Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-12-16
LOSES ROAD
In A STORM
John collander and Eugene Person
Have Hard Experience on the
Trip From Benton.
NARROWLY ESCAPE FREEZING
Wander over the Prairie in an Open
Stage for 27 Hours-Grope Their
Way Through the Snow.

Eugene Person, a young mar who
travels for the Chautauqua Desk Co.,
is thoroughly of the opinion that rail
reading is infinitely TO be preferred
to staging, no matter how long the
train may be stuck in a snow drift.
The narrowing experience which he
had while on his way from Fort Ben.
ton TO Lewistown last Friday and Sat
urday had much to do with bringing
him to this opinion.
The stage for Lewistown. as usu.
al. left Benton Friday morning at :
O'Clock. But George Myers. the regu-
lar driver, was sick and a Benton
nan agreed to bring the stage over.
Young Person was the only passenger.
When the stage reached the Harwood
station the driver said that he had
come as far as he agreed 10 and re-
fused to continue the trip. It was thus
up to John Collander. stock tender at
the lakes. to mount the drivers seat
and try 10 bring the lone passenger in
TO Lewistown. John. ii subsequently
developed. had been over the road
but once before and as the track was
covered with snow, it was not fifteen
minutes before he was off the trail.
II was just tw~enty-seven hours before
the road was struck again, and. in the
meantime. the driver and passenger
had a varied experience. About 1880
o'clock they came TO a deserted sheep
camp and Person wanted to stop, but
John said that the road which he was
on ought to lead somewhere and he
would hang to il. He thought that he
was on the road to Square Butte, so
kept on driving.
About 6 O'Clock that afternoon. how.
ever. they came to the edge of the
bad lands. Person was now sure that
they had deviated a long way from
the regularly travelled road and this
BELIEF was strengthened by the sight
of a band of twelve antelope within
a few rods of the stage. Collander
wanted to push ahead. but Person re-
fused to do so, and said that rather
than continue in that direction he
would take his suit cas- and walk
back. He urged the necessity of turn
ing back and trying to find the sheep
camp, which they had passed about
1880 o'clock. The driver finally agreed
to do so. II was now very dark and
the driving snow added TO the great
discomfort of the travellers. Collander
attempted TO walk in front of the
team and find the track by feeling
along with his feet. but the missing of
two meals. together with the exposure
and fatigue from driving had com
pletely worn him out and he found
il utterly impossible 10 walk. IL thus
became necessary for Person to lead
the way. Fortunately he is young
and rather athletIcally inclined, so
was able to wade through the snow
without much difficulty.
II vas very slow work. If they
once got of OF the road il meant the
night of il in the open coach, without
food and exposed to the fury of the
'itlilthAH. Eol nohi alNNl loul tiit
sturdy young traveller pushed his way
cautiously through the snow, all of
the while straining his eyes for the
sight of the cabin. The road forked
at one place and he had simply to
take the chance of striking the right
one. This he did. fortunately. and
just al midnight the welcome out
lines of the cabin were dimly discern
ible through the blackness of the
night. II was well that they found
the cabin then, for. though very
strong at the start. Person had be.
come almost completely exhausted in
the six hours tramp through the snow
and wind.
They put up the horses in a nearby
shed and then made a reconnaissance
of the cabin. When they started they
had six matches. Four of these had
been used in lighting the lantern,
which the wind repeatedly extinguish.
ed. Taking a letter from his pocket,
Person got a fame from the second
and last match. the first one having
failed to light. Parts of a magazine
found on the floor and later a small
amount Of coal oil. enabled him "a
get the fire started. There was some
dry wood in the cabin and It was not
long before they were partially thaw,
ed out, BY an unusual stroke of good
luck they found some bacon and cot
fee in the cabin and were not long
in cooking a meal. II wasn't partic
ularly palatable. but as they had not
had a bite to eat for about twenty
hours they were not especially fastid
ious and that bacon and coffee was
nectar and ambrosia to the weary
travellers.
After eating Collander became very
sick. being seized with a hard chill
and Person was compelled to admin
lister TO the wants of his travelling
companion. He constructed a cot
fixed up the rudest sort of a shake
down Tor Collander with their over
coats and then went out to look VI
something to wrap himself in. HI
found in the barn an old tent. ant
with this wrapped around him ant
with his oyershoes and gloves on, h,
tried to get some sleep.
The next morning a further search
brought forth some oatmeal. so tn,
men breakfasted very well. Collan
der had sufficiently recovered to [