, 1881-01-30

OGDEN, Utah, Jan. 24.-lne past EWo
weeks have been full Of sad sciences and
terrific snow-slides in the mining camps III
the Wasatch range. That the reader may
understand something Of tie situation relat-
ing TO the location of such scenes, little
description Of Alta City is not out Of place.
Standing in Salt Lake City and looking south,
one sees several n0tches In the otherwise
continuous range rising thousands OF feet
above the Great Salt Lake Valley.
These notches are cations, long and
deep, piercing the range, down which
now streams fed By melting SHOWS and
/ springs. Big Cottonwood and Little Cotton-
/ wood cailons seem only a short distance
! away, but they are miles distant, the latter
ueing nearly twenty miles from the city. 4
| railway runs to the foot of this callon and Is
operated by locomotion, but. up the caIion the
i iramWay of ten miles Is too steep for steam,
and animal power is used to take up the
liRhtly-loaded cars, which are then sent
down loaded with ore and are held back by
means Of strong brakes The cafon IS mar
row, and the sides rise almost perpendicular
on each side. for thousands Of feet. The
tramway is placed close in the base OF the
hills on the north side, and Is covered with
sheds so as to carry the snow over in case OF
slides.
Near the head Of the calon Is
| THE TOWN OF ALTA.
with the mountains reaching to the hight
Of two or three thousand feet above. All
these hills are 50 steep that it Is difficult for
men to pass up and down except by paths
made zigzag cut In the side OF the steep
mountains. These hills are the home Of the
great mines of Little Cottonwood, snch as
the Emma, Flagstaff. and scores OF others,
! which are known far and wide because OF
their great production Ut silver. Machlnery'
tunnels, shafts. and miners cabins dot the
surface, and through the summer hundreds
of men are busy in getting out ore and send
lng it off to market In. the summer season
Alta is
A ROMANTIC AND PLEASANT PLACE
| to live, because one is there removed from
the heat of lower attitudes. and ut
night the air is so cool rs to require
| fire. for comfort and the weary rest unuer
| heavy blankets Snow falls to great depths,
| and the streets have to be shoye[ed out TO
make paths for the citizens to move from
| place to place
while it Is clear and pleasant down in the
valley of the great Salt Lake, Nature is pill
Ing u p snow Oh the high peaks OF the tower
| Ing Wasatch, and this snow lying on the
steep sides, is ready to rush 1nadIy down. a
step Of the passer-by OF blast Of powder
down deep in the mines below, may start
| slide which carries destruction with H.
| Every wear numbers Of hardy and brave
| miners are swept away III these slides. Dur
,ng the past two weeks the disasters nave
been sad and many. Alta City, which was
supposed to be in safe position, has been
CRUSHED AND DEsEtsTED,
| and was the witness Of many appalling scenes.
Nine bodies were sent down to Salt Lake at
one time for burial. Some OF these, after be
Ine caught and engulfed In the slide'
suffered death by burning in the cabins,
| thus leaving nothing but the charred
unrecognized remains. Brave miners
| and citizens volunteered to dig passes out OF
the debris, and many hairbreadth escapes
from the fury of the slides are reported.
When we consider that the snow mas been
piled up to depth Of from three to Ten 1ee'
on the steep sides OF the mountain anu when
once started the whole mass rashes ao"l
with increasing speed, 1t Is enough to apai
the brayest heart. Thus for miles up ant
down one slide after another Tushes do"f
filling I'D the narrow cail, on and IN Its move
menfs crushing and carrying away CABINS
honses. I,oistfng- works, and t1amways. Man!
miners were caught and Imprisoned IN tnei
mines until dug out Nine bodies "er
buried In one day III Salt Lake City tn
fatalities of two or three days at Alta am
the hardships Of persons driven through lea
from that camp to the city for shelter rs'1 va
extreme. Relief co!nmlstees FsrsE. hase " Man
raised about ST, 200 for the sif1eIess. anau :
lost ali except what cloth Ing tney "ole
the time the disaster came
The slides at Custer Clty, loano, cause
much loss Of property and OF tour pefsons'
; SOUTHERN M1NSESoTA-
sp<etat Dispatch to The Chicago Tribune.
ia CROSSE, Wis, Jan. 9.-The Soutner
Minnesota Railway will probably be opene
through to Flandreau Tomorrow, and tralI
will again be in motion. A force OF 81
men lave been kept busy for nearly
month in cutting through the cuts on Il
road. The blockade the past month has bee
very injurious to both La Crosse and Chlcae
| merchants. Nothing has been uansferrt
here from the East for. that road. Unless
} storm again sets In, the condition OF the 1o'
will be such as to insure the passage OF
trains its entire length.
DEsTRUCTIOS OF CATTLE.
Special Dsspateh to 1he Chicago Tribune
? SIOUX CITY, 1a., Jan. ga reliable par
| A-... +hn oo++lt, ror,oo In -WaQtarn Nphr19