The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-02-25
now II FEELS TO FREEZE.
Acute Pains Followed by Very Sat-
isfled Condition Of Mind.
Minneapolis Tribune.

MluueapO10 1I1Duue.
Early in January, 1854, I left Red
Wing in company with s. ]. Willard,
John Day and Albert Olson for place
fourteen miles distant, near where Vasa
Church now stands, for the purpose of
cutting and hauling logs preparatory for
our settlement at that point the following
Spring. 1t was clear, beautiful day,
with the thermometer 20 degrees above
zero. We had span of good horses, q
sleigh partly loaded with lumber, forage,
and provisions for few days.
We arrived at the spot just before
dark, and camped in q ravine well shelf
cred with timber. After making our
selves comfortable with good supper
and blazing log fire, all four laid down
to sleep on bed made on the snow, with
thin layer of hay laid on top of some
boards, and were we'll wrapped up in
blankets. During the night the temper
AZURE changed to terrible cold, the
thermometer falling to As degrees below
zero, as we learned afterward. Had we
known this and kept our fire burning,
there would, of course, have been no
danger. But being very comfortable we
all fell asleep early in the night, and
were unconscious of the danger we were
in until awakened by the pain of intense
cold, and then we were so overcome with
the cold that we lacked power 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 a needle in every pore, but free from all
mental anxiety except dull conc, ption
of something wrong and desire to get
up, but without sufficient energy to do so.
This feeling, however, did not last long,
and subsidized gradually into one of quiet
rest and satisfaction until consciousness
ceased altogether, and without any strug
gle or pain, either bodily or mental. We
had all reached that stage when, by an
accident, the arm and bare hand of Mr..
Day, who lay on the outside, fell in the
snow. This started the circulation in
his body, and gave him such intense
pain that he quickly aroused himself and
got on his feet, and of course we were all
saved. 1t took long time before we
could use our limbs sufficiently to re
build the fire, and during that time we
suffered much more pain than We had be-
fore. l am satisfied from that experience
that person perishing in that way has
very easy death, because he sinks gradu-
ally into stupor, which bunts his SEN
sibility both to physical pain and mental
agony long before life becomes extinct
1t was about so degrees in the morning
when we got up; we did not lie down
again or attempt to haul out building
logs, but started in few hours on bee
line for ravine that would lead us back |
to Red Wing. 1t was struggle of life
and death to get across the rolling prairie,
and had the cold been accompanied by
blizzard we would not have got across.
To keep warm we looks turns to walk
or run behind the sleigh, and Mr.. Will
lard was walking when he was suddenly
missed and the team turned back, follow
ing its tracks short distance to hill
side, where we found him sitting down
In the snow, apparently comfortable and
with no desire to move. He rather cen
sured us for coming back after him,
claiming that he was all right. and would
have come along when he got ready, but
the fact was that he was already so stup-
efied with the cold that he would never
have made any exertion 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 our
selves and the horses. That was the
coolest day of that year, aud to me the
coolest in the history of Minnesota.