The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1899-03-30

DIue eyes.
Coming from the Winnemucca con-
vention found Haines sitting in the
.stateroom of the sleeper. touched him
on his trip over the mountains in 1859,
and he responded.
II left Placerville," said he, "with 500
head of sheep, five horses, some steers
and two hired men. 1t was in lovely
weather. We had covered wagon,
plenty of provisions, and were all in q
happy mood. Everything went along
nicely until we got near McClauber's,
when Just after sunset one night a little
black cloud about the size Of my hat
came over us. 1t got bigger and bigger,
until the blacklist pail you ever saw COW
cred the heavens, and the snow came
down in sheets.
"When say sheets mean sheets. I
calkerlate the snow was packed up in
the sky and the weather clerk just
sliced it off from the under side. You
saw the layer of snow come down, and
when 1t fell around you and your head
went through it you saw the next layer
comm.
"These are facts which any old set
tier will verify. Well, in the morning
our sheep were out of sight under the
snow. Well, it was tough, but we began
to shovel 'em out. About mile from
our camp was q stable where the over
land stage horses were kept.
1--WE ran a tunnel from the sheep to
the stable, and drove the sheep
through.
1--WE had to make tunnels through
that tunnel to light the way, and it was
Is pretty @ piece Of. engineering as
ever saw. We ran it by guess, and hit
the stable door square in the middle the
first time.
swell, when the sheep began to crowd
into the stable the horses got uneasy,
but the sheep kept wedging in till there
wasn't enough room, so the first gang
made solid floor and the next climb bed
up on top, and the next on top of that.
When they all got in there were three
stories of sheep, one above the other.
and the horses were out Of sight. We
couldn't get the sheep out of the place
to save our necks, and finally started
in to feed them hay.
"The top story ate the hay, but the
two under stories couldn't get &nip.
"As soon as the horses smelt grub
they made big effort to get on top OF
the sheep, and the sheep were wedged
in so tight that the horses walked all
over them. The wool was thick and
soft. and it beat all the body Brussels
carpet you ever saw. After about ten
days we had to pull the building down
to get the sheep out. aud the two under
layers had eat all the wool of each 9TH
er. Yet the critters seemed to have
got along all right during that time,
and noticed that when they lay down
At night they would all lie down togeth-
er and all rise in the morning to their
feet. This puzzled the horses on top
when the mass would rise and lower
i've or six feet, at which time the horses
would gallop around almost frightened
to death.
swell, we got the sheep out and kept
tunneling along until we got along by
old Bachelors where the snow WASN'T
20 deep, and they made cuts instead OF
tunnels.
I'VE struck a splendid cut in the hard
snow. It was six feet deep. and just
wide enough for a pack mule.
They told us 1t was made by q man
who had a pack mule route over the
mountains to Virginia City, and that Il
we met him he'd make VI turn back.
laughed at the idea, for we were al
well heeled and no man could turn vi
unless he was q quicker shot
swell, we piled our sheep and horses
into this cut, and things glided along
al right until the second day, wheI
the line came to halt.
by Jove, we'd met the pack-muls
man. climbed out ON the hard snow
and got round to the head Of the column
with big Winchester rife. and found
him sitting on pack mule ~ serene ami
smiling a. anything. AL he had in hi
hand was small cane, and he lookei
IKE he owned the earth. Behind hin
was string Of pack mules - far -
could see.