Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1922-01-27

lie never gave in that he was cold or
could not make it.
Encouter Blizzard
| was taking the lead and break
ing the trail through the snow. I
had a flashlight and two batteries
with me and used them to see the
markers. When we got to the ton
OIL the crest, the highest point in the
road, we struck bowling blizzard
and as | had never been over the
road but once before, at night ON
foot, going over to Camp 61, | did not
know the trail very well, we took the
lower trail down the draw and inst
by accident / fell right over snow
drlft about 10 feet high and found
we were standing on bare ground
where the snow had blown off the
ground. ! could see a bough with my
tlashlight and some bare trees where
the snow had been blown away. It
happened that l had some small
pieces of candle with me and plenty
of matches.
The old man was frozen then
His hands and feet were numb with
cold and his lips were blue. He had
started with scarcely any warm cloth
ing. loaned him one pair of nv
gloves and wrapped a blanket around
him and tied a handkerchief around
his ears.
Here at this place, there was a
small tree which was dry and which
was lying there leaning up against
three larger trees all grown into one
and then l began to build a fire. 1t
was about o'clock then and we had
nothing to eat. We dug around in
the snow and found a small piece of
pitch and got our fire started and
there we stayed the night of Deem
Der %.
We stretched our blankets up
around us. My brother and | had
two blankets each besides our pack
OF about 20 or % pounds. Mr.. Pet
erson had about 25-pound pack and
satchel in which he had a lot of
company records, he said, some
commissary books and a few other
things worth about 40 thousand dol
lars to the company We huddled
together around the fire with our
blankets stretched around us and
spent that whole night trying to
keep warm and watching the fire in
turns. Our wood had run short and
| put the last piece on the fire.
1--WE were too numb and cold and
did not know whether to go back to
Camp 61C or to go on. We were
for turning back. The fire was still
burning in the tree but we thought
it was going out any minute. Petela
son was still living and going.
I'VE put blankets on our heads and
tried to go over the bank of snow
but could not make it and turned
back and tried to build a fire but
could not and kept the old man
wrapped up We threw our packs
down except a few valuable things
that we kept. Jim Lewis helped the
old man with his pack and, carried
4 al WOW fpCn, tbnro
Try to Build Fire
1--WE were six hours making about
200 yards through the blizzard and
reached the power line and tried to
build fire near the power line. We
tried to cut a tree and failed.
We turned straight down the hill
near the cliffs where the power line
crosses the road and then we tried
to get the old man to warm up a
little. We failed to build a fire, due
to the bowling blizzard.
Our eyes were nearly frozen shut
with ice and snow and we moved
around in the draw below the water
ing trough near the bottom of the
canyon and got limbered up. We
crossed the road twice and hit it in
three places We tried to get a fire
started there and lost the hand ak
/ in 20 feet of snow and we did not
have a stick of dry wood and only two
J jack knives. 1t was then when |
! became unconscious for about half
an hour and when | came to the old
man was lying in the snow. 1t
looked to me like he was half dead.
My younger brother kept up with jim
Lewis who was trying to get behind
a tree. We stayed there little while
in the snow.
1T all seemed like a dream to me.
I was there little while when
jumped up and took new courage
looking and breaking trail.
'.Then Lewis went ahead and |
followed and Harry packed Mr. Peter
son up to a tree, where we left him.
The spot where we left Mr. Peterson