The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1905-12-14
DEATH IN 4 SYQR STORM.
An Interesting Account of a Winter
Spent in the Hilds of Idaho.

Eastern people, said the old miner,
rs he deftly caught a live coal from
the wood fire. around which we had
gathered after our days hunt i'm tie
Maine woods, and thrust it in the
bowl of his pipe, have but little idea
OF the heavy snow falls of the
Reckless and the Sierras. or what
damage is often caused from the ac-
cumulated weight.
l remember well. he added. hearing
my father tell how in York Sat.
back in the thirties, that the fail WAS
once so great that the mon were COM
PEELED 10 organize relief parties 10 dir
away the big drifts from many OF
the houses, and that when driving
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 STRAIGHTFORWARD
back roads, l 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 a 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 12x1i below which the en-
CINE had been built, was bent almost
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 miniature snow slide and
relieved the strain. believe, how
ever, the timber never rcganed its
normal position. Eut In the mining
town in the Sierras where l wintercl
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-Cight hours and we
then had beautiful weather for s"v-
eral weeks. When the snow had par
tally melted, the frame of a ton.
horse WAGON, from which the WAGON
hoN had been removed, was found 10
be crushed to splntcrs, even the
spokcs of the wheels being torn and
twisted ont Of all recognition. From
the last Of November until May, So
we're storms were of very frequent oC-
cCrrrnce until, by actual measure
mcnt, the snow lay nearly thirty f""f
on the level. TO travel any dstancn
whatever was of course impossible,
without snow shoes, and every man,
woman ana 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 n leather bard about onc-thirl
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 hrag Of them
and cherish them, as the rider does
his horse, as we'll we might, for with
out thom we were helpless. The hot
tom of the shoe is made as smooth
rs glass and covered after each trip
with mixture Of tallow 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 q mile min
ute, the modern cyclist or auto is not
in it.
OF course in these deep SHOWS the
one story cabin of tie miner would
soon be buried, but care is always
taken to shovel away as far as pos
siblc the accumulatIo that com"
with the earlier storms. When there
are piles everywhere and shovellinG
becomes useless. the snow is per-
mitted to lie where II falls and in
greSs and cgress to the cabin is made
Ey way of the chimney. No fires fyr
warmth are needed, as not breath
of air can enter the cabin and none
are made except such az can he kept
in the large camp kettles, hung in
the fire place on n crane. The CHM
ncy is Kept free from snow hy means
of Il wooden roof fitting over It's top,
and above it, and it is absolutely es-
sential that between it 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 cabin he stands his shoes
in the snow bank q short way from
the chimney. as otherwise Ills home
could not readily be found.
Once more he paused. reflled and
lighted his pipe and said as if to him.
self. And it all happened over forty
years ago.
The two Carlton brothers, veterans
of the Civil War from Maine, where
they claimed to have some snow
storms Of their own, lived in cabin
some little distance from the main
street. The huge banks of snow had
long since covered it and, like many
others, for several weeks they had
-rawled in and out of it through their
chimneys. This was their first win
ter in these mountains and they had
been often warned to keep the place