The Forrest City times., 1891-04-17
SNOWSHOE POST-ROUTES.
PERILS OF THE ROCKY NOUN
 TAIN MAIL SERVICE.
Carriers Who Bravo Many Oar gers ia Supplying Mining Csmps-Tncy Must Know the Peaks,
 Passes and Canyons

mail and many precious packages that
 always fill tho pouch. Delivering the
 mails in the mountains in midwintor is
 q difficult and dangerous work. Some
 times the carrier is swept away by q
 snowslide, and months roll away before
 .he brave fellow and his pouch are found
 About fifty of these mountain mail
 carriers lose their lives yearly on the
 dangerous trails in Colorado carrying the mails on snowshocs to the frontier
 mining camps. In Utah. Idaho. and
 other parts of the West in the same
 manner they forco their way over the
 lofty ranges.
 Tho carrier in the frontier of tho
 Rocky Mountains straps the mail sack
 on his back. puts on his Norwegian snowshoes. and, with long guiding
 pole, starts on his weary climb over tho range. Usually thorc is crowd
 Rt the postofiico to wish him good luck.
 Only men of known strength and cour-
 ago can do this work, for twenty-five
 pounds Of letters. papers, and packages
 become very heavy and burdensome in
 climbing the mountains.
 These carriers know the peaks pass
 es and trails as wel as tho city carriers
 do the streets and numbers of their dis
 tricts. But sometimes tho storms arc so severe that even tho old mountain
 eer grows weak with his heavy burden
 and sinks almost exhausted in the ob-
 scure trail. With Q compass in his
 hand, he carefully feels his way along
 tho precipices and dangerous places.
 and often the storm is so severe and
 blinding that ho is compelled to find shelter under some friendly cleft or dig for himself bod in the snow
 banks. Although their great ovcrcoats
 and clothing may look rough, yet their
 underwear would please the fancy of the asthetic. The most of them havo silk underwear On reaching the sum- init of tho mountains tho carrier shoulders tho pole, and, placing his snowshocs closo together, begins his decent
 The o|d-timcrs on tho trails will go down the mountain with tho swiftncss of the wind, q luile a minute. But woe to the one who is inexperienced, for
 out slips the guiding pole, up come snow shoes, and the unfortunate car
 rier. mail sack and all, goes rolling down the mountain. Sometimes tho ice aud
 SLOW arc as hard and smooth as glass. The perilous trip brings him to some little mining camp nestled in the
 mountains. What joyful greeting he receives. There arc people there from the East. far away New England. and the sunny South. Sometimes he is delayed by the storm on the range,
 and alrcady the e1en of tho camp have
 been searching for him. fearing that he had been lost or swept away b. the terrible snow slide. The villagers collect, and ail ;tro eager to lcara the latest news ;lnd read their letters. Ferehaucc tho carrier has other points
 to reach. Tho pouch is opened and tue m.tu poncd out on the floor. Tue froatier postmaster picks out what belongs to his office. and tho rest is put into the pouch. to bo carried still further 10 i:S dcstinu,ioE.
 Swan Nilseu. the Swcdc mail oarricr of the San Juan. was lost in Il snow slide Dec. 2S, 1862, and was not found for nearly two years. His ron,e was from Silverton to Ophir. Only the
 bravest would attempt tho trip through Il storm. Nilsson was warned against making tho attempt. X terrible storm
 was raging between Silvertou and Ophir. and those who had been longest iu the Rocky mountains told him he | could no. reach Ophir in that mountain tempest. But Nilsson would not listen
 to thcir warnings. and even il il were perilous he must go.
 AL Ophir the miuers of the camp were waiting and longing for the ap- pearance of the faithful letter carrier. Christmas cvc camo. but still Swan mountain trails, where many an anx-
 ious eye had b,Gn turned.
 And thus. while thoec at Silvcttou were anxious. tho miners at Ophir were, becoming apprchcusivc at tho delay. Christians came and went and still
 nothing of tho mait carrier Search ing parties ~eot out on the trails, but
 there was no,htng to he secu or heard o' the lost carrier, During tho sum HfCf ttiG StstfIi 00S so'htNut0 " puU or two friends but st,ll thorc wa nothing I-arocd of tho fate of Swao. Another year rolled ropod. ,pd duriu: tue summer another search us nada. and on August lS. 1883, at thc hoiiom l of a snowhank the picks and sliovols ei
 the searching party uncovered the
 body ot Swan Nilsson. and sttll strapped
 to his back was tho old pouch with Ophir ChrtstmSs mai. Tho lock WIS
 rusty, and tho pouch had to be cut open. T.io wax on tho currcacy pack age had rotted nolc through tho g,cenbacks. Somc of tho mail was
 poldy. hut part Of 1t could De read quito easilv. Recently ! WAS looking
 over the old mail pouches that have been stored away In tho inspcc.or's scpar,mon, Of the Denver post ot'ico. 'lIere it is." sa.i the inspector, pulling out from near tho bottom of
 the pile tho old mail pouch Of Swan Nilsson. A card had been tiod on the
 pouch; near the old rusty lock. on
 which was writtcn tho following: This pouch was In a snow-slide on
 tho dead carriers back for twenty
 months. near Ophir."