The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1905-12-08

An Interesting Account Of a Winter
Spent In the NAfilds of Idaho.

gdlueTeQ d1ler our Gay uuuC III tIiS
Maine woods, and thrust il in the
bowl 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.
/ remember well. he 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 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 1 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 scarcelytrayeled
back roads. L conclude those stories
must have gained somewhat from the
lapse of years
He smoked rapidly and quietly for
Il moment, perhaps to gather his
thoughts n little and resumed. why
the fall was SO excessive and contin-
uous once in Idaho Territory upon the
steep roof of our mill, that the large
CINE had been built, was bent almost
10 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 Il 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
during October and in the morning Ia V
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
| italy 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 We're of very frequent oc-
currence until. by actual measure
ment, the snow lay nearly thirty feet
on the level. To travel 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 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 them
and cherish them. as the rider does
his horse, as we'll we might, for with
out them we were helpless. The bot
| tom OF the shoe is made as smooth
as glass and covered after each trip
with a mixture of tallow and bees
wax. \ stout hickory pole, chosen
| with great care. about six feet long
and with n 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 mile 4 min
ute the modern cyclist or auto is not
4 in it.
| OF course in these deep SHOWS the
one story cabin OF the miner would
soon be buried. but care is always
taken to shovel away as far as pos
sible the accumulatIons that come
with the earlier storms. When there
are piles everywhere and shovelling
I becomes useless, the snow is per
mitted to lie where 1t falls and in
gress and eEress 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 made except such as can be kept
in the large camp kettles, hung in
the fire place on crane. The chin
ncy is kept free from snow by means
OF wooden roof fitting over its 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 n short way from
/ the chimney. as otherwise his home
could not readily be found
Once more he paused. refilled 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 a 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
| IRA wled 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
below the chimney clear from snow
lest the top be covered some night
and they be smothered. But they
had laughed good naturally and said
they were old backwoodsmen and
were not afraid. After a storm OF
unusual severity which had lasted
several days the question was asked
in the loafing room of the hotel "a
big three story building where n halt
hundred miners made their homel