Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1883-04-27
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A Ride On an Avalanche.

Every body knows, or is the worse of
for not knowing, Uncle Alex Hyland.
He.came over here from Bolss. in 1866
and got a good claim on Elk Greek.
where he has lived ever since. save
when he came up % pesr Lodge occa-
sionally TO spend a7Heele or two with
his friends. We don't want to say
anything even cordial of Uncle Alex.
He don't like it.. but when he says the
last 'good-by'' 20 the boys there viii ite
more sad hearts than there has beenfod
many day in Western. Montana. He
Is seventy-siX years old, hale. heaytv
aud, vigorous, for his years, and EVERY
day through the season does his day' :
work in the plaeers alongside such stall
warts rs James Hartford and James
Fleming, and never misses q lickor a
meal. And he don't let the long
winters debilitate him either. A few
days ago John Gerber wrote 10 him of
ms -intrntted- departure for California
abopt Lls time, and in due course of un-
certain mails the letter was placed in
Uncle Alexis hands. II had been rain
ing two DAYS ON the Elk; the four or
five feet of snow that covers the noun
tains and gulches in the vicinity was
soft and honeycombed. and the
streams were running freshet. But
Uncle Alex concluded To come to Deer
Lodge To see Gcrber. The first eight
miles 10 Bear, crossing the heavy
range, had 30 be made on snow-shoes,
and the next nineato the stage station on
FOOT; but Wednesday morning, of last
week, he strapped ON his eleven-foOt
Norwegian sfiow-shOes and started over.
by way of Deep Gulch. The ascent
from Elk was tedious and laboriOus. 1t
IS a long trudge up the mountain TO the
| top of the ridge, thousand feet above
Beartown and six thousand above the
sea--especially to man seventy-siX
years old. The summit was reached at
last, aud he was congratulating himself
on an easy run down 10 Bcartown. when
the snow sank in the trail and down he
went. Another trial and the same ne
suit. The rains had honeycombed and
undermined the snow. A little distance
on, the whole body of snow had sid
away and plunged down the precipitous
canyon side into the bed of Deep -Guleh.
: This would never do for snow-shoeing
The only recourse was to ascend the
canyon side To the dividing ridge be-
tween Elk and Deep and follow along on
the edge of the summit. He muified
his shoes with rope brought for the pur-
/ pose, and the climb was made, good
/ footing secured and all looked clear
! ahead.
7 Uncle Alex then thought il was about
time for smoke. He halted. filed his
Z pipe. III it, took a North American
\ Wifi or two, and was just striking out
! when--wh-e-yy4w zip. away went the en-
! tire body'of snow with wild whirl, and
in a moment he was riding an avalanche
200 feet wide with lightning speed,
headlong down the preeipice toward the
waters of the creek, nearly 400 feet
below. Fortunately he was hurled
"head on, and was within few feet
I of the top of the slide when ii started
He struck with his alpenstOck. braeed
himself in the shoes he could not olsen
| gage from his feet. and flew through
space with the aceeleration of speed
produced by both the decliyity and
snowslide. Before he could say ''Erin
20 Bragh'' the slide had carried
him into and across the gulch, crushed
his snOw-shOes and swamped the srow
, up around him until only enough
OF him was left free. and I'M
fettered TO have whipped Gerber had he
been IN sight. But he wasn't, nor any
. other living thing, and the winds sing
ing apiaintve monody in the neighbor
ing pines alone broke the stiffness that
succeeded the roar of the avalanche. He
looked back to see if any more snow
was coming The canyon side lay bare
and SCARED TO the summit with the
powders and stumps holding white
fragments of their recent shr6ui He
had ridfen-on the eS~fst, tsf the slide and
was safe. He was abOdt % rest spell
before eXerting himself to extricate him.
: self, when Suddenly his feet grew cold.
! The cbillferept up his ankles and was
4 feeling for his knees before he realised
ibis situation. The snow-slide had
damned the waters of Deep Gulch.
They were coming up sfter him. Some
J thing was. necessary tolbo done without
brush projected near. He reachedover
and caught them and was speedily free
He concluded 10 leave the vicinity
forthwith, and was soon after picking
his way down the gulch. arriving at
/ BeartOwn nj five p. IN. without bruisp
or broken bone. And that's the way
| Uncle Alex came up from Elk Creek
Many and many n sturdy man has been
lost in snow-slides that were small com
pared to this, but they were under and
he was on top. When asked if he
would return that way, he said: mo.
think Twill go over by Henry Grants
cabin. The supervisor seems to have
neglected his work this winter on The
Deep Gulch trail. '-Deer Lodge CM IT.
NcIo N0rttreSt, -f