The daily tribune., 1905-12-22
DEATH IN 4 sSpw sroxA.
A lntefes<in9 Account Of a Winter
Spent In the Mlids Of Idaho.


Spent In the klids Of Idaho.
Eastern people. said the old miner.
~ he deftly caught = live coal from
the wood firs. around which We had
gathered after our days hunt In the
Maine woods and thrust 1t In the
bowl Of his pipe. have but little idea
Of the heavy snow fails Of the
Rockies and the sierras, or what
damage ia often caused from the ac-
cumulated weight.
remember well. he added, hearing
my futher tell how In York State
back in the thirtics, thnt the full was
once SO great that the men We're 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 as passed the
first twenty years Of my life In that
town and witnesscf nothing more
remarkable than drifts over the top
rails OF fences anu the temporary
blocking of the scarcely-tra veled
back roads, conclude those stories
must have gained somewhat from the
lapse Of years.
He smoked rapidly and quietly for
a moment perhaps to gather his
thoughts little and resumed, why
the fall was 10 excessive and contin.
nous once IN Idaho Territory upon the
steep roof Of our mill. that the Iara,
timber OF 12x14 below which the en-
CINE had been built, was bent almost
to breaking. We feared our extra
weight would surely break 1t. but
fortunately the weather changed, the
warm south wind blew up the canyon
and the snow below the caves of the
building settled 30 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 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 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 trave! any distance
whatever was of course impossible.
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 In 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 them
and cherish them, as the rider does
his horse, as well we might, for with
out them we We're helpless. The bot
tom Of the shoe is made as smooth
as glass and covered after each trip
with a mixture of tnllow and bees
wax. A stout hickory pole, chosen
with great care. about six feet long
and with a knob on the end. is the
guiding rudder, and the expert soon
learns to pass near, and often be-
tween. objects where the slightest
miscalculation would mean death.
As the speed, down any steep noun
tain side, often exceeds a mile min
ute. the modern cyclist or auto Is not
In It.
OF course In these deep SHOWS the
one story cabin Of the miner would
taken to shovel away as fnr as pos
sible the accumulatlons that come
with the earlier storms. When there
are piles everywhere and shovelllng
becomes useless. the snow is per-
mitted to lie where 1t falls and In
gress snd egress to the cabin Is made
by way Of the chimney. No fires for
warmth are needed, as not n breath
OF air can enter the cabin and none
are mssie except such as can he kept
In the lnrge camp kettles. hung in
the fire place on crane. The chin
ncy is kept free from snow by means
Of n wooden roof fitting over Its top,
and above II, and 1t is absolutely es-
sential that between II and the roof
the snow must be kept cleared away.
Steps are arranged IN the chimney
for easy climbing and when the miner
enters his cnbin he stands his shoes
IN the snow bank short wny from
the chimney. M otherwise his home
could not readily be found.
Once more he paused. refIled and
lighted his pipe and said ns II TO him
self. And II all happened over forty
yenrs ago.
The two Carlton brothers. veterans
Of me Civil War from Maine, where
they clsdaDed to have some snow
stsFns of their own, lived in = cabin
some little distance from the main
street The huge banks OF snow had
loHg since covered 1t and, like many
othcrx, for several weeks they had
-ra w1ed IN and ont of IT through their
chimncys. This was their first win
A. ~, fna IA q