Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-18

shot, dressed and placed away in the
snow against all contingencies. It's a
good deal better to eat mule-meat than 10
starve to death.
With the abatement of the storm, the
sun came out and shone with great
strength This started thaw, which
continued couple of days. though it was
not to lie expected that it wonld last un-
til the snow disappeared. 1t would re-
quire weeks of such weather, and that
was improbable at this time of the year,
for November had grown into winter.
During all these long, dismal days of
the storm, the miners remained within
the hut, smoking, sleeping, eating and
passing the time as best they could; but
with the appearance Of the sun they dug
their way out, and climbing up the ledge,
where they had been working. cleared
away the snow and resumed labor.
They kept up good hearts, tor the men
were old miners, whose experience was
mainly history OF bad luck, and they
tried to cheer themselves with the belief
that their good fortune bad come at last.
But such was not the case. There was
chloride ore beyond question, but it
didn 'pan out" well
The three men were pegging away as
hard as ever to aard the close of the day,
when, as the twilight gathered in the
canon, low, rumbling sound caused
them to stop and look at each other with
blanched faces, wondering what it could
mean. 1t sounded like the muttering of
an earth quake, and the miners would
hot fho
fact that there was no perceptible tremor
IN the ground. The terrible grumble
grew louder and louder, until, looking
up, they saw an enormous mass of snow
sliding DOM from the cliffs far above
their heads.
$50 tor camp, boys!" yelled Nc Donald,
leaping from the ledge, and scrambling
desperately through the snow, his COM
panions but few seconds behind him
They were only rod or two from shell
ter, but the snow was upon them before
they reached it. But the avalanche as it
may be called, did not fall at once: it be-
gan like torrent, rushing through a
bank, growing more massive, alarming
and stupenduous each second. Thus it
was the miners succeeded in plunging
into the cabin, head first, just in time.
The frightened men had barely oppor-
tunity to GRAIL into their prison, when
down came the main body of the avalanche
composed of snow, ice, trees, earth, and
boulders, burying the party under depth
of forty feet.
The projecting rock and strong poles
saved the party from being crushed to
death. Some OF the supports gave way
unoer the enormous pressure, but con,
siderable space was left in which the poor
fellows could move about.
1t was dark as midnight, and as the
miners found they were all there unharm-
ed, they concluded they would be smoth-
cred to death, for 1t seemed that it would
take but short time to use up all the air
at their command.
But this fear fortunately was unbound
ed. There were crevices all along the
sides which admitted all the atmosphere
they needed; and, encouraged by the GER
talnty that imminent death was not i'm.
pending, they began to dig out their pro
visions. The regular supply was about
exhausted, and they were Immensely re-
lieved when they brought out the carcass
of the mule.
The broken poles and supports fur
nlshed all the fuel they needed lGr cook
ing, which was the only necessity for fire
There is warmth in snow, and it is we'll
known that animals have lived for weeks
securely protected from the wintry blasts
sweeping over the wastes above. What
ever the imprisoned miners suffered from,
it was sure not to be from cold.
The next natural proceeding was to al
tempt to dig their way out. With the
long poles at their command they delved
in different directions, but it was impos-
sible to make any satisfactory progress.
They dreaded, IN case they worked any
distance from the shelter of the rock, the
disturbance thus created would bring
down the thousands of tons above their
heads, and destroy them instantly and ut
tcrly as the Alpine avalanche overwhelms
the traveller.
They could barely distinguish the fad
ing out of the faint light at the crevices,
by which they knew when night had
come.
They tolled cautiously, and once, when
Mccoy had ventured little too far, a
second edition of the fearful rumbling
sound warned tnem of what was coming.
and his companions, catching his feet,
were barely able to draw him back ir
time to save his life.
That ended all efforts to dig theUsel. es
out, and they came to the conclusion that
nothing was left but to wait for death to
release them from their sno Nv prison.
Thor hol a. A
snow furnished all the water needed, so
that the prospect was of confinement, IF
weeks before the nnal scene.
Nearly three days passed, when Nc
Carly suddenly started up and exclaimed
Ssh don't you hear it?''
His companions listened, but detected
nothing.
"Some one is digging down to u.s."
All listened lntently, for at such time
the slightest noise is of the greatest I'M
poStance, meaning more probably life or
death to all concerned. In a few minutes
they caught peculiar sound, which they
knew was made by delving in the snow
"They must he Indiansp as the excla-
nation of Mccoy.
"Most likely; bat how would they
know we are heref"
A very appropriate question indeed
for the descent of the avalanche had OBJ
liberated most effectually every trace of
the miners from the world outside The
general belief was that the parties ap-
preaching must be savages, and the
whites shouted with might and main.
Instantly the digging ceased, but there
was NO response, and, in a brief time,
the noise showed that the delving was
resumed. For full hour this continued,
and then dim, increasing light indica-