Evening star., 1897-01-16
SOME COLD WEATHER.
Stories Which Some Army Officer
Tell About the NOrthWest.

Stories Which Some Army Officers
Tell About the Northwest.
mo. didn't" protested the lieutenant
at the Army and Navy Club.
Didn't what?' inquired a captain COM
ing in with a frosty sheen on his rich, dark
whiskers.
"Why. these fellows here say said the
cold was so intense out in the northwest
one winter that 1 saw the candle flames
freeze stiff, and the farmers sold them for
Strawberries"
Didn't you say it?' inquired the captain,
kindly.
Then I'll say for you. sir. 1t hapepned
when 1 was out there twenty years ago.
and then again when 1 was there three
years ago. That same winter one of my
men was frozen to death in peculiar man
ner. 1 was going to send him ten miles to
the railroad station and the day being
sharper than usual l gave him big drink
of some whisky I had in my tent. He took
tremendous long dram and started away.
half hour later l remembered it was ST.
Louis whisky and at once feared the worst
and sent our surgeon after him. But alas
it was too late. A post-mortem examina-
tion showed that the whisky was frozen
sClid, thus causing death.
"How sad" sighed retired colonel who
had had years of experience in the north
west, wping his eyes. Il almost had an
even more dire disaster than that happen
to my whole force on one occasion. l was
a lieutenant at the time. and was out with
ten men on a scouting expedition in Janu-
ary. We were on the way back and had
reached a point not far from the post
where some planks had been piled up with
which to build a shack soon as spring
opened. We were not more than twenty
miles from the post, and went into camp so
as to get good early start in the morning
and reach home before dark. We used the
planks for extra shelter, because it was bit
ter cold and getting colder every minute,
with indications of a blizzard. AT the nrst
streak of day the wind was blowing gale,
and by the time it was light there was
hurricane and the boards were flying every
which way. Tents couldn't stand it at all
and had gone long ago, and 1t looked very
much as If the whole squad would be
frozen right there. II We could have built
a hut of the boards we might have stood
chance. but there wasn't a nall wltnfn
twenty miles of us. and the only hammers
we had were our bayonets. Necessity now
ever, is the mother of invention, and during
a lull in the storm ! noticed some sharp
little icicles on some roots under snea- snei-
tered bank, foot so above the little
stream that ran by. At once l got one OF
them, and taking the hilt Of my sword for
a hammer I found could drive 1t into the
plank.
Saved" I yelled. and at once gave the
command for all hands to hustle those
planks together while the lull lasted and to
gather in all the icicleS obtainable and nail
the boards up with theIn. Inc men lHouShl
1 was crazy for a minute, but only for
minute, and then with hurrah they went
for planks, icicles and bayonets, and in
fifteen or twenty minutes We had nailed to-
gether a shack three four feet high so
the wind couldn't strike it SO hard. and
wide enough for all of us. We got into 1t
just in time. for presently the storm came
again. and it was something terrific.
Twenty-four hours later 1t seemed quiet
outside and 1 made an investigation and
discovered that we were under about six
feet of snow, but were all right. the wind
had fallen and the sky was clear, though
it was intensely cold. We got out at once.
and, after terrific days march,w reached
the post. Four weeks later I went back to
our camp, Salvation Camp we called it, and
found that those icicles were still frozen SO
hard that they held the shack together full
ly as we'll nails of the same size would
have DONE
Nobody after that said word-words
seemed SO Inadequate.