Havergal College - Magazine Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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Havergal College Magazine I dwelt not on the orphans ' fate, For sadder thoughts oppressed my mind. Perchance I was for dinner late. So homewards fled, nor looked behind, But in Lucerne, search as I might, Were not the equal of those checks, Which, ' doming still that worthless wight Lay fathoms deep. ' T would angels vex ! Therefore I roam, a saddened critter, And nurse my woe, exceeding bitter. Y. Z. WINTER SPORTS IN WEST KOOTENAY West Kootenay, B.C., with its chief city, Nelson, should soon be as noted for winter sports in Canada, as Switzerland is in Europe. The mountains and lakes make such a splendid com- bination that practically all winter sports may be enjoyed. Each one in the population, both in the cities and in the country, likes one sport more than the others, and they can practise it to their hearts ' content, from the child in the baby carriage to the old man curling. Nelson is never cold enough to be uncomfortable, the average lowest temperature being 6 cleg, below zero. Plenty of snow falls, two or three feet, but it soon packs down hard on the roads. It does not thaw much in the middle of the day, so it is not sloppy. From the end of November to the middle of March it never rains, and the days are — except, of course, when it snows — beautifully bright and clear, the snow shining white on the trees and mountains, which look pink in the sunrise and sunset, and a bright blue sky above. For these reasons I think West Kootenay an ideal place in which to enjoy the winter. Wherever there is any ice the chief attraction is always skat- ing. Most winters the west arm of Kootenay Lake freezes over, and, until deep snow comes, you may skate for five or ten miles on good ice. When there has been a steady fall of snow, the school children go in a body to the jail to interview the warden. If he is in a good humor he takes out a dozen or so convicts armed with shovels and brooms and sets them to clear a large enough patch for hockey, another one for plain skating, and paths through the snow so as to get from one place to another. There is also one of the largest rinks in Canada at Nelson, the ice always being good except just at the end of the season. Very little fancy skating is done there, as few people seem, to care for it, but there are some splendid skaters who are very graceful without the fancy part. The next most popular pursuit is bobsleighing. One street is entirely given up by the city to this sport in the winter, all 35

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Havergal College Magazine A TRUE TALE. Let others sing in ardent strain Their conquests in the Alps ! But I with sorrow must refrain. Nov can I cause from off your scalps Th ' admiring hair to stand erect With shuddering tale of victory snatch ' d From perilous peak; of foot just checked On precipice edge ; nor flaunt my patched And faded garb ' fore envious eyes. Such hopes, such joys, my Fate denies ! Alas ! a humble lay I sing; Unfilled with honour, filled with pain. E ' en as I fly on memory ' s wing Back to those peaks I longed in vain To climb, from out mine eyes the tears Gush forth in torrents, and their flow Not lightly checked till dreadful fears Of reddened nose stop short my woe. ' Twas clothes, kind friend, not courage lacked. They were far off in luggage packed. One day, while wandering sad along Broad Axenstrasse, swift I thought Of Wilhelm Tell, renowned in song, Who, by bold deed, his freedom bought. Just then, in front, I saw a man, Not tall, not thin, in checks arrayed; Such valiant checks, desire outran My bringing up ; no thought delayed Of pity this my purpose plain, Those checks, that climbing garb to gain. He glanced behind ; he caught mine eye Appraising him in Avidth and length. A shuddering seized him, and the sky He sought in aid. With all his strength He prayed the gods to bear in mind The fact that he had children eight. He fled ; I followed like the wind ; Remorseless purpose offset weight. At last he spoke, then sought th ' abyss: You ' re welcome, if you get them, Miss. 34

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Havergal College Magazine rigs and vehicles having to use alleys, as it would be very dangerous to all concerned if heavy wagons or sleighs were allowed to use the street. A bobsleigh is made of two hand-sleighs, with steel runners, with a board about 14 inches wide and 6 or 8 feet long. One sleigh is nailed securely to the back of the board ; the other sleigh is bolted to the front of the board so that it is possible to turn very fine corners. There is no sleigh under the middle of the board, and it is therefore very springy. Ropes are attached to the rings on the front sleigh, railings are nailed to the sides of the board, and a strut, along the front of the board against which the person steering rests his feet in order to get more purchase on the steering ropes. A u bob of this size will hold about six persons, and when fully loaded will go like the wind. The person steering needs a strong wrist and a pair of good eyes. Bumps got worn in the road, and then, if you do not take them dead straight, the bob will skid, shoot all its occupants off and scatter them down the road. Accidents sometimes happen when it skids, such as running into a telegraph post, or right over the sidewalk and through a picket fence into someone ' s garden. The road gets worn perfectly smooth with the snow packed hard, and the street is very noisy and unsafe for pedestrians from the time school is let out until twelve o ' clock at night. Quite a lot of skiing is done in Xelson, there being a number of Swedes and Norwegians there. It is good fun, but takes a great deal of patience to get the idea of it at first. If you are going ( ' own a steep hill and the toes of the skis get crossed it is all up, and you fall flat on your nose. It is very difficult to turn corners on them unless you have a stick to scratch along on the side to which you wish to turn. Some of the Swedes are adepts at it and can jump and do all kinds of things on skis, but it is a really difficult accomplishment as you need such a fine sense of balance. For climbing mountains on skis they tack deerskin with the hair downwards on the bottom of the skis. The hair does not hamper you going down — it rather accelerates the speed — and going up you walk on the skis and the hair pushes the wrong way, so that you cannot slide down, as you would without the hair. Snowshoeing is especially useful to the trappers, of whom there are a good many in the district, and also to prospectors. The bear-paw snowshoes are used in the mountains, as they are much wider, shorter and more upturned in front than the kind used on the prairies. As the snow is often from fourteen to twenty feet deep up in the mountains, snowshoes are most useful to those who have to travel over them. The snow covers the brush and does not reach the lowest branches of the fir trees, so it is prac- tically clear going, and a good speed can be ke pt up. In ISTelson the dogs as Well as the people have their winter 36