The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-01-19
FEARFUL SNOW STORM.
The Little Mining Town of Alta Almost De-
strOySd by Snow SIfdes-SeveraI Persons
Killed

ne Lfflle Mining Town OF ANa Almost De-
stroysa by s~ow sIides-SeveraI Persons
Killed
SALT LIKE. Utah. Jan. lG.-SnOw has fallen
he ads of tAs Little and Big Cottonwoods, since
Christmas. The DOuntlinH surrounding the
mining town OF Alta are steep and high. ana the
tne Fees have been cot of The tra7nway sAeds
of Il ? Wahssttch and Jordan Vszley Rail Oad have.
been swept away in several places, for five miles
DelON Alta, rendering ingress OF egreSS almost
imposhble. Two weeks ago q sssow slide carried
away a man named Darby. The continuous
storm increased its fury with the opening of
last week "Wednesday night the snow
fell il sheets and the wind. became a
hurricane About 10 O'Clock a snoy. slide carried
away IN flag sts.f of one house. 100 feet Of. the
railroad sheds ard swept across Flat Creek 70 the
opposite mountsssn. Another slide passed over
the Nicteria and Imperial House. burying two
tinuing il swept away the Grizzly boarding house,
in which were Ar. Nathan HasIins and four
yan Vorri of thes MI s9Grt a1satn sad
Howath anS' Morris were killed. Another slide
smashed the Toledo Works and boarding house.
Thursday and Friday work was stopped at
tae men left the canyon for the
fu5y, and the wind was blowing gale and Diling
the snow jus5 over the crest Of the hilT north OF
Alta On the rlta side the great weight stsrted
another slide half a mile wide on Friday night,
which would have completely demolished Alta
but that il was split and partially diverted By a
nat area lIst ABOVE the head OF Main street. Il
struck large, heavily built stove store IN which
five men had gathered f9T safety. Two sleeping
In the second sDry were thrown out and com
parat5Sely unhurt. Three had taken refu-a in
the basement and built a fire-Jchn PITT
gerald, 7. B. Lee and William Hollingshead
The house was crushed in on them and fred
from the stove and they perished. Richard Will
Jams and John Washington, who remained 70
look after the Joab Lawrence property, with in
structiC0s TO sleep ia the tunnel, missing The
avalanche swept away every building ownedsby
the Joacs Lawrence Company, together with their
tramway, inticting loss OF Sl20,0O0 Itburied
the Buffalo house, but the men had retired into
a tunnel, and were rescued exhausted. Fifty peo-
pie came down last night, leaving about twenty,
who, for various reasons. could not GET
away. The trip down was fearful Lay
ing their homes With nothing but the
clothes on their backs, tie women wallowed
through snow as best they could, the men car
rylng the children. There remains a rough moEn-
tain slope stin undenuGed to cOHplet the
destruction OF the town, 2nd IL may slide OF any
moment. Eight miles of the the Big Cottonwood
are said 10 be one huge slide covering every
thing A big slide in Mayfieid ssulch has blocked
the creek for 400 yards and made quite slsLe.
While there is no los of life yet reported from
the Big Cottonwood, miners are Leaving the
canyon fast as possible When the snow be
comes deep and heavy Oh those steep moun.Ain
slopes an avalanche may be started by party
wading across their face, or by q c0neussion,
sometimes a blast far under ground viii do it.