Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-04-06


The Bodie (Cal.) Free Press of recent
date contains a graphic description
nearly three columns in length-of the
terrific avalanches that fell near the town
of Lundy, Homer mining district, during
the late season of storms. Scores of
avalanches fell there within a space of
three days. Forty-five meU, two women
and three little girls were buried by the
slides The snow in the towns and
canOns was from five to seven feet deep,
and on the mountains from nine to
twelve. The first avalanche, though it
was by no means the largest, was in
some respects most peculiar. 1t is de-
scribed as follows:
'No alarm was felt by the inh4 bitants
of the two districts until about 4:30
o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, the
10Th, when the first avalanche turned
loose an 800-foot precipice near the top
of Mount Scowden, which rises to
height of 2, 500 feet between and at the
confluence Of Lake and Mill Greek can.
ons, overlooking the southern section of
the town of Lundy. This body of loose,
dry snow dropped about 800 feet where
it struck upon bench of the mountain,
bounded out upon the air compressed
beneath it, sailed over the tops of
the tallest pines, and came down YER
tically, 1900 feet from it's last point
of contact with the earth. This de
molished the residences and buried Mr..
and Mrs. Winters on the north side of
Chicago avenue, Mr.. and Mrs. Mayes
and their three little girls, and man
named Antoine Silver, and four French
men on the south side Of the avenue The
last named party consisted of Joseph Ca
ron. George Chagnoa, August DOrvan
and August Duval. CarOn and one of
the Mayes girls each saw the great mass
of snow descending. CarOn called to ais
companions that a snow cloud had burst
above them, and the little girl rushed
into the house and told her mother
Cloud was falling. StOvepipes and chin
Deys were filed, without being broken,
showing that the hard, packed snow de-
scended vertically"
The second avalanche was no small
affair, and was even more terrifying than
the first. 1t started from a cliff over
hanging the business centre of the town,
where no snow slide has ever been known
to occur. Three fourths of the pOpula-
ton were in the streets in the course of the
IL
not fee, as the snow was five feet deep
and soft. Fortunately, the slide struck
upon a broad and elongated rock mound
or bench projecting from the mountain
near its base and burst into cloud of
spray, or rather the compact snow was
disintegrated and sent whirling with the
velocity of fine shot from a gun, the rush
of air created by. the avalanche being
sufficient to lift men from their feet and
knock them several steps, and to drive
the fine snow into planks of the building
on the opposite side of the street.
An avalanche that shot down Mount
Discovery, on the west side of Lake
canon, at II o'clock Wednesday night,
buried many persons, swept away cabins
and mining works and covered the
bodies of some of its victims to depth
OF As feet. "This slide was one fourth
of mile in width. had run entirely
across the canon and 500 feet up the steep
mountain on the other side"
Many other avalanches occurred on
Wednesday night and Thursday, some
of them huge ones, that did great
damage. Friday morning opened with
a clear sky and stiff, cold wind from
the west. just as the sun was pouring
its welcome light into the canon, and the
sleepless inhabitants had assembled on
the sidewalk to bid it welcome, three
huge avalanches. running parallel and
simultaneously went laundering down
the northern slope of Mount Gil.
crest, striking the ice of Lake
Lundy and shooting across half a
mile to the other shore. The sun had
not yet struck the surface of the lake,
but as immense clouds of fine, dry snow
from the avalanches filled the air the full
width of the canon the sun poured
through and turned the whole mass to
eddying gold dust. Shortly afterward
two other avalanches of huge proper
tiOns had race into the canon from the
south side-one from Deer canon and
the other FROM the side of the mountain
just east of it. The first named had
run of two miles before reaching the
open country. On reaching the open
moraine it spread out, like a pigeons
tail, to a width of nearly half mile, and
rolled down in huge wall of snow three
or four hundred feet high. In a space
of one hour and half no less than nine
pOnderous avalanches were witnessed
from the town, some of them running
clear across Lake Lundy and one cross
ing the creek below.