Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-02-03
THE SNOW SnCE.
Its Utility in the Nnrth SEilcr. Snuw Lasts
all the Year.

all tic Year.
Those who look for the fir:t time on
the wide clumsy SnOw-sh0cs that hang
crossed upon the w;,il of y"rnH bach
elorS apartment. CT are c%l ..Itru i'll
some museum amn!'g othr,- clt'ious
things from til" north. would regard
them as an awkward sort of shoe and
a difficult if not dangerous thing to use.
The beginner is IL, ill at "nSr as Il eat
with paper shoes on. and more certain
to come to grief. With the abir~t hut
mility that follows the first trial comes
respect for the snow-shOcr OF only
average ability, awe and admiration for
the expert who shutfics along uncon-
scious of the great flat surfaces tied to
his feet.
In the northern part OF the United
States and in Canada, where it is said
the year consists of eight months Win
ter and four months poor shedding, the
snoW-shoe is a necessity for hunters. trap
pcrs, and those who must travel the UNI
broken snow. These men begin as boys
tramping about with long narrow clap
boards fastened to their feet, setting
wire nOoses for the little white rabbits
that track the snow with their own
broad feet. AS they grow Older they
get their first pair of rawhidc snow
shoes, and with these they go beat.
ing about the country on longer
excursions with gun on shoulder scar
ing away every thing but the noisy
squirrels and impudcnt chickadccs. AS
men, one must be with them to apprc-
ciate the ease with which they can run,
the marvellous way they Slide down the
steepest banks clinging to limbs and
bushes, and how they go, with skip and
jump, after the lOng-lcgged. startled
moose, through the toughest places
where the great trees uprootcd by the
storms lie piled in endless confusion
underneath the snow, never tripping,
never falling. AS your Indian guide
tells you, "Sartin fall down, very poor
hunter
| have heard from those who knew
him of certain lumberman in Canada
who was SO good a snow-shocr that
there was not a man in the whole cOun-
try who, running on a hard-bcaten
roadway with moccasinS. could beat
him as he ran on his snow-shocs in the
| deep snow alongside.
AS a means of recreation and social
| enjoyment, snow-shocing has been
taken up by Canadians and by Ameri-
| cans who visit Canada. For many
years snow-shoe clubs, especially those
of Montreal, have held, besides their
regular trans, tournaments each year,
which many people from the United
States have keenly enjoyed. These
carnivals have been initiated in our own
| cities where there has been enough
snow and ice for those northern sports.
There are hurdle races also. 1t seems
to us impossible to jump a hurdle with
snow-shoes such as are worn at Mon
treal. These shoes are the kind we see
most commonly in the United States,
| and are noticeable for their long ''hccls''
which would be dreadfully in the way
when Jumping.
| In the early wars with French and In
dams many a winter campaign could
never have been carried on but for the
snow-shoes, which alone made march
ing possible. In the winter attacks OF
the savages upon the settlements in
| Northern New England, and in the eX-
petitions of English and French troops
snow-shoes We're a necessary part OF
their equipment, their baggage being
hauled on sleds and toboggans.
| Long distances across country are ac-
complished as quickly and with less
fatigue on snow-shoes over the snow
than on foot over the same ground after
the snow has melted away. There is
something in the spring of the snow
shoe and in the manner of the long
swinging step that makes it easier than
ordinary walking, especially if the
ground is uneven.
Nothing is more awkward for a be
ginner than learning to keep right side
up on snow-shoes. 1t is not necessary
to walk with legs stretched wide apart
for one shoe is lifted over instead Of
around the other. The tracks lie one il
front of the other almost as in ordinary
walking. By taking long steps one
need never founder in the snow as &
beginner does who lets the toe of one
shoe get caught under the heel of the
other.-Jappan Adney, in Harper
Young People.