Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1881-01-22
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90
WINTER IN THE WAHSA TCH
MOUNTAINS


Snow has fallen almost continuous
ly in the Wahsatch mountains, about
the heads of the Little and Big Cot
tonwood rivers, since Christmas. The
mouptains surrounding the mining
town of Alta are steep. and the trees
have been cut off. The tramway
sheds of the Wahsatch and Jordan
Valley Railroad have been swept
away in several places for Eve miles
below Alta, rendering ingress or
egress almost impossible. Two weeks
ago snow slide carried away man
named barley. The storm increased
in fury with the opening Of last week.
On Wednesday night the snow fell
in sheets and the wind became a hur.
ricane. About 10 o'clock snow
slide carried away the Flagstaff ore
house and four hundred feet of the
railroad sheds, and swept across the
fat and the creek to the opposite
mountain. Later another slide pas
sed over the Victoria and Imperial
houses, burying two men, who dug
their way out in ten hours. Contin-
uing, it swept away the Grizzly
boarding house, in which were Mrs,
Jonathan Hoskins and four children,
Charles S mons, Robert Howath and
Evan Morris. Of these Mrs. Hoskins
and her daughter, Jane Howath, and
Morris were killed. Another slide
smashed and buried the Toledo works
and clearinghouse, killing Charles
Barbridge and Frank Laporte. On
Thursday and Friday work was stop
ped at the principal mines, and many
of the men left the canyon for the val
lev. The storm continued, and in
creased in fury, the wind bio wing q
gale and piling the snow just over the
crest of the hill north of Alta, on the
Alta eide. The great weight starte |
another slide half a mile wide on Fri-
day night, which would have COM
pletely demolished Alta but that it was
split and partially diverted by fiat
area just above the head of Main street.
It struck a large and heavily-built
stone store, in which FIVE men lad
gathered for safety. Two of them,
who were sleeping in the aecond sto-
ry, were thrown out, but were com
paratively uahurt Three had t.ken
refuge in the basement and built a
fire, namely John Fitzgerald, P. B.
Lee and VIM. Hollingshead. The
houae was crushed in on them and
red from the stove, and they per-
isheu, Richard Williams and John
Washin ston who remained to look
after the Joab Lawrence property,
with instr, &c tions to sleep in the tun-
mel, are m .'esing. The avalanche
swept away ev cry building owned by
the Joab Lawrence Company, togeth-
er with their tramway inficting a
loss Of 500, 900. 1t burned the Buffalo
House, but three men had retired in
to tunnel and we're rescued exhaust
ed. Fifty people came down last
night. leaving about 20 who tor va
rious reasons could not get away.
The trip down was fearful. Leaving
their homes with nothing but the
clothes on their backs, the women wal
lowed through the snow as best they
could, the men carrying the children
There remains enough mountain slope
still undenuded to complete the des-
truction Of the town, and it may slide
at any moment. Eight miles Of the
upper Big Cottonwood are said to BE-
one huge slide, covering everything.
A big slide in Mayfield gulch has
blocked the creek for four hundred
yards and make quite a lake. While
there is no loss Of life yet reported
from the Big Cottonwood, the miners
are leaving the canyon as fast as pos
sibls. When the snow becomes deer
and heavy oE the steep mountain
slopes an avalanche may be started
by party W aiding across their fact
or by a cor lcussiou. Sometimes
blast far unde ground will do it.
A NOTED harper, wishing to ge