The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-08
AMONG TIE AvALANcuHs.
SnOw-sIides that shake tho M~oun.ains-A
Day and Night in a Blizzard.

10y t~hN ~F'ss'A fA q AihhEAtthfAs
Reno (Nev.) Letter in sew York sun.
The suow-storns which have swept over the
mountain region this WHITE" have baron of |t,rrlfs
violence. The eanous. valleys and Su!che are
filled with snow. and there have been -nuV slides
and avalanchcS without mImber. tir IdrO3f Of
hunters, prospectors. mail carriers and others
have been caught in these storms. and not a few
have persisted. The pleasant Waaiju"r Of tLa
early winter tempted many people who had
during the previous summer located in tine mag
niticeut canons OF Nevada. Utah ana California
to tarry too long. and the numerous tales of dis
aster, suffering and death now being received
here show how dearly they have paid for their
folly.
The SHOWS have been for the most part wet
and heavy, and have been followed by warm,
sunny days. Under these circumstances slides
have occurred with great frequency. and have
wrought destruction uueXamplcd in recent years.
1t does not take much to start an avalanche
which a moment later may make the earth trem-
BILE. Two miners living on Alum creek went up
the mountain, above their cabin, last week, to
set some stakes. After their work was done,
one of them made Il SNOWFALL and threw it at the
other, who returned the fire. One of the
balls lodged on Il slope more than Il mile
long, directly above their cabin. The sun
was shining brightly and the snow was soft.
For a second the ball rested where ii fell, and
then il began to roll, increasing in bulk as It
went. Presently the ball. once held in a mans
hand, grew to the size Of a hogshead, and when
a furious momentum had been gained it burst
into several pieces, each of which continued roll
ing until a strip of ground one hundred feet wide
was cleared of snow. In their descent these
huge snow balls picked up rocks and earth until,
merging in one immense mass, the avalanche,
bearing down giant trees and stumps, struck the
cabin Of the men who started it. and carried it
away as easily as if it had been made of paper.
Everything in the path Of the slide was swept to
the bed of the stream and buried fifty feet deep
in snow. The miners watched the havoc they
had wrought. and, after examining the spot
where once their cabin stood, they started for
Hawthorne for u tent and blankets, and then re
turned to their claim for the purpose Of building
another cabin. They will start no more avalan-
ches if they can help it.
A few days ago five woodchoppers. who had
been at work in the mountains near Lake Tahoe,
started from the wood ranch to go to Carson.
As they were passing down the mountain they
heard an avalanche coming. and three Of the
men, who were in the rear of the other two,
managed to escape, but the leaders of the party
were whisked away in the whirlwind of snow
and rocks. The slide was about a mile and a
half in length. half a mile broad, and not less
than seventy-ive feet in depth. The men who
escaped came down into the valley and gave the
alarm at various points. Several rescuing par
ties went out, but, after digging for hours, gave
up the attempt to find the victims. The snow
made a clean sweep of everything in its track,
and filled the canon at the foot of the mountain
TO a great depth.
Over in Alta and the Little and Big Cotton
wood canons the snow storms and slides have
been more destructive than any known in years.
ne sues OF {ne mountains nave oeeH stripped
Utmost oare oy agatalc1.eS, THle Ut canIn9
n"rt pen nLIeI VIII snow Wv po So ueep ulao
II MiiIHl1U e very inue oeITn pr T Gne a it+ian Ga cad
tbs aiGol m zen "way. ia IL gng AN Lt.'re C-os'on rd
the SUES haye Garrle G way Ime m4rNS aToul4
.ne ii!le1 anu V IN n'nF ~ ~ .eh niiTS -
sno"tsneos oNer ~ e"rn"&y, Z d oSJn
d Per!eGI sIannPeue ron AIa' inc onl4 PeoRie
re nd HarinS P'aqe a p Sigu u.s. ON u ,le
L [S",n % S na III we Hms ~ Do io,n4I 'o NY ~
naJ "a "'s""dItioo4llaJi1S. ~ il,1 !" rs n 'H Sa U41
49, = 70 'hE"et'i 't ~ I. ~. nv IL. ~ TlSn
rUaN Iveiy Ul5 ol ome nF ,Lo,a % m .%ob ~ no
@"rPI ny %o"l". ~ 10 - 80 ~ +I u inba I; " aSt Wv nf a.
,n;nGI 20 = n",,I1a III stnna'n :" t,,iaI ~ -,
m~nS nIaa9o ~, 4"ro bI,I,anad g. go mf ,,ao, 4"
S0"o P"Ce9 ui"'i V"o "'iV ~ '"""'
From all directions III Nevada come stories OF
abandoned stage routes ana isolated towns anu