Arizona republican., 1899-01-07

being of a reddish brown color, due en- ltirely to minerals Thus it can be seen
 that a person eating large quantities of
 the snow takes into his system cor responding amount Of minerals"
 While coming down the C0pper river last spring MT. BarnUm came upon a party of miners where one was dying from the effects Of eating snow. He had been a hard drinker, but had run short Of whisky. His thirst became UnendUTs bie, and as water was scarce
 in midWinter he had taken to eating
 snow. Scon he claimed it relieved his
 appetite for the liquor, but his com
 pani0ns noticed that his appetite for
 the snow increased, until he was con
 suming enormous quantities. Gradually
 his skin, which was dark bronze, grew
 light, his rugged stature became bent,
 and even his harsh voice changed tO
 the effsmiTate squeak Of n old woman.
 His strength glve way and his com
 raniCns tried to break him of the habit.
 He would lie on his pallet and moan
 pitifully for 3 mogthful of snow, and
 when opportunity offered would steal
 unobssryed to the doorway and gulp
 down huge handfuls. At last. seeing
 dsath was inevitable, his companions
 allowed bis the snow. hoping to pro- long his life. It proved unayailing, however, and one morning just previ- OuS to Blr. Barnum'S departure the man was found dead
 There are some spots on the Copper river where the snow whsl melted and strained through 9 cloth, shows Pe~ce9- tible signs of minerals, and often gold is found piendfully intermixed. but, Ot course, net in paying quantities. Where this comes from is a mystery, but it may be brought from the far north by the heavy winter gales that sweep over this part of the country. It has been ! said that Of the snow could be melted l away it would leave deposits of mil | lions of dollars in gold dust on the i ground.
 Mr BaInum had 2 close call himself | from falling a victim to the snow habit. | Ut Wa5 in the winter Of '96-'97,'' he . said, and l was new to the country. An old miner near Dawson had warned ] ne against eating snow. but I, with my partner, had gone back into the hills cn a prospecting tour and had got caught i2 blizzard. We were shy of . provisions, and on our way up lost the f packag5, containing our cooking uten- sils. This we ramedied by br0iling our cooked foods, but we had nothing in | which to melt the snow It is claimed that melted snow is harmless, as the metallic deposits it contains sink to the bOttcm of the receptacle. We decided -0 try i5 raw and we did. Whether it was the fCcd or the snow I don't know, but during the week we waited for a chance to get out VIC had an ever-in- sreasing thirst, until, when we were finally able to strike the trail we were { consuming snow at a frightful rate. { When we reached our companions we attempted to assuage our thirst with water, but it did no gcod We had ac- luired taste for tn f.ozan water, and t seemed to have invigorGting quali- ies. At night we could not sleep un- { ess we toOk oIr snow. We were fast i approaching the degenerate st3Ss, i when reached 3 realizing ss1sa 5f our i condition and undertook to break off C
 began by degrees and worked down, 9 ,Ut up to the very momsnt 1 left the : ountry the sight of the snow always \ aissd in me an inOrdinate craving. It II est me many sieePless nights and h 7eary days to restrain myself. Had iven way to the habit l would, like many another poor fellow, have lost Il ambition and filled an unknown rave in that frozen wilderness. - . cleveland FAlin Dealer $