Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1891-05-15
MAILS ON SNOWSHOES.
PERlL5 OF THE SERVICE IN THE
ROCKY MOUNTAINS.


Far west-Tragic Death of Swan Nilsson.
The most welcome of all in the mining
camps far up the Rocky mountain peaks
are the mail carriers. Brave, hardy fellows
they are that climb the peaks on snow
shoes, delivering the mail and many pre-
cious packages that always fill the pouch.
Delivering the mails in the mountains in
midwinter is a difficult and dangerous
work. Sometimes the carrier is swept
away by a snowslide, and months roll
away before the 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 snowshoes to the frontier mining
camps. In Utah, Idaho and other parts of
the west in the same manner they force
their way over the lofty ranges
Some mountaineers are showed in for the
winter, and it is impossible to reach them;
but as far as possible the remotest settle
Sients in the valleys and on the peaks of
the Rocky mountains have the mail sent
to them. The carrier in the frontier of the
Rocky mountains straps the mail sack,
usually No. 4, on his back, puts on his
Norwegian snowshoes, and with a long
guiding pole starts on his weary climb
over the range Usually there is a crowd
at the little frontier postoffice to wish him
good luck. Only men of known strength
and courage can do this work, for twenty
five pounds of letters, papers and packages
become very heavy and burdensome in
climbing the mountains.
HARDY CARRIERS.
These carriers know the peaks, passes
| and trails as well as the city carriers do
the streets and numbers of their districts.
De- -.
that even the old mountaineer grows weak
with his heavy burden, and sinks almost
exhausted in the obscure trail With a
compass in his hand, he carefully feels his
way along the precipices and dangerous
| places, and often the storm is so severe
and binding that he is compelled TO find
| shelter under some friendly cleft or dig
| for himself a bed in the snow banks. If
no fuel be handy he must keep awake all
| night, for sleep would mean a rest from
which he would not awaken.
Although their great overcoats and cloth
| ing may look rough, yet their underwear
would please the fancy of the aesthetic
The most of them have silk underwear,
costing from twenty to forty dollars suit.
| Under the rough looking gloves are hand
some silk ones. The silk keeps the cold
out and retains the heat, and, If hard up,
W Ill guy cheap outer
clothing to save money for a handsome
and warm suit OF silk underwear and
! gloves. On reaching the summit of the
mountains the carrier shoulders the pole,
and, placing the snowshoes close together,
begins his descent
| The old timers on the trails will go down
the mountains with the swiftness of the
| wind, mile minute, but woe to the one
who Is Inexperienced, for out slips the
guiding pole, up come snowshoes, and the
unfortunate carrier, mail sack and all, goes
rolling down the mountain. Sometimes
the ice and snow are as hard and smooth as
glass The carriers of the Rocky mount
aims are as expert and agile as the channels
hunters of the Alps, and the man who can
not keep his equilibrium, rushing with
lightning speed down the mountain side,
is hardly worth position under Uncle
Sam for this work in mid-continent
The perilous trip brings him to some lit
tie mining camp nestled in the mountains
| What joyful greeting he receives There
| are people there from the east, far away
| New England and the sunny south. Some
| times he is delayed by the storm on the
range, and already the men of the camp
have been searching for him, fearing that
he had been lost or swept away by the ter
rible snowslide. Where is the postoffice
In the corner of the little store or rude ho-
tel. The villagers collect, and all are eager
to learn the latest news and read their let
tiers.
BURIED IN SNOW TWO YEARS.
Swan Nilsson, the Swede mail carrier of
the San Juan, was lost in a snow slide
| Dec. %, 1868, and was not found for nearly
! two years. His route was from Silverton
to Ophir. Only the bravest would attempt
the trip through storm. Nilsson was
| warned against making the attempt A
terrible storm was raging between Silver
ton and Ophir, and those who had been
longest in the Rocky mountains told him
he could not reach Ophir in that mountain
tempest. But Nilsson would not listen to
| their warnings, and even if it were peril
! Gus he must 60
1t was two days before Christmas, and
his mail pouch was larger and fuller than
usual He spoke of the old Christmas
time in far off Sweden, and how people of
every cline loved to celebrate it, He knew
his mail pouch contained Christmas pres
ents from the east, and the people of Ophir
would eagerly look for his coming sit
will not be Christmas at Ophir," said the
carrier unless get there with this
| pouch"
At Ophir the miners of the camp were
waiting and longing for the appearance of
| the faithful letter carrier. Christmas eve
came, but still Swan Nilsson had not been
espied on the mountain trails, where many
an anxious eye had been turned
And thus, while those at Silverton were
anxious, the miners at Ophir were becom-
ing apprehensive at the delay. Christmas
came and went, and still nothing of the
mail carrier. Searching parties went out
on the trails, but there was nothing to he
seen or heard of the lost carrier. During
the summer the search was continued by
one or two friends, but still there was
nothing learned of the fate of Swan.
Another year rolled round, and during
the summer another search was made, and
on Aug. 3D. 1885, at the bottom of a snow
bank, the picks and shovels of the search
ing party uncovered the body of Swan Nil
son, and still strapped to his back was the
old pouch with Ophir Christmas mail. The