Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1905-12-16
DEATH IN A sSQw sroRM.
An interesting account OF q Winter
Spent in the Mlids of Idaho.

the wood IRE. around which We had /
gathered after our days hunt in the ,
Maine woods md thrust n in the
bowl Of his pipe. have hut little idea !
OF the heavy snow fails OF the
Rockies aud the Sicrras. or what
damage Is orteu caused from the ac-
cumulated weight.
remember wei. ne 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
PEELED 10 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 "a I passed the
GrSt twenty years OF my llfe ira that
town aud Witnessed nothing more
remarkable than drifts over the top
rails II fences and the Temporary
blocking OF the scarcely travelled
I back roads. conclude those stories
must have gained somewhat from the
I lapse Of years.
lie smoked rapidly and quietly FOR
a moment perhaps % gather his
thoughts little and resumed. why
the fan was 80 excessive and contin-
nous once tn Idaho Territory upon the
( steep roof Of orr mill. that the large
timber OF 12xfl below which the en-
CINE had been built. was bent almost
20 breaking. We feared our extra
weight would surely break &C.. but
fortunately the weather changed, the
warm south wind blow mp the canyon
and the snow below the caves of the
building settled $50 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 regnined IT'S
| normal position But On the mining
town in the Sicrras where / winicrcl
in the early sixties. our first snow fcu
| during October and iu the morning lay
four feet ON the level The storm
TASTED about f0rfy-ci-ht hours and we
then had beautiful weather for sew.
lerai weeks. When the STOW had par
tally melted. the frame Of a ten.
horse wagon. from which the WAGON
box had been removed. was found tc
/ be crushed % splnters. even thl
spokcs of the wheels being torn aut
twisted out of en- recognition From
the last OF November until May. se
we're storms were 81 very frequent oc
p currence until. hy actual measure
ment. the snow lay nearly thirty Zee
on the level. To travel any dist1nc.
: what~~cr was OF course impossible
P I without snow shoes. ami every man
s woman and child hccnme more or JOS.
+ 81 ara expert We used the Norwegian
p shoe exclusively. for with them th'
O. I sport Is fast and furious. Eleven Zee
e long and about four inches broad
p with leather hand about one-thir,
a. firmly held by its forward pressure
: the toe or the shoe gracefully turne'
r upward. we learned % hrag OF then
$ and cherish them. as the rider doe
p his horse. as well we might. for With
ont them we were helpless. The Tot
$ tom OF the shoe is made rs smoot
q as glass and covered after each tri
q with a mixture OF tallow and bees
u wax. 4 stout hickory pole. cho~e
with great care. about six feet Jon
y and with n knob on the end. Is On
q guiding rudder, and the expert 500
s. learns 20 pass near, and often Ia
y tween. objects where the slghtes
Z miscalculation would mean dealt
II AS the speed. down any steep mour
q tain side, often exceeds n mile a mil
e ute the modern cyciist or auto Is nC
n in 60.
or course I'm these deep SHOWS IN
one story cabin az the miner woul
soon be buried but care ls Away
taken 90 shovel away as far as 20.
= sible the accumula hons that com
, with the earlier storms. when Their
- are piles everywhere and shoveuin
: becomes useless. the snow is pei
4 mitted 10 lie where 70 falls and iI
q. tina Ia.ffnIr Id b