The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1881-01-16
The III Starred Camp Of Alta Has
Another Visitation.
FIVE LIVES LOST
And $4,000 Damage Done to
Property
Stricklsy's Store Crushed to a
Shspeless Mass.
The Vallejo TrsmWsy, Boarding
House and Other Buildings
Carried Away.
Fire Completes What the Slide
Leaves UndOne.
Fitzgerald, Lees and H0llingshead
Suff0cated or Burned 10
Death.
CitiZens FleeiDR for Their Lives.
Citizens Fleeing for Their Lives.
Twelve Persons Killed Within
-Four Days.

SONS had lost their lives, and anoth
on the 18th. in which two men we
killed, and in which other SHOWS slid
were anticipated at any early dat
even before the paper had been pu
lished. The anticipation was we
founded. One of the most terrlf
svalsnobes ever known took place {
Alta on Friday night, just before,
O'Clock. Owing to the slides that hs
taken place the two preceding day
the citizens mad become alarmed an
wisely took precautions for safety,
the event that others might come
and we're very uneasy, as the 90
weather was Of a character calculate
to produce slides more than anythin
else, while the winds had also iavore
their occurrence. At auont II. 80 FIR
day night, the dreaded syalanch
came.
1t must be reco!lected that Littl
Cottonwood Canon runs east an
west. while the town OF Alta is q
right angles with the csfion, thr
street running north and south. o.
the mountain on the north side of tn,
town, are the Pride of the America
Buffalo, Vallejo, end other mines
while on the same side but far
Their east, is the North Sta
Mine. The slide came from the north
side, beginning at a point near the
Pride of America, and extending cas-
and around the mountain side as fal
as the North Star, taking in a radiu:
of country over hslf mile in width,
all of which swept down towards the
town. The avalanche commenced
near the summit OF she mountain, az
can be seen by comb that still re-
manned there on Saturday indicatin.
the point OF separation in the snow,
and the point where the slide started.
Il carried along with it the boarding
house OF the Pride OF America, one
of the Buffalo houses, the Vallejo
boarding and ore house and its other
buildings, the tramway and the
machinery used in running it, the
North Star and other places, as il
swept down. Just above the town
there is q little plat, and directly
beneath tots plat is the depot, while
still further down and east WAI Strick-
ley's store. At this fiat the slide
broke and parted, and split in half, il
the expression is understood, one part
in southWesterly direction,
and she other in q eoutheasterly
direction. The part that resulted so
was that which took the
southEesterly course. In its rapid
down the mountain, it vas
forced out of the fiat with q bound,
and went right over the depot
which are located imme.
1iately under the hill which leads to
he fat, and the sheds there re-
NAMED intact. This threw the full
orce of the avalanche onto Strickley's
,Iore and adjoining buildings. The
main store Was struck on the
northeast corner, and crushed in, to.
,ether with the adjoining buildings.
warehouses, etc., on the north. A
adjoining. on the west. was
ipped up on END, and one on the south
ide was tilted up also. ALI the walls
we're orushed down, excepting the
vest one, which was still standing
Vben the parties who arrived here
asst night LEFT Alta. Having wrought
his destruction, the slide continued
ts souIhwesterly course down and
,cross to the opposite side OF the
anon.
After the break at the fat, the
branch OF the avalanche
i'd no great harm. 1t passed around
he east end of the town, crushing
My q lew Chinese houses of but
ri1ing value. and like the other bait
iushed on to the other side of the
anon, carrying with it such wreck
S it could gather up. This split at
be fat was the only thing that saved
ny OF the town. Beiog, as it started
own the side Of the mountain,
yer half a mile in width, it was OF
efficient breadth to have carried
way the entire town; but the divid-
ng as above stated turned it from the
irect course, with the lack OF harm
tssed. This left a portion of the
ownsite, as near as can be, in the
hspe of a V, wholly untouched by
my of the slide. In this radius was
. brewery, used also as a dwelling,
be hotel, q number of Chinese
houses, and other places, together
With dwellings, and but for this for
innate turn, the loss of life might
ave been triple what it is.
The loss of life is estimated at five
OF this number two were
It the Vallejo Mine. Fortunately,
md strange 70 say, all the men in The
mploy of the Vallejo, save these two,
lad been discharged just the day
previous. The hour &C which the
lide took place, was that at which
be night shift, had the men been
till retained, would have been at the
house eating, while the day
hilt would have been asleep. As
be boarding house and sleeping
ooms we're carried away, the loss of
life which would have occurred here
lone, bat for the fortunate discharge
he day previous, can but be ina
lined. 1t appears that the two men,
whose names are John Washington
nd Dick Williams, still retained,
we're Of the opinion that the board
Dg house was safe from slides. They
re numbered among the lost, though
! is not positively known that they
AVE not escaped. Circumstances,
however, strongly incline to the be-
ief that they have met their death,
md for these reasons: 1t is stated
hat at 8 so O'Clock, about two hours
,efcre the slide, light was seen in
be boarding house OF the Vallejo,
ghich indicates that the men we're
here. and if they remained in il, a.
here seems little doubt, there is no
Ioubt as to their fate. Il was claimed
bat the men had gone into the tun-
lei to sleep, in which event. OF
course, they would be safe; but gen
lemau overtaking Mr.. G NJ. Brough,
O whom we are indebted for q clear
md comprehensive statement OF the
errible occurrence, while on the Way
Town from Alta, stated that q man
lad gone up to she tunnel and had
cen no signs Of Williams nor Wash