The Republican journal., 1875-02-18
NUMBER 33.
Snow-SIides in Utah.
/ From the Salt Lake Herald, January 2l.

startled by the dread cry Of Help, snow
slide!'' in the distressing tones OF a woman
from an elevated part of the burg. Sim
ultaneously was heard sharp rumbling
as of quick and near thunder, and then
followed deafening roars, the crashing and
snapplng OF timbers, and the general
rushing and crushing of mighty matter.
Scarcely had the echo of the female voice
ceased before the "whole town had turned
out llembLng women were running
hlther and thlther, ali searching for Il
place OF safety, no one knowing where to
60 to get away from the dread destroyer
A snoW-sllue had descended on the camp.
and though the bulk Of the avalanche had
rested at the upper part of the town, in
their wild flight the unhappy denizens OF
the place half expected that at the next
moment they would be buried and crushed
IN 4 bank OF treaCherouS snow
| Alter the first shock was over the fright
ened people, partially restored to useful
activity, with one object in view, rushed
up the street to the elevated bench on
the north side OF Alta, some carrying LIANT
erns, others shoveis, and others with
slaves, poles, or any thing that could be
used IN digging through the snow About
tllteen rods from the business center of
the town q wild scene presented itself.
| ne snow was piled up to the depth of
thirty feet, and projecting from the packed
surface were large powders, heavy min
ing tlmbers, and here and there Il portion
OF what had once been frame dWelling-
| house They realized that from the loca-
ton Of the slide some of their acquaint-
ances-their friends, and perhaps relatives
were beneath the mighty mass Of snow
and debris, and scores OF hardy miners
went to work digging away the snow from
where had stood houses occupied by human
beings. While thus engaged Il faint cry
Of "IIelpw came through the snow again
it was heard. and again, but growing
more faint and weaker at each successive
cry. it did not take long to ascertain the
direction from which the voice proceeded,
and when once the men on the surface
| had found the location, there was lively
shOveling OF the snow for Il few minutes
short as those minutes were, each must
have been Al age to him who was under
meath; but the quick strokes of shovels
grew more distinct to the ears OF the al
most doomed man, and finally he was lit
ed lrOm his snowy bed. and the light of
dozen OF more lanterns shone full in his
face The Observation-Disclosures man was
| George Tomlins, an old gentleman who
had made Alta his home for several Years.
BY his side, on the bed on which he had
been lying. was the body of Michael Kelly
Odd Mickey"-Who was known to
every resident of Alta and vicinity The
snow had done ITS work tor ''Old Mickey"
He and Iolnlins had retired early, but
Were not asleep when the avalanche came.
! Before they knew what was the matter the
| building was crushed and the two men
| buried under at least Six feet of snow.
Mickey s. back was broken, and it is
thought he died instantly; but Tomlins
was more fortunate. True to his former
self, after being lesurrected the old man
called for a '.whiskey straight" and in
! quick succession poured down several
drinks OF his tavorite beverage He had
been very dry during the day, and is
the whisky rau freely, long before the ex-
citemeDt had ceased the old man was on 4
Jolly sireo
While Iomlins and his mate We're being
discovered, there was Il busy scene at
another place. The residence of Mr.
James Carey was iii the course Of the
slide Above the site OF tho location the
men commenced working with their
shoyels, and soon succec5ed in finding
what had been the interior Of the frame
house, though the building was broken to
pieces and some OF it carried away, y
little more shoVeilng discovered It heart
reuding ght, which caused many ot the
stern, hardy miners 10 shedtears. Seated
in all easy chair, and claspiug to her
breast her infant babe, sat Mrs Carey
mother and child both dead Near them
We're the liteIess remains OF the husband
and father, and III another part Of the
room was the corpse o. an adopted
daughter, q bright little girl about SIX
Years Old, named Laura Wilson. None OF
the bodies exhibited bruises of any kind
they had all sut1ucated. The expression
on the mothers cuuntenancc Wa~ one OF
mingled anxiety and despair, rs il She
had hoped that her dear ones might yet be
saved, but had finally died. realizing that
all must perish. Ihe snow around the
husband body showed that he had strWg-
gled hard to eXtricate himself.
In another place the dead body of al
old miner named NanderIeen WAS found
Up to last evening no other victims had
been discovered, though number OF mer
are missing and it is believed they ar,
under The snow 1t is impossi lie to tell
how many were Killed or what is the dam
age to property and it will probably be
late next spring. when the snow meIts, be
fore all the facts are known. There WerC
apparently two slides. each of immense
proportions, which started about the samt
time; and though they headed Tut different
points and did not travel the same route
they united Immediately above Alta. the
whole force and mass entering and crush
inc through the town. One Of the ava
lanches started from near the Mackay
: Mine, above and west Of tne Emma, anC
on its course of destruction swept away
the extensive trestle-work and the large
: ore-house at the latter mine. The Other
started from the Stoker mine, near the tol
, of the bridge, between the TWO Cotton
woods, and passed down guIch east o
the track Of the first, the junction of the
I two being at the foot Of the mountains o.
+ the elevated plateau north of Alta. 1t i
, unusual for snow-slides to occur in tina
vicinity, and those of Tuesday are tn,
largest ever known there Rain had beer
falling very fast all the afternoon, and the
snow had become thoroughly satural
and so@gy with water, and the weight be
inc thus increased caused the slide.
The people Of Alta though not expect
inc one of these catastrophes, We're fear
ful that one would occur Nearly all nigh
OIL tuesday the most terrible fears restec
on the more timed of the town The ladie:
there could not be induced to sleep any
where in the vicinity of the Slide, anc
were furnished beds in the lower and bet
ter protected part OF the burg.
Yesterday morning there was considera-
ble of an exodus from Alta, sixteen men
a.. .;+
we unC erstand between twenty and thirty
others will leave to-day, One more ava
lanche would have the effect of almost de-
populYting the town The snow was fall
ING very fast yesterday, and snow-slides
were expected at any time,
At II 80 o'clock last night Mr., Sol
Kinball, the Big Cottonwood mail-carrier,
reached this city, bringing the sad intelli-
gence that six men were killed in a snow
slide in the above canon yesterday alter
noon The slide occurred between one