Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1896-12-24
washington's Rough Christmas.

One hundred and forty-three years ago,
this section of our country was IN the
nominal possession Of the French, VINO
claimed it by right Of the discoveries ana
explorations OF De Sale and others; and
who had forts on the Allegheny at the
mouth OF French creek (where the town OF
Franklin now stands, one on Ffench
creek near where Mesdville now is, and
one at Erie.
In November of 1853, Gov. Dinwiddie of
Virginia, sent Geo. Washington, then
Young man ef but 81 years, with letter
! 10 the French commander at Fort Nenan,
90 (Franklin) inquiring as to their lsnd
claims, etc, and W Washington and his party
seem to have had no trouble MAKING
their way i-om what is now Cumberland
| Nd. to that fort and the fort iurtheI up
French creek, where he accomplished the
object of his journey; but on the way oacS
| they encountered rough weather anu hsd
| a hard time. They cut across the country
| from FTanklin to some point on the ble
Beaver and probably passed Christmas aay
in the Western part OF this county.
| The night before Christmas they en-
| campeJ G;st SAYS in his narrative, "neaT
| the barrens," sleeping on the frozen snow
| with only their blankets ior g covering
| and on Christmas day he makes the oriei
entry: Travelled on foot to Great Beaver
| creek, b" and that night they slept BY q
cam pfire on the edge of the stream,
The weather was so severe, and theli
| strength so rapidly failing, that all haste
| must be made, so Washington and Glsi
| started out on the morning Of the 10Th.
| with their guns in their hands, and PACKS
1 on their backs, containing provisions and
| Ammunition. The weather was bitter
| cold. and the streams frozen so hard that
| il was with difficulty they obtained water
| to drink; and they lodged that night in an
| Indian cabin, where they must nave uau
| but little protection from wind and irost
| The next day they passed place OF III
| omened name, Numbering Town, probably
/ SO called from lis having bsen the sceDe
of an Indian massacre. There they lei
I in with q party of Indians, one OF whom
| followed them, and tried TO keep up the
evil reputation of the place, by hrlng MI
gun at Washington; but, as the Journa
| says, che fortunately missed"
The next day at dark they reached Una
| Allegheny river, two miles above Snanno'
pins Town, now in Pittsburg; and we car
imagine how it must have looked on thai
cold December night; fringe OF gllstenlne
ice on each side, between when tne ueff
current rushed, choked with blocks OF ice
driving along in vast quantities, grladlne
against each other; and the grim iorss
| growing right down to the waters edge'
There was no time to lose, as they wert
in constant danger of pursuit t-om frencf
and Indians: "There was no way Tor gel
ting over but on raft, which VS. Sc
about making with but one poor hatchet-
II was not finished until alter sunset tns
next day, when the passage OF the nal
fIozen torrent was attempted; but peior'
they were half way oyer the ice enciIciee
them in such a way, and pushed tneD
about with such violence, that every
mon ent they expected to perlsh. Wasu
ington tried to stave OIL the pressure
the huge ice cakes by planting his pole OIL
the bottom of the stream and leaning
against il, but for his psius he was thrown
| inro ten feet of ice water, and came neal
drowning, only escaping by managing tt
grasp the end Of one of the logs OF the rais
The best thing they could do, and tn'
| only thing by which there was any hop'
of escaping death, was to abandon the RAFT
| and swim TO an island near the left banl
| of the river, and supposed to be wan
| wrights island, which has now entirely
disappeared.
With frozen fingers and toes, and in ex
treme misery and discomfort, they hat
nothing for It but to spend the night Ii
belle etoile, the intense cold proving o
this much service to them, that the stream
had frozen over by daybreak, and theJ
could cross it on foot.
That night the exhausted travellers rest
| ed at the cabin of John Frazier, at Turtle
| Creek.