billiards always
change few points o. the north or
west Besides. even II We could w.
sumo Our journey. there was 4 prohs-
bility that We would mis- the town ell
tirelv aud De- frozen or force Ia stay
out on the prairie until morning. Our
only hope lav in the fact that there
were a few Ranches Just outside Of the
town with wire fences inclO>ing the
cultivated fields W.. were sure Ia run
against the fences unless we lost our
reckoning entirely and double back on
our course.
But We soon found that the storm had
only Just begun. II Increased in vio-
lenee every minute. and the temprra-
ture ran down tO What seemed twenty
eight or thirty degrees below zern Al
last We got the horses 9" move by get
ting out Of the wagon and leading them.
The dog. however. did not follow ~.
They STAYED IN the wagon under the
seats. believe they would have been
blown away then hal they left the
wagon. The only way We managed to
stand was by hanging On to the horses.
] tried Ia mount one 81 the animals.
while the deliver attempted 10 climb
upon the other. hu' it Wa> impossible To-
remain there. We would have been
frozen 10 death ~ ten minutes. 50 We
kept the horses hrtWrru ourselves aud
the wind, hat might rs we'll have had u
sieve.
We continued drifting along until
we reached what SEEMED to be- = giilrh
or ditch, which Vas half filled with
snow, and here. with Il great effort,
we unhitchcd tn. horses from the
wagon. which wu~ left behind. We
tumbled down the steep emhankmrut
and got acrn>> 10 somehow, and
struggled on To- keep from freezing.
fell something brush against my lrg.
but could >,.t. nnthing, it WIS - dark.
/ put down mv hands. aud to my joy
found the dog were with u. Il made
me positively happy for moment. he
cause knew they would keep Ii warm
for a little tim- should the inevitable
hour come that night.
The storm increased. the cold grew
more intense. and s"i mp alongside
the driver. put INV mouth Ia hi ear
that he might hear mr and Told him
that COULD not stand il mnrh longer.
The man had SEEMED tn me grulI
surly fellow. with thick head and
very little Intelligence. "n the previous
day. but WHEN he said in ur ia That
bowling storm:
brace up. old man. and keep m"v-
ing. We will get out all right.
thought he was the greatest man had
/ ever known.
After that We moved al"n" before
the gale. very slowly il seemed tn inr.
and vet 10 Times felt - il were ilv-
ing. ~ furious did ih,. wind beat upon
us. All the iieuiS II hell SEEMED ." Dee
in that storm. have >rrn many a
gale at >ed. b,rn Shipw r.rkrd twice.
but nothing in nv experience APP
prOache> the trrrihl,. yi"l,1c,. of that
night irlt my feet freeing. then
they grew very numb. aud at last it
seemed - If were vllhiu. 81. W",.len
sticks.
Pains began o" -h,ui ~, '"wapl my
body. NV head fell ~ 10 would burst.
and then -nddsul, lo"kiu. oui. or- try
ing 10 look into the hlarbur~~ Of the
night. S,w the ~iiiiu.-r",m az hum,
with rearing tire in the Stove. the
children seated around IL and nv wife
anNiOu~ly lopk iu@ 90 the rlvrk
Then all hrcame black aud remrm-
her only that th. d".~ we're on my
neck. When awake IL wa- broad
daylight. Where wa- had me- ilea.
For a mnmrni S,,.mrl tn o.. ia a
room; hut. ar"u~iu. my self. saw q
patch 81 blue SKY through q little hole
which ! found Wa iu the SHOW On
each side 81 me urr' the dow~. Rails
ing myself up "n INV 'lI,ow diScuv-
cred that ! WIS buried 100 snow. q nj.
digging lr,und q lire. { presently
found the driver fl-l asleep. lie. too.
to pull him ont. huI my feet were
frozen So that ! could not stand. The
dogs howled piir"n~ly - they scratched
away the snow from the driver until
they awoke him. H. "lcne,i hi~ eyes
and said in solemn. husky voice:
'-Glad 60 see yuu. old man: knew we
would come ont all right
With great diiliruiiy h. made me- I'M
derstand that we had fallen into one #
the deserted dusoui~ "n ranch near
the town where q rlnchman had for
merly kept hi~ potai",.-- The door had
been left open. and wc had stumbled in.
Where the horses were I could not see
The snow which hld drifird into the
dugoui kept ~ from freezing io death.
The entrance 10 the dugout was nOi
large enough for the horses % get into.
and, besides. they had undoubtedly
scented danger and kept away. After
several attempts at ihawing myself out
by the heat If the dog~. got hold # q
cottonwood stake that had been left in
the cellar aud raised my -elf up 80 that
/ could look out. II was clear. beau
tiful day. bat the snow WAS blowing
about like sand. 1nd the temperature
was MANY degrees colder than il WIS
during the night. { knew thai the tenn
perature was still going down. Il we
escaped alive We must get out. III n
] tried To raise up the driver. lie could
not move. His feetwrre frozen and one
Of his hands looked liz. CHASTITY white
wax when pulled dawn hi glove. lie
told me to leave him with the dogs and
see II there was not hnn-r near by.
had on two pairs # heavy gloves. and.
wrapping a half-frnzen buffalo robe
around me. with great difficulty
craMlel nnf int. fhl. nl.tll mir N 80