The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-07
waHE WEATHER.
Taken AID gether This Has Been Very
DetEit Kind of Winter.

MissoulJ Feb. 6-The present winter
is one of 'the most remarkable in the
history of Western Montana up to the
preseu1 time 1t has been the mildest
ever ekperienced within the memory
of the oiuest inhabitant That ought
TO be a sufficient recommendation Of
the truthfulness and veracity Of the
above statement. But il has been a
strange weird, but withal, a rather
pleasant season.
SO far bhe snowfall has been Of a
pretty Substantial order. 1t has struck
about an average with similar periods
in other years. But the past three
months have been peculiarly free from
cold spells With the exception of two
or three days, the mercury in the Their
mometer has roasted high
In the mountains 1t is different.
There snow has fallen to a great depth.
which gives promise of a prosperous
season TO the placer miners and album
dant crops to farmers I'm the valleys.
In the foothills surrounding Missoula
the atmosphere seems to have been
tempered to the shorn lamb" and
bands OF cattle and wandering cayuses
have been permitted TO Craze uninter-
ruptedly. Here in the Garden City
good sleighing has been somewhat of
an irridescent dream. BUT there has
been a general disposition to accept the
situation gracefully. Most people are
willing for the nonce to forego the
pangs that accompany a rigorous win
Ter.
Nevertheless il IS Just little too
early for serious congratulations Feb
ruary weather Is an uncertain COM
modify. 1t IS the shortest month Of
the year, but every day of IL is likely
10 contain an atmospheriCal surprise.
This is the month wherein prognosti-
FTzA
ruary has an innocent, inoffenSive
sound, but attempting TO guess its
contents is Ike running up against a
shell game or monkeying with a buzz
saw. II is no Pandora's box any way
you take IL.
In conversation with Standard re-
porter to-day Duncan Mcdonald Of
Ravalli had the following To say upon
this frequently and much abused
topic. Il will never forget an expert
ence ] had in February Of 1852 or 1883.
! am not quite sure which. However.
that makes no material difference
was engaged with Mr.. Alexander and
"a party of surveyors in running a line
across the Flathcad reservation Up
10 that time the weather had been
mild and pleasant. Work had been
progressing nicely. One day snow be-
gan to fan and IL never ceased until
IL had attained a depth of a foot and
a half on the level. This was followed
by a blizzard-one of the worst l ever
saw. Clouds OF snow filled the air.
one man attempted 10 reach the Mis-
sion on foot. The unfortunate fellow
had about reached his destination
when he became bewildered and lost
his way. Later we found his body.
He had been frozen TO death.
Many Of the men in our party al
most succumbed 10 the cold. Huge
fires were built al intervals Of 200 feet
20 keep the mems fingers warm. But
the instruments were soon frozen solid
and useless and nothing further could
be done for several days. II was the
worst storm j ever saw.
Not so many years ago Chief Alex
ander's wife was frozen TO death here
in this valley early in the month OF
November. / also have known Of an
instance whore men employed by my
father lost their lives from the intense
cold as late as the month Of March.
You can't tell anything about il. We
are not yet out Of the woods I'm 50 FAR
ar winter is concerned. The next two
months are uncertain quantities"