Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-17
Fatal AValanclles In Utah.

SEVERAL PEOPLE PRRIsH BY SNOW sILDRs-SUF-
FER1NGs OF sUEEIVORS-THE TOWN OF ALTA IN
DANGER.
Snow has fallen almost continuously In the
Wahsateh mountains OF Utah about the heads
OF the Little and Big Cottonwood rivers since
Christmas. The mountains surrounding the
mining Town or Alta are steep, and the trees
have been cut of. The tran1Way sheds OF the
Wahsatch and Jordan Valley railroad have
been swept away In several places for five
miles below Alta, rendering ingress or egress
almost impossible. Two weeks ago SNOW
s!lde carried away man named barley.
the storm Increased In fury with the opening
OF o. IL last week. or WEDNESDAY night the snow
About 10 o'clock snow slide carried away the
Flagstan orehOuse and four hundred feet OF
the railroad sheds, and swept across the fiat
another slide passed over the Victorlo and
Imperial houses, burying two men, who dug
their way cut In ten hours. Continuing, It
Which We're MIS- Jonathan Hossing ana ou IN
children, Charles Symons. Robert Howath
and Evan Norris. OF these Mrs. Hoskins
and her daughter, Jane Howath, and
buried the Toledo works and boarding house,
killing Charles Barbridge and Frank Laporte.
On Thursday and Friday work was stopped at
the principal mines, and many OF the men left
and increased in fury, the wind blowing a gale
and pilipg the snow just over the crest OF the
bill north OF Alta, on the Alta side. The great
WelSuJ SldTteO 6QOlQeF Sll16 nalI m!e Wide
on Friday night, which would have completely
demolished Alta but that It was split and par
TALLY diverted by fiat area just above the head
ofMain street. 1t struck large and heavily built
stone store, In which five men had gathered for
safety: TWO OF them, who were sleeping In tbs
second story, were thrown out, but were COM
parat1vely unhurt. Three had taken refuge Ia
the basement and built a fire, namely John
Fitzgerald, P. B. Lee and William Holdings
head. The house was crushed In on them aud
fired from the stove, and they per-
1shed Richard WilliamSs and John Wash
ingtOn, who remained to look after the JOab
Lawrence property, with instructions to sleep
in the tunnel. are missing. The avalanche
swept away every building owned by the Joab
Lawrence company, together with their tram
Buffalo house, but three men had retired into a
tunnel and we're rescued exhausted. Fifty PEG
pie came down last night, leaving about 20 who
for various reasons could not get away. The
trip down was fearful. Leaving their homes
with nothing but the clothes on their backs
the women wallowed through the snow as best
they could, the men carrying the children.
There remains enough mountain slope still un-
denuded to complete the destruction OF the
town, and 1t may slide at any moment. Eight
miles Of the upper Big Cottonwood are said 10
be one huge slide, covering everything. big
slide in Mayfield gulch has blocked the creek
for 400 yards and made quite lake. While
there is no loss OF life yet reported from the
Big Cottonwood, the miners are leaving the
canyon as fast as possible. When the snow
becomes deep and heavy on the steep noun.
tain slopes an avalanche may be started by
party wading across their face or by concus-
sion. Sometimes blast far under ground will
do 1t.