The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-04-13
BURIED UNDER SNOW.
/, WESTERN EXPERIENCE.
Colorado. rrIahtful storms and Avaianehe';
~, ,,.,- r.vered Up-Dificuity OF

almost ;nc,ssant all winter, and have rageu |
with such f,,ry that outdoor work OF all
Kinds hos haen suspended for weeks ut |
time Dozens OF mining camps are still
en- of, rom The world, and some OF them
will NOT no onened up for month 10
come AZ many OF these the supplies are
running Mort. and unless relief comes
soon there will be great suffering. Ihe
last Storm was the widest OF the entire
winter, More than eighteen inches OF
snow iell ON level. This has been piled
nm in the CANYONS to the depth OF 100 feet
IN some ulaces. Everybody who ventures
ont does al on snow-shoes. The recent
slides have caused a stampede OF miners
and others from exposed points. but there
ara many camps In the mountains which,
beleaguered by the drifts, are In Ignorance
Of the DEVASTATION wrought elsewhere, and
efforts have been made by several hardy
adyenturers TO give them warning.
The early winter was so pleasant that
hundreds az men, disregarding the advice
81 old settlers. remained in the mountains.
The fate Of some OF these is already
known. As to others there Is great anu
increasing anxiety. The men VINO nave
been securing the country on snow-snoes,
riding on ayalanches. and slldlng ue"n
glistcning mountains OF Ice, nave some
strange stories to tell OF their experiences
At Crested Butte, Irwin, ana all surrouhu.
ing places the snow lies ten to sixteen ieet
deep on level by actual measurement.
Two-story dwellings are buried 10 tne
roofs, and in numerous instances IL mas
been found necessary TO piece out CHM
news with sections OF stove-pipe. The peo-
ME have tunnelled out as best they could,
aud cut air-holes through the solid masses
which surround their habitations. man
living i'm one-story cabin delves out to the
surface with shovel in hand. and after
clearing a hole for his Smoke-stack ana
opening up holes for the windows sets
about constructing a snow stairway lead
ing down to his door. The snow is packed
go hard that this becomes comparatively
easy. Getting the pitch of his steps to suit
him. he has but to lit the chunks out as
they are cut with the shovel, aud with the
aid OF small pieces OF wood, which serve
to protect each step, the passageway re-
mains firm, growing harder with use.
Coming out Of his house man has but 10
climb to the surface OF the snow, don his
snow-shoes, and
SAIL, AWAY OVER THE TOPS OF HOUSES
and stores at will. Many "city which
cuts as big figure on the map as Denver
does consists at this moment OF twenty or
tbirty stovepipes stuck in the snow. Ihal
| is the WAY it looks TO a newcomer, at any
rate.
While the greater part OF the snow has
been piled up in the canyons and guiches,
there are accumulations on the mountains
which hang tremendously over the valleys
beneath, and which require nothing but a
| warm sun or a fierce gale to set them in
motion. Incipient ayalaEches are OF daily
occurrence already. A daring party OF
miners. having nothing else to do, started
out from Crested Butte few days
ago to see what they could find
in the mountains. They knew Of sew
eral men who had stayed in their cab
ms. and they were curious 10 know what
had become OF them. Cap Thomas, an adj
yenturous fellow, who knows every inch
of the country between Salt Lake and
old Julesburg, took the lead. At one place
where they were certain there had been a
claim last fall nothing was to be seen but
the trackless snow. The men who carried
long poles sunk them to their full depth
without striking bottom, and by careful
calculation they came to the conclusion
that the snow ut that point was nine feet
deep on the level. III they were not mis-
taken in their bearings 1t is probable that
fhe miners are buried in their hut.
Pushing on still further up the canyon
they came unexpectedly upon column OF
smoke curling up apparently from the
snow. When first seen they could detect
no break in the snow, but as they APP
preached nearer they saw that hole or
| two had been dug above what might have
been windows. There was no opening TO
the door, however. The chimney came
within an inch or two OF the surface OF the
| snow, which, near the aperture. was black
with SCOT. Cap Thomas and his men
prowled around awhile in silence, 100
much surprised TO speak. One Of them
| finally approached one OF the holes made
above the windows and peered down. 1t
was useless to attempt an entrance there.
! The hole was not more than foot square.
and il had never been used as a means OF
egress or ingresS. After watching
TIRE SMOKE AS 1T CURLED UP OUT OF THE SNOW
for awhile In silence, Cap Thomas remark
ed that there must be somebody under
them, hut he would be set down for ten
derfoot for all time il he could make out
bow they got in and out.
Here's the smOke-stack," said he, point
ing to the blackened oritice, land there's
the aIr-hoes, but where's the door," No
body could explain the mystery. "Pll see
| if anybody's ill.," said Cap. Walking eau
tiously on his snow-shoes to the mouth OF
the sioyepipe he yelled:
| IsSov wont where ara Ve.f'
Quicker than a fash came the answer
" Hullo, stranger Come in"
Where at?" screamed Cap, his face
growing purple and his eyes blinking from
the smoke.
'At the front door," was the reply from
up the chimney on fresh cloud OF smoke
"Well, Pill" The Cap could no
finish his sentence. One OF the boys had
discovered the "frout door" 1t wa,
down the mountain side about forty feet,
and was plain enough II anybody would
only look at it, But no one had thought o.
searching for the entrance to the cabin Sc
far away.
Hastily scrambling down to the plac,
where several planks were to be seen, the
men found an opening in the snow about
four feet high by three feet wide, and OF
going in in STOPPING, half-crawling pos
ture, they found well-trodden. snowy hall
way leading into the house. Half way II
they met one Of the inmates, and with hin
they entered the cabin. The two occu
pants OF this mountain abode explained
that the SHOWS buried their cabin in tn,
night, and, waking up in the morning
they had burrowed out. Fearing to dis
turo the snow around their house, they
concluded to enlarge the hole they haC
made and use 1t as hallway.
Cap Thomas tried TO induce the meT
to leave with HIM, but they had determined
to stay, and nothing that he could SAY
would change their purpose.
We've got a million down here unde
this snow, stranger" Que OF The men said
San no iumper's 0oin, In catch on durin,