The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1895-07-20
DIFFICULT MAIL CARRYING.
An Interesting Branch of the United
states Postal Service.

An interesting Cranrh of the United
States Postal Service.
Few people east CT the Mississippi
who have not been il the far west can
have any real idea Of the manner of
delivering the mails to the frontier
mining camps in midwintcr, or of how
late the snow lasts on some slopes and
valleys. No one needs be told that
carrying the mail over the Rocky noun
tain ranges, when the snow is five feet
deep on the level and fifteen feet deep
in drifts, is most perilous undertake
ing.
'iThe mountain mail carriers" said
Mr.. John Palmer, an engineer In
Montana mine, visiting his home in
New York city, ''are a race OF athletes.
No man, unless he had an iron consti-
tuition, could endure the exposures and
hardships of climbing the mountain
peaks loaded down with heavy mail
sack. This has been a severe winter
for these mountain carriers, and sew
eral poor fellows have lost their lives
in the service.
1.-The people who live in the frontier
mining camps of Colorado, Idaho,
Utah and Montana have been showed
in for the past three months. They
are as much out of civilization ns If
they lived in Alaska Nevertheless,
these people want their letters and pa
pers the same as do the people of our
towns and cities. The post Office de-
partanent is enterprising, and it under
takes to give them an irregular mail
Service.
"This branch of the postal service Is
called the 'snowshoe mall because the
mountain carriers travel on snowshoes.
There are forty or fifty of these mail
carriers, who are not afraid to brave
the dangers. 1t is no easy task to climb
the steep mountain sides in summer
time, but how much more difficult in
snowy weather, when the trails are
obscure and misleading, when the snow
is four and five feet deep on the level,
when the thermometer is below the
zero mark, when the snow and ice cover
dangerous places, when misstep
would send the carrier over the preci-
pice!
''Of course the mountain mail car
Tiers take their lives IN their hands
every hour of their journey. The first
thing they do is to provide themselves
with good warm underwear and cloth
ing. Some of them buy silk under
garments, stockings and gloves. Their
clothing may look rough, but it is
strong and comfortable.
"When the mountain mail carrier Is
ready to start on his perilous journey,
there Is usually n group of friends and
acquaintance to give him 'send-oH
Some of the people have verbal mes
sages for him to deliver.
"'Talre good care of yourself, Jim,
says one friend.
"'Hope you have good time says
another, half jolsingly.
".Tell AL Jones I'll be over in the
spring. exclaims a third individual.
"With these and other messages
ringing in his ears the carrier on snow
shoes starts on his journey over the
mountains He has the mail sack
usually No. 4 size, strapped to his
back. He also carries long guiding
pole. The wonder to me is how these
mail carriers ever find their wat ovel
the ranges, and how they mango t.
keep on the right trails. Yet sSmc o.
them know the peaks and passes JUS
as Familiarity as the city carriers know
the streets and houses.
"The critical period of the journey
comes during snowstorm. Then the
carrier is liable to lose the trail, but
with compass In hand he gets his bear
ings. All day long the travelling il
4 h.
man is almost ready to sink down ex
hausted. Night comes on, and th'
heavy weight of the mail sack begins
to tell on his strength. His safety lie
in finding shelter In some friendly
cleft in tho rocks The mercury i
down, perhaps, to ten degrees below
zero. Uusually he will dig bed il
the snow, but he is afraid often to fal
asleep, lest he never wake up on thu
morrow.
"And so, day after day, tho snow
shoe mail carrier picks his way owe
the mountain ranges. He must be q
sure-footed and agile as a chamoi
hunter. He must have steady ant
strong nerves. he must be watchful
cautious and careful every minute o
the day and night. Danger turks o.
every side of him.
when the snow is covered'with
hard crust the carrier finds travelling
much easier. You should see an old, eS
: perienced carrier slide down tn
mountain side on his snowshoes-, 1t
like n toboggan slide. Faster an
faster the carrier rushes along, .unt
he reaches the bottom, where h
tumbles, heels over head, into til
snow bank. 1t looks easy to glide dow
on the snow crust, but unless you hav
had experience you don't want to tr
1t. Those who know how to make th
trip say that the shoot down th
mountain on snowshoes is as braeing a