A NIGHT IN THE SNOW.

Evening Post, Issue 81, 13 May 1865, Page 3

A NIGHT IN THE SNOW.

The Rev. Mr. Carr, of Woolstaston rectory, Shrewsbury, furnishes the Times with the following details of his almost miraculous escape from a fearful death : — The Longmynd is an unenclosed mountain district, extending for many miles, and is interrupted by a succession of ravines, with exceedingly steep and, in some places, almost precipitous sides. This mountain I have been in the habit of traversing frequently for some years, from my residence at Woolsta9ton on one side to my little parish of Ratlinghope on the other. On Sunday aftefhoon last I made my way as usual across the hill, and, though the snowdrifts were very deep, and could only be crossed by crawling on hands and knees (as will be readily understood by those accustomed to snow travelling), I experienced no extraordinary difficulty, but accomplished the walk of four miles to Ratlinghope in about two hours and a quarter. Service being over, shortly after four o'clock, I started homewards. In the meantime, however, a furious gale had sprung up from E.S.E., driving clouds of sleet and snow before it. In the teeth of this gale I had to walk, and so great was its force that again and again I was blown flat on the ground, despite all my efforts to keep my feet. I managed, however, to fight my way through it, and had acorn • pushed all the most difficult part of the journey (having reached a point which I knew to be within a few hundred yards of the enclosed ground on the edge of the hill), when, owing I suppose to the blinding sleet and the darkness now fast coming j on, I swerved to the right, and, unconscious of my mistake, walked direct to the edge of one of the deep ravines. I found myself beginning to descend, and almost immediately my feet flew from under me, and I began to slide down at a fearful pace. My stick was whirled out of my hand before I could put it behind me as an " alpen stock" to check me in my tremendous glissade, and I turned over and continued my descent, head down wards. I managed, however, at last to bring myself up by driving my foot deep into the snow and bending my knee sharply, so as to make a hook, and then, with considerable difficulty, having got my head upwards again, descended very carefully to the bottom. I had hoped to be able to walk down the ravine, but this was impossible, as the drifts were many feet over my head. They must have been, I should think, at least twenty feet deep. Having struggled out of these, I climbed the opposite side of the hill and walked along the crest of it, till I again slid down on the opposite side, at a very precipitous part. I lost my hat and gloves in my efforts to bring myself up, which I eventually succeeded in doing as before. It was now quite dark, and it was plain to tne that I should have to pass the night among the hills, as I had not the least idea where I was. My hands had lost all senBation ; my hair and whiskers had frozen into solid blocks of ice, the latter supporting an ice beard which hung half way to my waist, and I was becoming greatly exhausted, so that I fell down every two or three steps. The temptation to give in and lie down in the snow now became almost irresistible, but! knowing that this would be certain death I determined, with God's help^ I would fight for my life to the last ; so through that long weary night I struggled on, at one time falling headlong over rocks, at another scratching my way out of drifts. The stillness was so oppressive that I often spoke aloud for the sake of hearing my own voice, and to ascertain that I had not lost the power ol speech. The only signs of life were the hares, which made holes in the snow close to me, and sat in them with the utmost composure. I actually caught one, and might have laid hold of some half-dozen at least. My longing for daylight was most intense, as 1 knew that if I could once get a glimpse of the distance in any direction I could tell where I was ; but great was my disappointment when the day at length dawned to find that there was a thick fog, and also that I was rapidly becoming snow blind. This affection of the eyes caused all sorts of optical delusions, owing to which I had many tremendous falls, as I several times stepped off rocks into empty space, thinking that I saw blue ice close to me, and that I would walk across it. To add to ray troubles I now lost my boots, first one and then the other. They were strong laced boots, but were drawn off my feet by the continued exertion of pulling them out of the drifts, which acted upon them like a steam-power bootjack. I continued to walk in my stockings, which I did not lose, and, after a further struggle of many hours, my steps were mercifully directed to the neighbourhood of the Carding mill, though I had still no idea where I was. I heard the voices of child-

ren, who appeared to be sliding near, and called to them with all my might. They were terrified, however, as well they might be, at my unearthly appearance, and ran home with the intelligence (as I am informed) that " there was the bogie in the snow." I followed the sound of their voices, and reached the Carding Mil} a few minures afterwards. This was between one and two o'clock on Monday afternoon. Here at a hospitable cottage I was supplied with tea, &c, and a hat, boots and dry stockings, and,having rested for a quarter of an hour, I walked on to Church Stretton with a little assistance. My worst troubles weie now ended, after a walk of nearly twentytwo hours. I was, however, almost blind ; both my feet and my fingers were severely frost-bitten, and one finger considerably lacerated. The blindness has now passed away, the frost-bites will be a longer affair, but in other respects I am nearly as well again as before. I may state that I had a very small quantity of brandy with me, to which under God, I owe it that I was enabled to hold through this awful night.

The Himalaya, iron ship, now lying at the Circular Wharf, loading for London, has been fitted with a most ingenious contrivance for propelling the vessel through the calm belts usually met with on the Equator. A hollow iron drum, of six feet in diameter, on which are fixed wooden floats, revolves on a spindle at the base of a crane, the head of which reaches above the ship's covering board. On the inner or ship's side of the drum a small iron wheel is fixed, corresponding with «a similar wheel at the head of the crane, the two being connected by an endless chainband. The spindle of the upper wheel is then connected by a shaft with the engines used on board for the discharge of cargo, &o.; and thus a temporary paddle wheel is formed, capable of driving the ship at the rate of two miles per hour in a calm. A davit is also fixed on the ship's rail, by which the sidewheel is regulated to the required depth. The whole affair is most simple in construction, easily worked, and must prove of infinite service in calms or very light winds. S. M. Herald. The Convict Nobleman. —Parting with our hospitable friend, Francis Smith, we pursued our walk back to Richmond, calling at a few houses on the way. At one of the houses in this neighbourhood there is a person, in the capacity of a servant, a prisoner, son of an English Marquis. My informant brought belore him as a magistrate, and knew him when in England. The last place in which he met with him there was a ball-room, where his rank rendered him a person of consideration. His first interview with him in this land was in consequence of some offence which had subjected the prisoner to be punished. What was the surprise of the magistrate (who told me the circumstance) to see the individual whom he once addressed as "my lord" standing before him as a prisoner at the bar. He took an early opportunity of conversing with himin private, and learned that he and some bottle companions had robbw a fish-pond in a frolic, but, being apprehended and convicted, transportation for fourteen years was the penalty. But there is great cause to presume that he had become in other respects an utterly degraded and miserable man. After the expiration of his term of strict servitude he committed a second crime, for which he was again sentenced ; and he is now serving out the period of his bondage with a settler, who has much difficulty in managing him, in consequence of hii drunkenness. The gentleman who narrated these particulars met with another convict, whom he had last seen at a hunting party, but who, having taken to gambling, and become a spendthrift, to help his finances resorted to forgery/.which resulted in transportation to Van Diemen's Land.—Life and Labours of G. W. Walker An ancient sage uttered the following apothegm :—" The goodness of gold is tried by fire, the goodness of women by gold, and the goodness of men by the ordeal of women."