Martinsburg statesman. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1869-1906, 1905-12-15
DEATH IN 4 sxpw STORM.
An interesting Account Of Winter
Spent In the Milds of Idaho.

as he deftly caught a live coal from
the wood fire. around which we had
gathered after our days hunt in the
Maine woods, and thrust II In the
bowl of his pipe, have but little idea
of the heavy snow falls of the
Rockies and the Sierras. or what
cumulated weight.
| remember WELL he added, hearing
my father tell how in York State
back in the thirties, that the fan was
once so great that the men were COM
I.pelled TO organize relief parties to dig
away the big drifts from many OF
the houses, and that when driving
along the streets one could almost
look. from the level into the second
story window. But as l passed the
first twenty years of my life in that
town and witnessed nothing more
remarkable than drifts over the top
rails of fences and the temporary
blocking of the scarcely-traveled
back roads, | conclude those stories
must have gained somewhat from the
lapse of years.
lie smoked rapidly and quietly for
a moment perhaps to gather his
thoughts little and resumed, why
the fall was so excessive and contin-
nous once in Idaho Territory upon the
steep roof of our mill, that the large
timber OF 12xl4 below which the en-
CINE had been built, was bent almost
TO breaking. We feared our extra
weight would surely break 1t, but
i unately the weather changed. the
warm south wind blew up the canyon
| and the snow below the caves OF the
building settled so that we could dig
under the huge mass and by night
had caused miniature snow slide and
| relieved the strain. | believe, how
| ever, the timber never regained Its
| normal position. But In the mining
town in the Sierras where | wintered
In the early sixties, our first snow fell
during October and in the morning lay
four feet on the level. The storm
lasted about forty-eight hours and we
| then had beautiful weather for sew
eral weeks. When the snow had par
TALLY melted, the frame OF n ten
horse wagon. from which the wagon
box had been removed, was found to
be crushed to splinters, even the
spokes of the wheels being torn and
twisted out of all recognition. From
the last of November until May. Sc
we're storms were Of very frequent oc-
currence until, by actual measure
ment, the snow lay nearly thirty feet
on the level To travel any distance
whatever was Oh course 1inpossipier
WITHOUT snow SHOES ana every man
woman ana cn,id became more or less
VI an expert we useu Tue NorWeslah
siioe eAe.usi'cis, ior win nhein .ne
sport Is iast ana furious. EieNeh iee'
iohg ana ABOUT TOUR lhches proad,
Win leather paha ABOUT one-thira
from the zoe Dy "hich the 1901 rs
nrniy held py It's FORWARD pressure,
the toe OF tne shoe gracefully turned
upward, we learned to Drag or them
ana cherish them, as the rider does
ms morse, as Wen we might, TOT Win
OUT them we We're heipiess. Inc DOT
tom OF the shoe ~ hllue as slnooth
as glass ana covered AFTER each "Trip
with mixture OF taliow ana bees
wax. stout hickory pole, CHOSEN
win great care, ABOUT SIX ieet Iong
ana Win KNOB on the emo, IN the
guloing rudder, ana the expert soon
learns 10 pass near ana oiten DC.
tween, opJects where the shghtest
MISREPRESENTATION "ouiu mean ueatn'
AS Tue speeu' uo"n any steep noun
taln sac, oi,en exceeds niue MN.
us 'he A'o'ein 'sei's' VI au'o 40 no'
VI course IN these deep SHOWS tne
que s.ory cnpin o. the miner would
ss, vn ssanai ~. e "ays
~ ~ ~ 'o o.,, 80. a. ~
, n ~ s,,or starn,a W., tsano
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~ r VII a.. -. naaaad hraath
~ ~, 60 &C., az ,an,r ga nona
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T., az - 80 ~e 49,, $50 ,,a.t,os 49,, r.
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