The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-04
IS WITHOUT A CASUAL ~.
No Deaths Yet Reported From
the Blizzard.
OLD CONDITIONS GONE
The Risks Now Taken on Stage Trips
Reduced to q Minimum-How the
Driver Rigs Up Protection
Against the Cold.

Great Falls, Feb. 3-The blizzard of
the past few days in Northern Mon
tana has been without a casualty so
far as reported, although its severity
has been sufficient to warrant such ex-
pectations. With the settling up Of the
state the old conditions under which
men were lost on the prairie for days
at a time and perhaps never found
until the melting SHOWS in the spring
time revealed a gruesome mass at the
bottom of a coulee are gradually dis
appearing. They are not entirely gone,
for occasionally comes story of some
unfortunate who has wandered away
from civilization to remain Indefinitely.
But these cases are the exceptions and
the replacing of the stage line by the
railway, the growing frequency Of
ranch houses and of stations on such
lines as still operate are fast preclud-
ing the continuance of those tales of
battles with storm and cold which come
down from the old times and are re-
lated with zest by the pioneers. Stage
coaches circling in the dark and the
snow all through the bitter night until
horses and driver are played out; COW
punchers frozen to death while yiding
their horses: sheep herders and their
bands bewildered by the driving snow
and perishing almost within hail of the
ranch: all of these things are now for
tunately infrequent and growing more
infrequent.
There are stage lines operating to-
day, of course. Several Of them run
from this city, but the risks taken by
drivers and passengers are not a deci-
NAL of the old-time risks. The only
incident reported during this present
vtrfN nd
Falls line is that two coaches. 'No.
and No. IT, met at the top of Surprise
Creek hill the other night, mutually
discovered that they were off the road
and wisely camped there until the
morning. They could then see their
landmarks and proceeded on their diff
ferent ways in safety. When the snow
is driving and the wind bowling a
prairie dog mound looks like a butte.
and unless one is sure Of his way the
best thing is to remain where, he is
until the immediate surroundings be-
come recognized. Even then it is some
times better to camp for the night. Old
stage drivers complain that the man
who handles the ribbons in these de- |
generate times is more careful of him
self than the Jehu of old. Then a buff
falo Goa t tied around the middle with a
rope and pair of buffalo skin over |
shoes were ample safeguards against
driver starts in by clothing himself |
with two suits Of the heaviest under
wear that he can buy in the market. |
Over this comes a suit of MackinaWs.
He adds suit of ordinary wooden
clothes and then the rest is matter of
personal taste, the result of his per-
sonal experience or the measure of his |
pocketbook. A pair of jeans lined with |
sheepskin, a. pair of chapareroes, one
or two more pairs of jeans unlined pro-
tect the legs amply. A heavy sweater,
a flannel shirt, an extra vest, a leather |
coat do for the chest. Over all comes
the long coat of buffalo skin. coon skin
or scat, or of heavy canvas well lined |
with sheepskin and blanket cloth. I'm
like a woman, the up-to- date stage |
driver wears his corsets outside. This |
is merely a broad band of leather with |
straps, sometimes it is more than a |
foot in width made of harness leather
or better still of russell colored saddle |
leather. This goes around the body |
between the hips and the armpits and /
serves double purpose-it keeps the |
clothes gathered in bunch and shuts
ont the wind, and it also prevents the |
top rail of the seat from wearing out |
the drivers coat. The feet and hands |
each receive separate attention. The |
general plan to keep the feet warm Is
found usually in a pair Of light shoes
protected with high-topped overshoes
These in turn are wound around with |
one or more gunny sacks extending
well up toward the knees. With this
protection the driver can defy the bit
terest wind from reaching the lower
part Of his body in the longest drive.
This swaddling does not have a par
ticularly pretty effect, but it serves
the purpose better than anything yet
found, and the average driver is usually
willing to sacrifice agility for comfort.
For the hands the driver ordinarily has
about three pairs of gloves. which he
changes with any change in the wealth
er. Here is where he suffers the most,
but that cannot be prevented. so long
as he must grasp the lines and guide
his teams. Even with ali of this fam
tastic clothing the driver will OCCASION
ally get his face nipped by the frost al
though his ears and as much of his face
as possible is protected by a heavy
wooden cap and a muffler.