The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1893-01-20
SAVED BY PLUCK ALONE,
a TERRIBLE ORDEAL IN THE
NORTH WOODS.
Disabled in the Wilderness-His Leg Gus
to the BOne-Four Days in a Snow
StOrm-Brings Himself at
Last to Camp.

James Gilmore in local parlance is
scruiser." One Sunday he was up
on the Big Forks river about sixty
miles from Grand Rapids, Mimi.
looking over the timber for the pur-
pose of finding a suitable piece and
then taking homestead He had
with him the usual outfit of cruiser
explorer blankets provisions and
gun. Of course a good sharp AK was
Included. says the st Louis Globe
Democrat As he was making his
way through some thick underbrush
with that implement in his left hand
some twigs caught the handle and his
leg was thrown against the keen bit
with such force as to sink it clear to
the bone just,above the knee.
There was not much pain. he
said. in telling his story. '.but my
leg refused to support me. and then |
think l must have tainted. When
revived found myself lying helpless
in the snow which was rapidly being
crimsoned with the blood from my
injured limb. My first thought was
to staunch the hemorrhage which I
managed to do by unbuckling my
leather belt from around my body and
strapping it firmly and closely just
above the wound. Darkness was by
that time falling. the snow was eddy
ing about and the wind was rising.
Disengag ng my pack. sack and
blankets. | tried to arise. The effort
was failure the limb proved use
less. Then.I realized that had be-
fore me a struggle against fearful odds
for life. but determined to fight the
grim old monster to gritty finish one
way or another
There l was miles from any
human habitatlon. Where l fell.
however. the brush was quite thick.
There I managed in some way I
hardly know how. to clear one.
handed. with my AK. a little open
space in which to lie easily. l also
contrlved to collect enough wood to
| make little fire. for the cold was
telling on me and was nearly frozen.
| Next l managed to get at my
blankets and unpack my sack. Over
| my fire of sticks l was enabled to
cook a little food. and from melted
| snow made some coffee.
1T was nearly midnight before I
got enough brushwood together by
dragging myself from bush to bush
| by my hands to keep the fire going
the rest of the night When l cut
down a bush l made short pieces of
it. and with a pole poked them into
| MI
myself back and rolled up in the
blankets l was very weak from loss
of blood. could not sleep much
| and would not have dared to any way.
as had the fire to keep up.
That was Sunday. stayed there
all of Monday. the next day. On
larged my camp little by dragging
myself around for fuel.
! Tuesday the second day after the
accident. | decided to try to get to a
camp. My wound had become fever
ish. My temples were throbbing
like trip hammers. my fingers were
benumbed and my feet slightly FROST
bitten. commenced to use my wit
still further. In my pack sack was
Il ball of Irvine such as all experienced
woodsmen and packers always carry
for emergencies. That l measured
| into three equal lengths of about
forty feet. The end of one was tied
to my rife that of another to my
pack and that of the third to nv
bundle of blankets. With the loose
ends attached to my we'll leg i would
crawl the forty feet and then dra W
| the articles separately to me, only O
repeat time and time again the pro
cess of the tedious march. During
the day managed to make about
half mile and at night found myself
at the banks OF small frozen stream.
! made camp the same as l had
the two nights previous.
| During the night I solved the
| problem OF proceeding further. With
my sharp AK Ichopped runners Tor
rude sled. and with the cord that had
stood me in such good stead ] dashed
the parts together loaded on my
pack, blankets and gun, together
with myself. and with my iron pointed
staff l pushed myself nine miles along
that stream on the ice. getting with
in a quarter Of a milo of camp.
which reached Wednesday night,
the fourth after the accident.
There was no one there to give
my injuries professional dressing
but bandages were applied. and the
next day. on the bottom of a spring
less camp supply wagon. l began a
sixty mile ride over a corduroy road.
l