The Albany register. [volume] (Albany, Or.) 1868-18??, 1875-01-29


Under date Of Saturday. the 2ad
inst. the Oregon steam Navigation
Company furnished the following
from WalIa WaIla: We have been
furnished with some of the particu-
lars OF a most terrible calamity which
has resulted I'm the death of a woman
and two of her children. It seems
that man named Tate. living about
eleven miles In an easterly direction
from this city. between Dry creek and
Blue creek. left bis house on Thursday
morning to assist q neighbor with
some stock. leaving his wife and three
children. aged respectively seven and
five, and baby. When he returned i'm
the evening he found his house leveletl
to the ground and buried under the
snow, a snow slide having occurred
probably soon after the husband and
fathers Departure carrying every
thing before 1t. Search was made
and the dead bodies OF his wife and two
children were found in the stable.
while the baby, who had been In bed
at the time of the catastrophe. was
found still snugly covered up In the
bed and buried in the ruins asleep and
unllarIned. From the tracks found.
it seems that the whole family had
been buried up. and THAT the mother
had first extricated heHselt and then
rescued her two oldest children from
the ruins of the house! Whether they
were dead or only injured, Is not
known; but the mother carried them
to the stable. which was unharncd,
aud had lain them down side by
side. She then attempted to GO to n
neighbor's. probably for help. but the
snow being very deep. she had found
it impossible to go, and had returned
AMI laid herself down beside her two
children. where she was fOElld. "a
above stated, all three of them being
dead. 1t is not exactly known, but Is
probably the case, that she was more
or less injured by the snow slide, and
that her exertiOns in rescuing her
children and in attempting 20 60 to
the neigfbor's. Joined In causing her
death. These are the outlines Of the
affair as detailed by a neighbOr 6the
unfortunate family, and is one of the
most heartrending casualties that we
have ever been called upon to chronicle.
The ilifateCl house was situated at the
foot OF q high and steep hill and the
snow was drifted to great depth. but
as such accidents are OF very rare
occurrence here. no one ever dreamed
OF danger there from that source.
From all directions we hear of more
or less loss of stock. In some instances
owners made little or no provision for
the,r stock. trusting to luck and the
chances tor an open winter to carry
them through. In most cases. how
ever, there is plenty of feed, but there
are q great many whose stock had
strayed away and they have been un-
| able to find them and get them home
| since the storm. Those stray cattle
are generally the ones that suffer most
and are dying off the fastest We also
| hear of quite u heavy loss among
sheep. but the ones that die are gem
| orally either old ones or those that
have been brought into the country
from abroad and have not yet become
acclimated. In the aggregate the loss
of stock is likely to be Considerable,
and especially so if we are to have
much more bad weather between this
time aud the opening of spring.
The family of Mr.. Cummings. Hv-
ing on the Wa'lula road below the
mouth of the TouclIet, seem TO be
| particularly unfOr tunate. We now
/ accident that happened to one of the
sons, young man aged eighteen years.
In some manner or other he jumped
aga inst the handle OF pitchfork with
such force that the handle passed al
most through the body. on line with
the pelvis, and passed through to the
backbone. DIR. BIalock was called to
the relief of the young man and thinks
it possible that he may recover. The
shock Of this accident Is supposed to
have hastened the death of his mother,
who passed away shortly after Its
occurrence. The accident happened
on Monday last and up to this writing
the unfortunate youth Is still alive.