The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-03-26
BLIND WIEN THT sun SIT,
TRAGEDY or 4 SHANTY IN TIE
CANADIAN FOREST.

Elnd Fourth Frozen 20 Death-StofY
OF ms Pate as n was Read by thu
JumbeFmen-A Mystery Of the Woods
LAcHngR, Canada, March IS. Night
blindness is an ailment prevalent among
hmbeunsn who work In shAnties remote
enough 30 make vegetables an unusual
luxury. In most instances the persons
affected have the normal use Of their eye
sight from sunrise 10 sunset, but are stone
blind when the sun is below the horizon.
Sometimes the trouble comes on slowly.
beginning with a dlmness Of vision At morn1
ing and evening, and increasing until 10
Is impossible for the patient TO stir OUT
side except when the sun is high. At
other times, and especially In the bright
days Of March, when the glare Of the sun
upon the snow Is trying TO all eyes, nishe
blindness sets In suddenly.
There was a curious case Of this sudden
coming on Of the blindness In the Ottowa
lumber district, near Beaver Lake, -Four
men had been detailed TO mark the logs
laid upon the Ice, and they had worked
three or four days In the glazing light
Of the March sun reflected from the clear
lake surface with no particularly bad
results. Two Of them were sufferers fron
night blindness, and had 10 be led home al
night by their comrades, and az their shanty
was four miles away from the lake II waql
their custom 10 start back a little befordl
shutdown.
One day they had about finished the job,
and worked rather late 10 complete Id
To their dismay they found when they
stopped work and slipped on their coats
that all four were completely blind.
THa nf0hN NarrfkIrr nnlA and thnFr4f
was more than half gale OF north wind,
blowing across the lake. To attempt TO
grope their way home would be 10 risk
membered that one OF the great timbersi
used as a skidway was a stick Of white
birch. the canoe tree Of the Indians.
Cautiously they felt their way 10 this
log and contrived to tear away a section
Of the paper like bark. Hastily rollingl
this up into what would answer for torch,
they lit II with a match and derived light.
enough for three Of the four 10 be able to-
distinguish their surroundings
The birch pole was at once completely
stripped Of its bark. and while at this work
they decided that II would be almost madS
ness to try to reach their own shanty that
night, along the narrow pathway their foot-l
HlNBn ual lAAobo III NlN NtSp eht"s AabhNI
across an arm Of the lake on projectin &
point was a deserted shanty, and thither
they determined TO go.
The journey was difficult, as even with
the flaming bark to guide them the poord
fellows found il difficult TO steer a straight
course. II was probably near midnight
when they pushed open the rude wooden
hinged door and entered the shanty.
A fire was quickly started In the caboose
with some Of the poles taken from the,
bottom OF one Of the shelhike sleeping
hunks, still in position all around the wallis
After a time their sense Of seeing came back
to them Rs they sat about the bright fire,
and they could look about their nav home
with tolerable clearness. As their vision
cleared they made out the figure OF a man
seated at the clerks desk In the corner
with fine hound at his feet
A little investigation showed that both
man and dog were stone dead and frozen to
had been the home Of the dead pair for q
considerable time.
The greater part Of a fine deer hung in
the cooks lean-to, which was entered by
q door from the rear Of the shanty. No
trace OF njur or other provisions was to be
seen,
The visitors had been prodiEal In theiruss
Of matches and now discovered that they
had used the last OF their supply. Their
keenest search Of the clothing and stores Of
one. and, though they found fine rife in
good order in the bunk wherein the bed
had been made, not single cartridge
wherewith a fame might be obtained
available fuel near their fire and deter
mined 10 watch beside il all night
The dead man was dressed in city clothes
some brown checked material, well made,
and he had a good gold watch. On the
Wnnntha all from the Initial
A lead pencil lay near the hand Of the dead.
man, and a bit Of white birch bark ont
which was written over and over again9
Blind @Blindl'
Naturally enough, the four men did not
care 20 make a very close search for means
Of Identification. They concluded that the
man was stranger In the woods and an
American. II Is their opinion that the
man was afflicted with night blindness
while in the shanty, and became afraid to
go far away from II for fear Of being over-l
taken by evening and becoming unable
to find his way back again. His matches
were used up, and his rife cartridges hav-
ing disappeared Il was impossible for him
10 make ERE 10 keep himself warm or 10
cook his meat. With the Thermometer
ranging from IS 10 80 below zero, Il would
not be long before the frost would claim
both him and his faithful hound as victims
when without fire or provisions.
When morning came the shantymen ,
made breakfast Of the venison In the
lean-to and then started for their own
shanty to tell their story TO their fellows.
The foreman and a couple Of others at once
get out with one OF the four 10 bury the
dead man In the shanty, but arrived az the
lakeside to find the building in flames,
which soon made total destruction Of Il
and its contents.
Probably it will never be known who
the unfortunate man was whose body
was discovered that night by the Tempo
-arily blinded men. Somehow the impress
ZION has declared itself among the lum-
Oerers that he was a fugitive from Justice
who tried 10 hide himself In the woods,
hunter would have had guide with him,
Had he been used to the woods he would
lave known how to keep up his fire and
would have had prouer 6urtlies