Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-02-15
Colorado winters.

Colonel Bachtell. one of the owner,
OF the three Warrior Mines near SEQ
field, Gunnison County, Col, who ha.
| just returned from the mine, rave I
graphic account of winter above tim
ber-line." A very careful record ba,
been kept by Judge Bridges, of Scofield
concerning the snowfall there durino
the past three years. During the win.
ter of 1882 there We're .thirty-ons
storms, and an aggregate snowfall O,
twenty-five feet four inches. Tn.
greatest average depth Of snow at an,
one time was seven feet. During the
winter of 1928 there were fort,
! storms, with total snowfall of TWEEN
| ty-eight feet three inches. On Apri
10 the snow was seven feet deep. Dur
ing the present winter there have beer
eighteen storms up to January 8. with
total snowfall of seven cen feet two
| inches.
The snow is deeper now than at tbi,
time in any former year within the
knowledge of Judge Bridges. Person,
living in lower ATTITUDES may wonde,
why with such great snow-falls the
snow is never greater than seven OF
eight fe t. This is dIe to the lightness o.
the snow when it first falls. a foot o
snow in the mountains will settle 70
three or four inches within a few DAYS.
The people in the mining camps man.
age to en- oy themselves these DAYS in q
very pleasant way snow-shoeing. s
sport which is said TO be better thar
either coasting or skating. The snow.
shoes used are not the Indian or Cana.
Al -I Al
shoes or ''skees.' The skee is a lono
piece OF strong, tough wood about foul
inches wide, smoothly polished on the
under side and rubbe with beeswax.
furnished with band for the foot in
the m ddle, pointed a. the front end anG
bent upward. A long staff is used &c
regulate. the speed in going down hill.
Colonel Bachtelrs description of the
late snOw-slide at the Sylvanite Mine
The buildings consist of the boarding.
house, l6x24 feet, and the blacksmith
shop AMI Ore-house of the same size.
The houses are divided by the track
that runs from the tunnel. Their first
lntimation OF danger was on Friday
evening, during the heavy storm. The
men IN the cabin heard terrible roar.
ing coming, and, knowing it 10 be q
slide, most of them ran into the covered
way that separates the buildings and
then into the tunnel. The slide rushed
upon the strong log buildings, shaking
them terribly. and it seemed as il they
must be ground from their strong foun-
dations by the tremendous weight of
snow and ice that was grinding and
crunching its way across the log roof.
The des were moved and the roof was
sprung down several inches. Then all
was dark and still. The gas and smoke
from the stove was fast filling the room,
aud ali attempts TO let i'm fresh air were
blocked by the snow.
With snow-shoe poles the men began
to punch up through the stove-pipe hole
for air. BY driving one pole after an
other hole was finally lie through
the snow, which they found to be about
fifteen feet deep and packed nearly as
hard as ice. As the storm still ragged,
every Little while the roar of other
slides could be heard, many of them
nassing overhead, closing mp the air
holes. Whenever a slide ran over them.
tn re was great danger of the great mass
OF snow on the roof moving. If il did
the chances were that it would eithe
crush or grind the building to pieces.
Realizing this, and not being able to re
main long in the tunnel on account OF
lack of air, when they heard an APP
preaching side, Ike prairie dogs, the
whole eleven would rush into the tun-
mel, where they were SAFE. This was
kept up for fOrty-eight hours. when
hnally lence told them the storm was
over. Digging out was the next thing.
BY following their track to the dump
and running the snow back into the
tunnel DRIFT of tn rty feet was run and
daylight, the first for two DAYS, was
seen. The reason the buildings were
not swept away was an excavat on was
made in the 5 de of the mountain so as
to bring the roofs bnlow the level of the
mountain-side. - Cincinnati CONNER
cha Gazette.