AMID THE SNOW.

Colonist, Volume XLVI, Issue 10787, 4 August 1903, Page 4

AMID THE SNOW.

MR MOORHOUSE'S EXPERIENCES. Mr F. Moorhouse reached the Her- * mitage (Mount Cook) on July Bfch, and on the following day witnessed a terrific thunderstorm and heavy downpour of rain, which caused several slips on the roads, and killed hundreds of birds. On Saturday snow fell all day, and the fall on the {flat, at the Hermitage amounted to about 13 inches. When the sky cleared a magnificent scene presented j itself, the whole of the mountains in view absolutely white from top to bottom. He left the Hermitage on horseback on Monday, July 13th, and made Glentanner, there being a little over a foot of snow on the road. Next day he reached Pukaki, the snow on< this part of the way being deeper, from 18 to 24 inches, with numerous drifts where it was deeper. The snow all foil very dry and powdery, so thai; it was easily drifted. It was so dry that it was impossible to make a snowball with it. The snow was succeeded by very sharp frosts, and already the wild birds were suffering fatally, dead pukaki being seen along the road. Others were passed, and were seen floundering helplessly in the loose snow, into which they sank

so far that* they notarise in, flight off a flat place; but they, had learned that by scrambling up a 1 ateep^and running down they could getlup speed enough to start flying* Travel was slow, the horee making about two miles ah hour, each leg had to be lifted high to clear the snow, until after some experience the animal learned to brusb through the uppermost few inches. No trouble was given by the snow "balling" under the horse's feet; as it was peru tlj , £ Ty ' At p ukaki the snow lay about 2 feet deep. Mr Moorhouse was compelled to. stay theta from July 14th to the 22nd, not because of the snow only, but on account of . a very dense fog which hid all landmarks, while the snow of course hid the road* This fog appeared to rise from the lake, but it spread over the whole of the surrounding iow lands, and was ic-y cold, freezing into a fine snow which slowly settled. Above the fog .there was i clear sky. Haid fro9t prevliilM both day and night, and the night frosts were very severe. Every j liquid in the house, milk, pickles, sauces, were frozen; water jugs and water bottles were burst, even in rooms where a good fire was kept; and a 400 gallon rain-water tank was frozen solid. No ice was found on the lake, but every pool was covered with thick ice. Native larks were seen frozen to death about the house, and some of the thousands of wild ducks on the lake came to the. house seeking food with the fowls. Mr McArthur, of Ehoboro' Downs, came across and reported an average of 3}& feet of snow about his place, and a dismal outlook for hi flocks. On Wednesday, 22nd, Mr Moorhouse, tired of waiting any longer, made his way. to Simon's Pass., through about 2 feet of snow. Mr Matheson said the fall had been about 3 feet there. A person who had been to Simon's Pass for shootinjg, and had been waiting for a companion to get away, joined Mr .Moorhouse, and leaving Simon's Pass at 8.30 a.m., they reached Tekapo about 2 p.m. Old residents say that the snowfall of Saturday, llth, was the heaviest single fall they had ever seen in the Mackenize Country. It .caught the majority quite unprepared for it. Mr Matheson, of Simon's Pass, has a few hundred bags of chaff, which he is feeding to rams near home ; some other stations have not even horse feed. All are trying to get sheep out of deeper into shallower snow, and from wet flats up to drier slopes by making tracks with improvised snow-ploughs; but there seemed to be at the moment little advantage in this operation, the slopes also being snow-clad. The sheep are stated to be eating each other's wool, which is as fatal as starvation. In one case a runholder, unable to get at any sheep, had been driven to slaughter a horse to feed his dogs. Some cattle were seen near Burkes as apparently nearly dead. The few cattle at the Hermitage were comparatively quite well, off as they havej^native bush to browse upon, and to shelter them somewhat from the 'severity of the weather. On a clear day the Mackenzie Country just now is a magnificent spectacle, but enjoyment of it as a picture ia marred by consideration for the thousands of poor sheep in miserable plight, and for the owners toiling to ameliorate their lot and mitigate their own losses.