The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1905-12-15
DEATH IN 4 SEpW STORM.
An Interesting account of q Winter
Spent An the lkiIds Of ldahos

Spent An the Willis of Idaho.
Eastern people. said the old miner,
as he deity caught a live coal from
the wood Ere, around which we had
gathered after our days hunt in the
Maine woods. and thrust it in the
howl Of his pipe, have but little idea
of the heavy snow falls Of the
Rockies and the Sierras, or what
damage is often caused from the ac-
cumulated weight.
I remember well. he added, hearing
my father tell how in York STATE
back in the thirties, that the fau was
once so great that the men were COM
PEELED 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 rs passed the
first twenty years OF my life in TINT
town and Witnessed nothing more
remarkable than drifts over the top
rails 0f fences and the temporary
! blocking of the scarcely -tra yelled
back roads, conclude those stories
must have gaine6 somewhat from the
/ lapse of years.
HE smoked rIpidlg and quietly for
moment perhaps to gather his
thoughts little and resumed, Why
the fan was SO excessive and c0ntin-
uous once In Idaho Territory upon the
steep roof of our mill, that the large
timber Of 12x14 below which the en-
CINE had been built, was bent almost
i to breaking. We feared our extra
| weight would surely break it. but
| fortunately 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 a 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 l wintered
in the early sixties, our first snow fell
i during October and In the morning lay
4 four feet on the level. The storm
ll1asted about forty eight hours and we
lfhen had beautiful weather for sew
II eral weeks. When tine snow had par
II TALLY melted, the frame of ten
n horse wagon,. from which the wagon
II box had been removed, was found to
H be crushed to splinters, even the
II spokes Of the wheels being torn and
II twisted out of an recognition. From
4 the last OF November until May, Sc
N we're storms were of very frequent oc-
II currence until. by actual measure
\ ment, the snow lay nearly thirty feet
Il on the level. To travel any distance
4 whatever was of course impossible,
1 without snow shoes, and every man,
woman and child became more or less
of an expert. We used the Norwegian
shoe exclusively, for with them the
sport Is fast and furious. Eleven feet
. long and about four inches broad
with a leather band about one-third
! from the Toe by which the foot Is
! firmly held by its forward pressure
the toe of the shoe gracefully turned
upward, we learned to brag OF then
] and cherish them, as the rider does
his horse, as well we might, for with
: Tout them we were helpless. The bot
J tom Of the shoe is made as smooth
/ as glass and covered after each triI
with a mixture of ta1low and bees
WAX. "A stout hickory pole, chosen
with great care, MbOlft six feet long
: and with a knob ON the end, lis TIN
guiding rutIder. and the expert s0oT
learns TO pass near, and often he
7 tween, objects where the slightest
: INSTRUMENTATION would meun death
AS the speed, down amy steep moun
thin side, often exceeds "A mile q min
ute, the modern cyclist or auto is mo-
in it.
OF course in these deep SHOWS the
one story cabin of the miner would
soon be buried, hut care is always
taken to shovel away as far as pos
silile the accumulutl0ns that come
witch The earlier storms. When there
: are piles everywhere and shOvellinf
becomes useless, the snow is per
! mitted to lie where 1T falls and in
gress and .egress to THE Cabin IS mau'
] by way of tire tilIinlKTy. No tires tul
warmth are needed, us not bFeatf
7 of air earn enter the caliin and none
are made except such rs can be KEEP
in the large camp kettles, hung II
I the fire place on crane. The chin
| ney is kept free from snow by means
I of a wooden roof fitting over Its top
, and above it, and it is absolutely es
sential that between it and the roo
J the snow must be kept cleared away
. Steps are arranged in the chimney
for easy climbing and when the minel
; enters his cabin he stands his shoes
/ in the snow bank a short way from
the chimney. as otherwise his home
: could not readily be found.
: Once more he paused. reflled and
D lighted his pipe and said as If to him
2 self. And it all happened over fort.
years ago.
The two Carlton brothers, veteran
! Of the Civil War from Maine, where
: they claimed to have some snow
/ storms of their own, lived in cabin
T some little distance from the mai
: street. THE huge banks of snow ha'
( long since covered ii and, like man.
: 5thers, for several weeks they hai
1 erawled In and out of 1t through thei
cIimneys. This was their first win
Il tor In these mountains and they hai
: been often warned to keep the plac
t below the chimney clear from snow
e lest the top be covered some nigh
e and they be smOtheraa. Bat the.
L Ind lnughed good natuFedly and sal
Z .t,,a,, ,xuera OLD hacl1WOodsnlen am