News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-04-24
TERRORS OF A SNOW SLIDE.
A GALLANT RESCUE.
Family Buried Under an Avaha2Fhs IN 8
Nevadn-In Darkness and TekrSf.
From the Carson Appeal.l


e rescue of a family of six persons foun
Is under a snow slide in Woodford
Canyon. The scene of the snow sic
was on old deserted shingle mill. Woo
o. ford's canyon Is a deep and picturesqu
eJ gorge in the mountains, five or 81
4 miles long, and leads into Hope valley
In the fall of last year family, consist
= ing of a man and his wife and four Chi
: dren, came over the mountains an,
camped at the old slIingle mill in tn
canyon. The season was very late, an,
though repeatedly warned, the family
deceived by the pleasant weather, con
tinued to remain. After the first snow
the man, whose name was Maxwell
came down to Woodford's and made ar
rangements to have two horses take1
care of during the winter He said he
had no money to pay for the feed at the
time, but would redeem them in the
spring. He also said that he made ur
his mind to winter in the canyon, as he
had provisions, and game was abundant.
He was advised not to take the risks, but
he said the place he was in was strong
structure, and as it had given evidence
of standing a good many winters he
would risk it.
On Thursday there was heavy fall of
snow in the canyon, followed by sunny
day on Friday. During the day there
were several large slides of snow from
the rocks which rise on the sides of the
canyon, in some instances as high as 800
feet. Heavy bodies of Snow toppled
over from these heights, and in their
descent carried away large masses of
rock, which felled the pines at the bot
tom of the gorge. During the night
Mr.. Merk, the toll-gate keeper, heard
several of these slides, and the next day
the road up to the canyon was choked
with snow. On Sunday he went up to
the shingle mill on snow shoes, and
found that the place occupied by the
family had been buried under the snow.
The slide had commenced on the steep
mountain side, about 200 yards up the
slope, and started number of boulders
in its course The track of the ava
lanche was marked with prostrate pines,
and the mass of snow upon the log
structure lay packed hard to the depth
of ten or fifteen feet. Seeing he could
do nothing, Merk returned to Wood
ford's and soon raised force of dozen
or twenty men, who went up with
shovels and picks and other appliances
to effect rescue.
The snow was packed so hard that it
was almost like solid rock, and required
picks welded by stout hands to loosen
it. By night they had reached the logs
which formed part of the stable, and
found that the roof had been crushed in
by boulder. BY this time the force
had been augmented, and, building
rousing fire in the snow, they worked in
four shifts of six men each, each shift
working an hour. Woodford's Station
was drawn on for supplies, and with
plenty of food and stimulants, the men
kept to their work. During a portion of
the time two shifts worked at separate
places.
At little before IL o'clock the work
men cleared away place where they
reached one of the logs which formed a
portion of the wall of the stable. They
hammered ON this With an axe and
waited for an answering knock. While
they waited and listened with intense
| .-4 af 10
could hear faint taps from within, bul
the others doubted. The log was again
struck with an axe, and this time there
came several distinct knocks, and the
outsiders broke into cheer that made
the old canyon ring. By midnight they
had cut through the log, but it was hard
work, as the snow was packed hard
about it, and the hole made was not over
a few inches wide at the lower end.
When the edge of the axe went through
they called at the aperture, and were
answered by voice: "For Gods sake
push in something to eat; my children
are dying" In a moment bread, meat
and small flask of brandy were passed
through the aperture, and the wearied
toilers in the snow sprang to the work
| and made a fresh attack upon the log
which imprisoned six people. They
cleared away the snow several feet above
and it was o'clock in the morning be-
fore they cut through the log, about six
feet above the first cut. Then came a
| faor tbo% Tho ,oIooa bafuaan fba tuo on re-
would fall inward and crush the family
The second hole, however, gave a better
chance of communication, and Maxwell
said that if they would get candle in to
him he would tell where the log W, d
fall. A candle was taken from lanteI n
and given to him with matches tied to it.
In few moments the glow of light was
seen from the outside, and this light
must have been very welcome to the
Maxwell family, as they had been in total
darkness since Friday night, when the
avalanche struck the stable. He soon
called out to push the log forward, but it
was fast and required considerable pry
ing with crowbars before it yielded.
Those nearest the aperture followed
the log, and climbed through the open
ing with lanterns. There, in space
about ten feet square, was Maxwell and
his family. His wife was lying on a
mattress and some blankets, with a
young child in her arms, and three
others clinging to her and crying bitter
| ly. When the lantern shone on their
faces they put their hands to their eyes
and turned away in fear. The woman
was hardly able to move, and Maxwell,
| who had kept a stout heart through all
the long days and nights of darkness,
gave out at this point, and cried like a
child.
Chester, the oldest boy, who is but
years of age, had worked with his father
to get out, and was worn out with
hunger and exhaustion. There were two
lOaves of bread within reach after the
roof of the stable fell in, and the little
fellow refused to touch a morsel, giving
all to his mother and sisters. This was
all the mother, the baby, and the
two daughters-Mary and CAllie-aged 4
and 6 years, respectively, had to live
on since Friday afternoon, when they
took dinner, until about midnight on