The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-12-23
RETROSPECTIVE.
Twenty Years Ago Today was the Coolest Ever
Seen by Wine Man in Kansas.

"No, this amt cold at all" was the re-
mark made by Justice Jones yesterday
afternoon when the EAGLE man suggested
that the temperature was a little off.
You ought to be in this country twenty
years ago tomorrow" said he, continuing,
land then you would have an idea what
cold is. That" said he 'was the coolest
| day ever seen in this country by a white
man. The 22nd of December, 1872, was
! just exactly a day like today is. During
| the night blizzard came up from the
! northwest, the snow began to come down
and the thermometer fell to 81 degrees be-
! low zero"
That night and the following night
and day will long be remembered by
the old settlers and buffalo hunters, and
| especially by Mr.. Jones. for it WAS then
he lost his TWO legs from the knees down,
and which have since been substituted by
| wooden limbs. A Mr.. Mcdonald at that
time lived or the Cowskin, and it is said
| that his was the first house east of the
Rocky mountains, except ranches and
stage stations. Jones and a colored man
named George Howard were buffalo hunt
ing on Elm creek, about ninety miles
southeast of Wichita, when the storm
came up. They had but little covering,
except green buffalo hides, and they were
frozen so stiff that they could not tuck
them around them so as to keep out the
cold. The result was that 1t was a night
of misery, the like of which Jones never
suffered before or since When daylight
Game he was so stiff that it took him two
hour to harness his horse, and even then
L
with his teeth. having completely lost the
use of his fingers. Howard was in as bad
condition. They finally mounted their
horses and headed for Wichita. After
travelling few miles Howard was frozen
so stiff on his horse that he could not use
himself. He folded his arms to keep them
warm, and when he went to unfold them
ne could not move them at all. Finally he
fell off his horse, having frozen to death
on the saddle. When Jones examined
him one of his eyes was mass of ice as
big as baseball, while the other eye was
frozen in its socket, the color having en-
tirely disappeared.
Nothing was left for Jones to do but to
move on, and be finally caught up
with a teamster who was also coming
toward Wichita. The teamster looked at
Jones condition, told him that he could |
never reach Wichita alive and that he !
might as we'll lay down there and die; but |
Jones Insisted that he could make it to
Wichita if he would allow him to walk on |
the side of the wagon that WAS protected |
from the winds. He did so and the mis-
cries he endured were simply narrowing. |
His frozen feet could hardly sustain him, |
md int G 1,
would fall down. Many times he thought |
it was useless to rise again and concluded |
to submit TO what seemed the inevitable,
but he thought that while there was life
there was hope. He could not ride
in the wagon for that would be sure death
H. Sle exercise of walking was necessary
for the maintenance of heat from the
bloOd's free circulation. At 8 o'clock next
morning they arrived at Mr.. McDonald's
home OH the Cowskin, and when they en-
tered they found twelve other men there
who were frozen so badly that two of them
died. Jones' condition was so critical
that it was thought that nothing less than
being wrapped up in wet snow would save
his life. Then a new difficulty arose for the
pump was frozen, no water could be found
to wet the snow with and Mr.. Jones was
left to endure his agonies. He thinks now
that if he had been wrapped in the snow
his legs could have been saved. When he
thawed out beside stove made very hot
by corn fuel the flesh began to drop off
his fingers and feet until the bones were
laid bare. Careful nursing brought him
around minus the limbs from the knees
down. which bad to be amputated. When
the weather moderated a party of hunters
went out and buried Howard, and, it is
said, that his grave can still be seen beside
the old Medicine Lodge trail.
BY reference to the EAGLE files of that
date, weather item can be found which
SAYS that the thermometer was II degrees
below zero 1t is very likely that Mr..
Jones' estimate that it was q degrees on
I he trail Is very reasonable, as the trail fol-
lowed high ridge most of the way.