Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-12-25
FIGHTING THE FLAKES.
A TRIP FRoa HIGHLAND THROUGH THE
GREAT SNOW STORM OF 1890.

The impression of the average mind
about Judge in a snow storm, pictures
him comfortably seated on the bench, in a
warm courthouse, dispensing justice. 1t
was not so in the great storm OF last week
with Judge Charles Grattan OF the Staunton
Hastings Court, who is q farmer as well as
a Judge His experience in driving cattle
through the mountains Of Highland in the
greatest snow that has fallen in this section
! in tllirty-three years, which we give below,
will be read with interest
| Thinking perhaps your readers would be
interested in the exploits of couple of cow
boys at fifty and seventy years of age, in the
late storm, [ Will give you our adventures, pre-
missing that the late fall of snow was deeper
than any have ever known. That of 1857
was attended with more wind and the snow
lighter, was more drifted and therefore deeper
in places, but the general fall was less. I
happened to be caught away from home in
both and therefore remember them distinctly,
though the surroundings were very different.
In the first. was snow bound with a beauti-
ful girl in the house, and l, a young man; in
the second, was caught OH the road when
over fifty, With lot OF cattle.
On Monday, December 18TH in company
with Mr. James Jordan, L started to point
four or fivemiles from Mcdowell in Highland
county for the purpose Of bringing home
some of our cattle which we had summered
in that neighborhood. I was riding Texas
pony and my friend mare about 1615 hands.
The day was lovely, so much so that it was
the subject of comment as we logged along.
We noticed from the top of the Shenandoah
mountain that the atmosphere was clearer
than we had ever seen it, and the Devils
Backbone at the lower point of Crabbottom,
and the Sounding Knob just in front Of us, APP
peared more distinctly outlined than ever
before. Arriving at our journeys end, ride
of forty miles, about dusk, we were glad to
gather around the great log fire of our hospi-
table host. I never noticed the heavens stud
ded with more or brighter stars than on that
night. The neXtmorning was overcast and low
ering. We did not get under way as early as
we wished, having to divide our cattle, leav-
ing some, SO that it was near 10 o'clock when
we passed the quiet hamlet Of Mcdowell on
Tuesday morning.
The clouds had been thickening and there
was an occasional fake of SHOW, the solitary
videttes of the coming storm. The weather
had been bracing with the nights cool enough
to freeze and parties were gathering ice on
the Bull Pasture 2}2 inches thick.
DROVE OF TURKEYS ON THE ROAD.
We noticed soon after passing the bridge,
signs of a large drove of turkeys, and over
| took the rear guard half mile from the top
of the Bull Pasture Mountain. The drove
| ever saw. There were in it l 900. They had
been gathered at Monterey. They were in
three divisions, the front one being two miles
in advance of the rear. There was a wagon
with. them which served the double purpose
| Of carrying rationS and as an ambulance for
disabled turkeys. they must have been
caught at Shaw's Fork, and doubtless are
there still.
EIGHTEEN INCHES OF SNOW.
About II A. NJ. the snow began in better
earnest but not to seriously inconvenience us
that day. The cattle were strong, it was COOL
and we made excellent time and by sunset
had reached our camping place for the night,
a mile or more east Of John Peers famous
wayside inn, where we fed that night The
snow was about inches. Our long drive,
about twenty three miles, prepared US for a
good sleep and we were antonished in the
morning to find the snow IS inches deep and
still falling and the wind blowing fiercely.
| We mounted and got under way about A. NJ
with an unbroken track interpreting at every
wagon stand we passed to find that some We
hicle had put in before us. We were disap-
pointed in this until we reached the Buckhorn,
four OF five miles. A solitary wagon had pre-
ceeded u.s. but this we overlook in two miles
and passed.
At jennings Gap we turned Off the Staun-
ton road to the left, in the direction of Par
nassus, and struggled on-for it now became
a struggle-With two OF three of the largest
cattle in front and the rest strung out in sin
gle file. The snow got deeper and the drifts
higher until entering narrow lane a mile
and half from the point where we had left the
road, l driving the rearlot, looked up through
the driving snow and saw my old friend and
his gray mare in the midst of a drift.
BREAKING THE TRACK.
1t was so amusing to see the old gentleman
who had more the build of Sancho Fanza than
Of Don QuiXote, violently kicking his legs to
free his feet from the stirrups that [ could
not help laughing. After dismountlng and
tramping the snow down, he extricated his
steed and having With difficulty found van
tage ground from which to mount, we COW
boys held council of war. Like the valor
Gus Pope our headquarters were in the saddle
and like Pope the best thing seemed to us tt
retreat, which we did, and arriving again a
the gap found our wagon had gone into win
ter quarters, so that with loss of 8 miles W.
set out again On the Staunton road breaking
the track.
STICKING IN A DRIFT.
Matters We're now getting serious. TIL
snow had been falling fiercely all day, so tina
you could not see before or on either side O
you more than 800 yards. The pines wer
: heavily laden and looked like sheeted ha.
stacks, and ever and anon as weslowly wend
: ed our way through the woods the loud cracl
i of some overladen tree sounded like solitar.
picket firing his farewell shot as he fell bacl
on his support. But we knew there wer
wagons at Lambert's a mile ahead, and if W
could reach that point we hoped to find TIL
track broken, so we plodded on. On reaching
Lamberts we found six wagons and two hors
jersey that had passed us the day before ant
reached this point and could go no further
Here we gave up a II hope OF any relief in tn
way Of track breaking. and we pressed stead
, ly, but slowly onward. We passed the vii
II lage of Churchyille, which gave no sign o
life save that all the male youth of the plac
seemed to have gathered on the store platforr
d to wonder what was to be the upshot of thi
wild goose chase. Slowly and cautiously W
d moved along, without further adventure unit
Il a mile OF more beyond, in the woods of MI
+I.,f ,.r4 ln4 ,5al,T In
II driving, stuck fast in drift. This meant II