The Red Cloud chief., 1884-02-15
Colorado Winters.

Colonel Bachtell. one of the owners
of the three Warrior Mines near SEQ
field, Gunnison County, Col, who has
just returned from the mine, gave a
graphic account of winter above ''tim-
ber-line." A very careful record has
been kept by Judge Bridges, of Scofield,
concerning the snowfall there during
the past three years. During the win
ter of 1882 there were t%hirty-One
storms, and an aggregate snowfall of
twenty-five feet four inches. The
greatest average depth of snow at any
one time was seven feet. During the
winter of 1928 there were forty
storms, with q total snowfall of TWEEN
ty-eight feet three inches. On April
10 the snow was sever feet deep. Dur
inc the present winter there have been
eighteen storms up to January 8, with
a total snowfall of seventeen feet two
inches.
The snow is deeper now than at this
time in any former year within the
knowledge of Judge Bridges. Persons
living in lower ATTITUDES may wonder
why with such great snow-falls the
is never greater than seven or
eight feet. This is due to the lightness of
the snow when it first falls. A foot of
in the mountains will settle to
three or four inches within a few days.
The people in the mining camps man
age to enjoy themselves these days in a
very pleasant way snow-shoeing, a
sport which is said to be better than
either cOasting Or skating. The snow
shoes used are not the Indian or Cana
dian ~snOw-shoes, but the Norwegian
shoes or .'skees." The skee is a long
piece of strong, tough wood about four
inches wide, smoothly polished on the
under side and rubbed with beeswax.
furnished with a band for the foot in
the middle, pointed al the front end and
bent upward. A long staff is used to
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, 16x24 feet, and the blacksmith
shop and ore-hOuse of the same size.
The houses are divided by the track
that runs from the tunnel. Their first
intimatiOn of danger vas on Friday
evening, during the heavy storm. The
men in the cabin heard Il terrible roar
ing coming, and, knowing it to be a
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 rs ii they
must be ground from their strong foun-
datiOnS by the tremendous weight of
nov and ice that was grinding and
crunching its way across the log root.
sprung down several inches. Then all
was dark and still. The gas and smoke
from the stove was fast filling the room.
and ali attempts TO let in 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 a hole was finally made 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
overhead. closing up the air.
holes. Whenever a slide ran over them,
titiC was SiCtt uthSCi VI thC SiCSt LudSS
of snow Oh the roof moving. If it did
the chances were that it would either
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 slide. Ike prairie dogs, the
eleven would rush iato the tun-
mel, where they were safe. This was
kept up for forty-eight hours. when
silence told them the storm was
over. Digging out was the next thing.
following their track 10 the dump
and running the snow back into the
tunnel a DRIFT of thirty feet was run and
daylight. the first for two days, was
seen. The reason the buildings were
swept away was an excavation was
made in the side of the mountain so as
TO bring the roofs below the level of the
m~ountain-sidc. - Cincinnati CONNER
-i1L- ia zeMe. |