The Savannah morning news., 1902-01-19

ers, and Scotch caps with earpieces,
though some men prefer the regula-
tion fur cap. Fur Is unsuitable for
all wear except gloves, for the violent
exercise of skiing causes profuse per-
spiration, and fur garments do not
permit it's evaporation and escape.
Formerly the ordinary uniform was
used for this duty, but frequent frost
bites and occasional loss of life caused
warmer, special clothing to be adopted.
The winters are bitterly cold, storms
are frequent, and the duty hard; every
precaution and care must be taken
to avoid casualties.
Some years ago a soldier started
out for the mail from Riverside sta
ton, near the western boundary, TO go
TO Fountain station in Lower Gey-
ser Basin. He was alone. but he was
a good traveller, and no fears were
entertained as to his ability to make
the journey. storm arose shortly
after he started and IL is presumed
that he lost his way. for on making
search after the storm had sub
sided, he not having reported to either
citation, he could not be found. Not
until two years later were his re-
mains accidentally discovered some
distance up the Gibbon river, when
his route should have been up the
Firehole. He evidently became con-
fused In the storm at their junction
and followed up the wrong stream.
In the winter of 1869 another
soldier lost his life through disobedi-
ence of orders. Owing to the hard
ships of winter travel and the liability
to accidents orders were given after
the accident above mentioned that no
man should. under any circumstances,
travel alone.
Two were skiing from the Lake sta
ton to the Thumb; the snow was bad,
the travel difficult and a few miles vut
one man found that he was becoming
exhausted and insisted on returning.
requesting his comrade to accompany
him. Returning was the shorter dis
tance to shelter and the trail was
easier, being broken by their coming
The man who was not fatigued re-
fused and pushed ahead; the other re-
turned, reported at the Lake station
what had occurred, and a search party
set out the following morning. The
night had been severe and only a mile
or so beyond the point where the men
had separated was found frozen dead
the man who had pushed on. He had
sought shelter under a culvert. where
he had lain down and gone to sleep
Although he was in a country where
dry timber abounds, and he had
matches there was no evidence that
ne nau Undertaken 10 Dulld a nre.
But It Is not only in the cold that
danger lays for these men. Should
they in their patrols come upon poach-
ers they know that they have to deal
with desperate men. who hesitate at
nothing. on one occasion the park
superintendent learned what led him
TO believe that poachers were after the
buffalo in the Pelican valley country,
east Of Yellowstone river. He caused
90 be sent out a civilian scout. Bur-
CESS and one soldier. Private 1'roiSe.
from the Lake hotel. They soon found
the poacher's camp with a number of
buffalo heads hung up IN nearby
tree. They followed up his trail for
some distance. and then heard some
riffs shots. They soon discovered How
ell, the poacher. skinning the head OF
one of the buffalo that had Just been
killed. He was armed with rife.
the others only with revolvers IL was
a dangerous bit of work to get over
that stretch OF open ground and cover
Howell with his revolver, but Burgess
did a. The wind favored him and
Howell knew nothing OF his approach
until he WAS called upon 10 surrender
under a cooked pistol only fifteen feet
distant. Even iiowel's dog did not