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Show LOST IN THE MOUNTAINS. The Ketchum, Idaho, Keystone contains the following statement of a man named Thomas Cox, who was lost in the mountains and lived eleven days on one meal: "I started from Challis for Stanley Basin to go to work for Pete Albert; got caught in a snow storm, broke my snow shoes and had to go back fourteen miles to Challis. Waited two weeks, and then started again, leaving my snow shoes; got to Pete Albert's camp, but he had hired his men. I was thirty-five miles from Sawtooth and about the same distance from Bonanza; the boys advised me to go to the former place, but failed in giving me the proper directions. I should have crossed the river half way, but they told me to keep on the same side all the way; I did so until I got to a cabin, then proceeded to where the river forked three times and took the first right hand fork and traveled that until dark, then turned back on the center branch and walked until midnight, then camped on a little bare spot five feet square with nothing but a few dry limbs under me. I started back the next morning to the cabin I had passed; got there about noon, made a fire and then ate the last piece of bread I had; then took off my boots not knowing that my feet were frozen, but they were frozen plumb up to my ankle. I thawed my feet the best I could with snow. The next day I pulled down the door and put it on the fire, and next the cupboard. That night the door and cupboard burned, so I set fire to the corner of the cabin and burned it until it very nearly caved in on me. The next morning I worked out some of the logs to burn, and stayed so two days. The following morning I was in so much pain, and had no blankets to put over me nor a pillow to my head, that I became nearly distracted and picked up an old axe that was there and tried to kill myself with it, but being afraid I could not succeed, and would only increase my suffering, I took an old scythe that was hanging up and sharpened it the best I could with which to try and cut my throat. The evening turned out clear and I expected that some one would be along, so I put it off. By the hooting of the owls and the sighing of the wind I imagined that some one was near, so I crawled out on my hands and knees expecting to see help, but I was mistaken; so I had to lay there and keep a little wiciup fire. I fixed up some pads for my feet and made wooden plates to use instead of snow shoes; then I waited until a crust had formed and dragged myself along on my hands and knees. Luckily three men came along en route to Atlanta. I had been eleven days on one meal, and these men gave me some bread and honey. They procured a sleigh and drew me to Sawtooth. A party of gentlemen brought me [unreadable] They were all very kind to me and raised sixty dollars for me in Galena. I am 21 years old, and it seems hard to have to lose both my feet." About thirty dollars were raised in Ketchum for the unfortunate young man, and he was taken to Hailey. Dr. Miller amputated both feet just below the ankle, and the patient is now resting easily. |