The Minneapolis journal., 1901-01-23
HIS MISSING DIGITS
Founder of Petersburg Recounts
Experiences in North Dakota.
NIGHT SPENT IN A SNOW BANK
Shelter Gained in Time to Save Life
Prairie storm In the Early
Eighties.

| Grand Forks, NJ. D., Jan. 23.-L n.
| Peterson, the founder OF Petersburg, who
j is one OF the old timers and has ac-
/ quaintances from one end of the state to
the other, was in the city the other day
and told OF an experience in the early
eighties that few OF the residents of the
state at the present time would care TO
undergo. One Of his friends asked him
how 1t happened that he was minus sew
eral fingers on each hand. Settling him.
self back in bis chair Mr.. Peterson told
the following story:
| In the winter OF lSS2-S3 came TO the state
and started small feed store at Bartlett.
Along in March OF the latter year, as business
was very dull. thought would take run
to my claim at Petersburg. l boarded the
/ train and all went we'll till we were near the
| present site OF Lakota, when the train became
stalled in snowbank. The storm was one
Of the worst / ever say, and We stuck there
| fast for four days.
| The supply was limited, and when on the
| NTH day the wind Stacked little and the
prospects for better weather were good-as
/ thought determined to start out anoot. I
pushed on TO Michigan City, where Lamb
Bros. were running a small store. Here
got what / wanted to eat, and started on to
my claim. When about half way from the
track to my shanty it began to storm again.
| but as the distance was short I managed to
1
| with the construction OF a shanty as far as
digging cellar and laying a floor over f.
AS night came on it grew bitterly cold and,
| breaking up some of the lumber / had for the
shanty, threw 1t in the cellar, and, crawling
| in, lighted a fire and thought / could keep
from freezing. However, as the wind was
blowing such gale, the smoke from my fire
could not escape. and was soon driven out
| The storm was so bad that knew l could
not get back 10 town, and figured that the
best thing l could do would be to dig hole
| in snowbank and stay there for the night
This did, but when / awoke in the morning
my clothes were frozen 50 stiff that ! could
| scarcely walk. The blizzard was still howl
| ing, and as l was desperately hungry, made
up my mind that ! must do something or
freeze to death. as 1 had but little strength
left, and felt more Ike lying down and wait
! ing for the end than anything else.
! l took my bearings as best l could and
headed for Deer Lake as ! knew there were
few shantes along the shore, and l thought
might get shelter l reached one of the
shanties shortly after noon, but found no one
living there. l tried to kick in the door, but
did not have strength enough left to do So
and after trying to get in, lost all hope of
Keeping from freezing, as l was all but ex-
hausted. The thought uppermost in my mind
was to get somewhere to lie down where the
wolves would not find my body and devour
u. It OT d Wnle lay down on the lee side
OF the shanty, but finally decided to push on
and make one more effort TO find shelter
left the shanty and soon came to clear ice.
l pushed on for some distance till discov-
cred barn, which was empty and afforded
no shelter. | tried to get beween two hay
stacks, as l knew the owner would soon find
my body there, but there was barbed wire
about the stacks, and in my condition | could
not get la. My hands were now frozen stin
above my wrists, and had given up all hope
| However, l noticed a path leading from the
stacks, and after following It a few rods /
saw shanty from which smoke was Issuing
Arriving at the door, l knocked with my
| frozen hands, as l still had the use of my
arms. The owner OF the shack opened the
| door, realized my condition at once and got
me inside. He cut my clothes from my back
and placed my hands and feet in water and
| rubbed snow on my frozen members That
was the last l could remember as | fell
asleep and my savioor could not awaken me
for twenty-four hours, try as he would
Soon after this my hands turned black and
few days later the skin peeled off from NV
wrists down TO my finger tips / could not
secure the services Of a physician, and all
that did was to wrap my hands in kerosene
went to Minnesota later and found a sur
geon' who left me as you now see me.