LOST IN THE SNOW.

Dunstan Times, Issue 1062, 1 September 1882, Page 4

LOST IN THE SNOW.

The y '■'liner lad 'I hnmas Webb, who was recently 10-t in the snow on Messrs Cargill and Anderson’s tun at. the Teviot, is progressing favourably at the Hospital after the serious ope. ration he hj d to undergo—hoth of his f et above the ankles being amputated It will be remembered that such was the depdi of snow on the ranges that after he succeeded in reaching the party of rah ite s with whom he had been working his mates were obliged to remain with him in their hut for several days befoie going to the station for assistance. It is by no means uncommon for men to be frost-bitten in tl is part, of the colony, and on hearing the lad’s version of’his unfortunate trip it seems wonderful that after such ex pi sure lie is now alive. Webb, who is 17 years old and a most intelligent young fellow, says:—“ 1 was working for two rabbiters—Pester and Graham -—and we were camped in the Penlaus mountains, near Dismal creek, about 13 miles from the station. Fvery Friday I used to start for the station with two 1 nek-horses to carry the skins and bring back the supplies of food. That week I could not get away owing to the snow until Sunday. I had 800 rab ; itskins, and at 8 o’clock in the morning started off to the station. I had gone the journey over the ranges 7or 8 times. 'There was no track, but 1 trusted to the horses fur knowing the way. I kept along the spur, and at night reached Crossan’s place, 9 miles from our hut and 4 miles distant from the station: Stopped there all night, and went from there to the station and back—a ■distance of 8 miles—the next dav. the following morning (Tuesday) it was snowing and raining that 1 could not go on, and the bad weather conit’miing I did not get away from Uiossan’s till Thursday morning at 10 o’clock. After about five miles I ■came to a gate on the top of the hill, and the wire that had kept the gate shut was broken by the snow drifting :against it. .After getting through the gateway the hoi se on which 1 was riding and ihe other I was leading stumbled into a hole and we were all ■covered np in the snow. I got off a d taking hold of the horses’ legs helped them to roll ov« r, and eh< v succeeded in righting themselves. The snow was coming down fast, and it was very cold. It was snowing so much that it was a hard job to face the storm, and neither 1 nor the horses could see very well, as the icicles began to cover our eyes, and it was becoming dark and there was a • ig rock near by 1 thought 1 would stay there for the night. Une of the horses fell into a snowdrift and was hj st. With my oilskin coat I made a sort of roof from the rock, and it was a kind of hut for me. Among the provisions there was some bread. I soon fell asleep, and in the morning it was still snowing heavily. 1 walked a little way to see whether it was safe,, but soon was up to my waist in snow, and went back to the rock. It kept snowing all Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and on Sunday night there was a new moon, and a hard frost came ■on. The horses had not been far from me—about five yards—but one of them fell into a drift and was lost. I fed the other with a bag of chaff, but wish now that 1 had put my legs into the bag of chaff to keep them warm. On Monday morning the snow was frozen so hard that it could bear me and I started to walk to the hnt, which would be a'out four mill s off. .My legs were swollen very much and I was So weak that I could hardly get ■along. After going 20 yards I fell ■down, my legs were swollen so much, I managed somehow to get within 300 yards of the hut and sat down to take my leggings ofl. t had one oft and the other partly off When I could not help going to sleep. One of the dogs belonging to our hue found and woke me by licking my face. The hut was in a gully ami 1 started to walk towards it, and mw ray mates digging away the snow ; they had beeu snowed in four days One of my males seeing me sung out “ Where have you been?” and I replied “ Out in the ranges,”and then tumbled down. They carried me inside and tried to take my boots olf, but they could not manage it and they cut them with a knife. They ripped m 3' trousers off with a pair of scissors and a knite My ankles and wrists were so much swollen that the ankles measured 2oin. round, and my wrist Ifiin. The\ tubbed me well with snow and wrapped ray feet and hands in rabbit skins, and I laid in the hut for about a week until the snow cleared off a bit. One of my’ mates then took a short cut to the station for assistance Eight men came down and carried me on a stretcher to McKay’s hut, four miles from the station, and Dr. MeMachlan visited me. He touched my hands and feet, but I could not feel him do so. He wanted to cut my legs off but the men would not let him. 1 remained three days at the hut, and then ten men from the station came and carried me there on a stretcher, and I was well looked after at the station Dr. Wallis, of Roxburgh, advised my father to bring me down to the Dunedin Hospital, and they both came along with me It may be mentioned that the lad, who is a native of Dunedin, is one of a family of nine, the father of whom, beluga labouring man, is not in very good circumstances.