The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-12-11
AMONG THE SNOW DRIFrs.
A Winters torn IN Poverty Guich
In GunnIson County-The Dan
gers OF Mining.

The Gothic Silver Record publishes
the following interesting account of the
sensational experiences of a number
of miners caught in a storm In Poverty
gulch:
Much Is said about the dangers and
h~ardships Of a soldiers life, Of the UNI
dinching bravery in q forlorn hope, but
Of the dangers and perils encountered
by p~rospectors and miners, mention is
hardly aver made. The experience Of
the miners employed at the Domingo
mine during the late snow and wind
storm is only a fair sample Of the ex-
perience of miners all over our noun
tain camps.
superintendent Harry Lee and Al.
Holcomb, while engaged in taking a
small train of jacks loaded with sup
plies to the mine and when within a
mile of the mine, were suddenly caught
by a furious wind and snow storm that
came sweeping over the mountains.
The air was so full of the driving snow
that 1t was impossible to face the fierce
blasts. Finding 1t impossible to pro-
coed with the jacks they left them at
Barnes cabin, about a half mile from
the mine, while they tried to reach 1t.
By lying down in the snow out Of the
reach of the wind they could catch
their breath, and filling their lungs
with air, could wallow on for a few
feet through the fast accommodating
snow until they were again forced to
repeat the breathing operation. They
finally succeeded in reaching the Do
mingo cabin, and for two days the
storm ragged with such fury that at
every attempt to reach the jacks they
were driven back. On the evening of
the second day Mr.. Lee made his way
to the cabin. He found the jacks
nearly starved and almost frog
IN. Harry soon shoyelled
a hole in the snow,
laid some sticks across the top, cover
ing them with a wagon sheet, and pill
ing snow upon IT. made a shelter for
the Jacks, and fed them some oat meal
which he found In the cabin. BY this
time the storm, which had only lulled
for a little while, was renewed with all
Its violence, and for the next three days
Mr.. Lee was kept a close prisoner,
wrapping himself up in some old tents
to keep from freezing, and living like
the burros, on oat meal raw. During
this time MI. Holcoomb twice attempt
ed to make his way to the cabin and see
what had become of Lee. Each time
be was overtaken by small snow slides
that fell over the cliff and covered him.
Once he was over two hours working
before he could get clear of the snow.
Most fortunately the snow was very
loose and dry and did not pack 30 but
he could use his arms and feet, and, by
pulling 1t down with his hands and
packing 1t under bis feet, be got out
and crawled back to the cabin. When
the storm stopped all hands turned out
and shoveled out the trail, and while
AL Holcomb, George Sweeney and Ed
Smizer were shovelfng under a small
clin, they were all suddenly covered by
a small slide, but the now was so
loose they easily extricated themselves,
and finished the trail, not only to the
cabin, but to PittsburQ,. and finished
putting in the winters supplies and
lumber to finish the ore house.
While the boys were cooped up by
the storm they took out and sacked
three or four tons Of very rich ore, now
having a 24-inch pay-streak. They are
again opening the trail to pack down a
FIVE or six hundred ounce truck.
1t is not often that a nan has the
experience Of being covered with three
snow slides in n week. Once is gen.
orally enough for a life time.