River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1890-11-06
WINTER ON PIXIES PEAK
A United States Signal Servics
Mans Thrilling Tale.


either up or down the mountains, and
the oaly communication with the out
side word is by wire. One man takes
charge of the station in summer and two
in winter My duties were to begin
with the winter season. / reached the
station the first day of October, where
found my companion for the winter
awaiting me. His name was Harry
Sands. lie was a good-looling, bright,
iovial fellow from somewhere down in
Maine. He was fully six feet tall, with
a physique that seemed to bid defiance
to fatigue and exposure. If any one
had told me then that lie would be the
first to succumb to the rigors of that
terrible winter | should have laughed
at the idea, for / was at that time by no
means robust and unaccustomcd to hard
ships of any kind.
The station is located just a little be-
low the extreme top of the peak. 1t is
low, one-story log building about
twenty feet square. Around it on three
sides is stacked at that season, almost
as high as the cabin itself, tho supply
of wood for the winter To keep the
roof from being blown off rocks are laid
upon it in different places and two i'm
mense chains are strung across and fast
ened to tho ground at either side. The
interior is divided into two rooms by a
rough board partition. In the larger
| one the men eat, sleep and do their
work. The other is used as a store
room.
The weather did not begin to get very
cold that year until about December l..
1t kept getting colder and colder until
one morning between Christmas and
New Years the thermometer registered
sixty degrees below zero-a spirit Their
mometer, of course. 1t was so cold that
in spite of all we could do the water
would freeze an inch or more in the
cabin every night. So high was the
wind and binding the snow-storms that
often for a week at time we were m
able to go outside to take observations.
One morning the latter part of Janu-
airy Harry got up looking very pale. lie
would not eat any breakfast. and before
dinner time be was back in bed again,
| complaining OF terrible headache. BY
evening he was in raging fever. SO
delirious did he become that at times
it was as much as | could do to hold
him in bed. gave him such medicine
as thought he needed; and many an
hour | spent porting over the look of IN
struc lions accompanying the chest in
search Of proper remedy. But no5hlng
gave him seemed to do him any good.
One day early in February went out
side to remove some sticks of wood the
wind had blown against the door. | left
Harry sleeping soUndly, and, ] thought,
more naturally than at any time during
his sickness Returning few minutes
later, found him sitting in front of
the telegraph instrument with his hand
upon the key. But the effort had evil
IDENTIFY been too much for him; his head
lay upon his chest, and he was trembling
all over with weakness. ] had hardly
got him back TO bed when he began to
sink rapidly, and in less than half an
hour he was dead As soon as | had re-
covered a little from the shock / started
TO telegraph the news to Colorado
/ Springs. ! gave the customary signal
upon the key, but received no answer;
| repeated it. still no answer. |
thought it very strange l knew the
operator at Colorado Springs was al
ways in his office at that hour Again
and again | tried, but with no better
success. | made careful examination
| Of tae instrument, the batteries and all
connected with it, but could find moth
/ ing wrong. Then came the awful
| thought: The wire was down or broken
somewhere in the mountains" 1t was
/ M I LODI to aI-
| nit mat such must be the case. Bury
ing my face in my hands, | wept like a
child. The prospect certainly was a
/ terrible one. The probability was |
/ should be cut off from all communica-
/ ton with the world for two full months
or more.
The next morning | wrapped up
fiarry's body in a couple of blankets
and buried IL few yards from the
/ iabin, among the rocks in protected
/ part of the peak. My loneliness then
began in earnest Such days and nights
/ As | put in! Ny only diversion was
reading and taking observations Every
| ,sy at the customary hour | would try
the telegraph instrument, hoping that
communication might possibly have
been re-esta blished. Every day the
same disappointment My great fear
Vas that should lose my reason.
| One night about three weeks after
Iiarry's death was Weakened up by what
/ sounded like the distant bowling of
some wild animal. For moment or
/ two the Sound was lost Then 1T re-
turned louder than ever. The next min
, I he's a ~ a
/ service telling me when be heard / was
| going to Pixies Peak TO look out for the
/ coyotes. Coyotas are somewhat smaller
/ than the ordinary wolf, and are called
| by many people barking wolves, owing
/ 20 the peculiar nature of their cries.
aad never heard them before. My
/ opinion was that the kean-nosed brutes
| pad scented Harry's boiy, and had come
.c ievour it. Instead Of stopping at the
place whore Harry was buried, they
/ made bee-iine for the cabin. A series
IF most diaboiical yells announced their
arrival. Then | heard something
hump, thun2 against the cabin door.
/ The door was a strong oak one, and,
lelt confident. Won resist any effort
hey could ma%e. However, to make 1t
loudly secure pushed two great heavy
government chests against it. Suddenly
tneir howls ceased. Breathlessly !
awaited Developments. So long did the
,iience continue that l began to think
that they h AL taken their departure. Bat
! | was mistaken, soon heard them upon
! he root Before had tirne TO recover
/ from my astonishment at this change
+ in their tactics / heard one OF the roci
/ that held down the roof roll on to the
ground. ror-strickf | lumpe,. 10
1 my feet. believing nothing now ~oaio
| keep them out> II lacy could roll ~
qua Of those rocks the boards OF the
4 scof wolld be nothing them. plched
AZ gun that hung upon the wall, ana
-aised it toward the ro;f. soon saw
3ne of the boards begin TO move; but
liftle at first, then more and more upf:i
shes;~rliga;. vas plaiply visible through
.he crack, Then il sas sSdaea'y