The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1891-01-08
WINTER ON PIXIES PEAK.
A United States Signal Servics ;
Mans Thrilling Tale.

had heen in the signal service but
little over year, says writer in the
New York Sun, when was sent to
Pix s's Peak, which is considered by the
msR In the service as the most disa-
neeable station in the whole country.
IL summer it is not so bad, when there
are numerous visitors up every day
from Colorado Springs and the weather
is comparatively pleasant. But from
the middle of October until about the
middle of April it is very different.
Then it is almost impossible to get
either up or down the mountains, and
The only communication with the out
side world 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, whore
found my companion for the winter
awaiting me. His name was Harry
Sands He was a good-looking, bright,
ioyial fellow from somewhere down in
Maine, He was fully six feet tall, with
aphysique that seemed to bid defiance
% fatigue and exposure. If any one
had told mt then that he would be the
airst to sHccumb to the rigors of that
terrible winter l should have laughed
at the idea. for ! was at that time by no
means robust and unaccustomed to hard
ships Of any kind
The station is located just little be-
4 fha.c of Sc
low one-story log building about
twenty feet square Around it on three
sides il stacked at that season, almost
as high as the cabin itself, the supply
OF wood for the winter. To keep the
roof from being blown off rocks are laid
upon it in different places, and two inn
mense chains are strung across and fast
ened to the ground at either side The
interior is divided into two rooms by a
rough board PARTITION In the larger
0he the men eat, sleep and do their
work, The other is used as store
room.
The weather did not begin to get very
cold that year until about Decem Der l.
Kept getting colder and colder until
one morning between Christmas and
NeW Years the thermometer registered
sixty degrees below zero-a spirit ther-
mometer, Of course. It was so cold that
y spite Of all we could do the water
would freeze an inch or more in the
caoln every night. So high was the
VINO and binding the snow-storms that
oiten Tor week at time we were un-
aole to go outside to take observations.
Vne morning the latter part of Janu-
aFy Harry got up looking very pale. He
would not eat any breakfast. and before
Vinher- time he was back in bed again,
cOmpialnlng of terrible headache By
sNehlng he was in raging fever. So
Nelfious did he become that at times
y was as much as l could do to hold
am IN bed. | gave him such medicine
= I thought he needed; and many an
Aour spent poring over the book of in
s1acsons accompanying the chest in
ssaFon OF proper remedy But nothing
save MIN seemed to do him any good.
o,e aaY early in February l went out
s'ae 70 remove some sticks of wood the
ma mad blown against the door. Ileft
'affs sleeping soundly. and, I thought,
Aoss naturally than at any time during
II sickness. Returning few minutes
@ ! found him sitting in front Of
~ telegraph instrument with his hand
poh tne key. But the effort had evi.
sAsiy been too much for him; his head
upon schest, and he was trembling
- over with weakness. l had hardly
~ hln back to bed when he began tc
s'lA rapidly, and in less than half an
sls ne was dead. As soon as l had re-
sfsgea little from the shock started
seiegraph the news to Colorado
spflngs. gave the customary signal
rpoh me key, but received no answer
sspeated it still no answe1T
4oaght 1t very strange. l knew the
.asof at Colorado Springs was al
~a5s n his office at that hour Agar
w again | tried, but with no better
made a careful examination
sne instrument, the batteries and al
'aeCVea with it, but could find moth
wrong Then came the awfu
saBat: The wire was down or broker
s.'aeWhere in the mountains 1t wa.
.ong before l was compelled to ad
nat such must be the case. Bury
3aee IN my hands, wept like