Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-04-17
How Miners Pass the Winter.

How Miners Pass the Winter.
Hundreds of miners are snow-bound
in the mountains of Colorado, and must
remain so for several months. 1t is
interesting to glance at. the condition
of the majority of these isolated dwell
ers on the sides and near the SUBMITS
Of the ranges which constitute the
backbone of this continent. Their
cabins are commodious, warm and
comfortable, and are generally situated
at or near tunnel workings, which af-
ford them easy and safe access to the
scenes of their day and night shifts of
toll. These drifts are utilized as store
houses for provisions of all kinds, and
while some are natural ice-houses, 9TH
ers are temperate enough for articles
that would be injured by freezing. The
experienced, prudent miner locates his
cabin in the timber, which tempers the
furious wind-storms and also protects
him from the dangers of the dreaded
snow-slides. If the situation is above
timber line. he chooses fiat spot,
above which the mountains are not
high enough to hold snow-banks to
break away and sweep down upon him,
or plants his stout cabin beneath q
sheltering ridge of solid rock in place
or upon q "hog-back," which is the
sharp divide between two gulches, and
upon which both the winds and the
contour of the ground prevent snow
from accumulating. Granting that he
has safety secured to him, what are the
remaining conditions of his months of
imprisonment The natural tastes and
domestic instincts of the individual are
the guage of his preparation for thor
ough ENJOYMENT or mere liberation of
his voluntary exile, and hence the hab-
its and customs, the pleasures and
amusements, and the modes of living
are Us variable as among the same class
Of individuals wintering in towns and
cities.
But, as rule, the menu Is excellent,
thanks to the canning of fruits, vege-
tables, meats and all kinds of pre-
serves and relishes. Intellectual pabu-
lum can be made rs diversified as in
lower attitudes, with the one exception
of daily newspapers. Those possess
ing music, tastes and accomplishments
provide generously for enlivening the
hours between labor and rest. The
convivial soul takes good care that the
flowing bowl does not become exhaust
cd ere the snow melts from the trails,
or that the tobacco plug and pouch are
ample for himself and all chance visit
ors. Water is obtained by melting the
SHOWS, and supplies Of wood are pre-
viously prepared.
The miners, from their cozy cabins,
are the observers of the terrific battles
of the elements, and not infrequently
witness natures most awe-inspiring
throes, commonly termed snow-slides.
The snowfall amounts to from three to
ten feet in depth on the level, and this
is banked by the winds into drifts hum
dreds of feet in height and covering
hundreds and thousands Of acres in ex-
tent, according to the lay Of the land,
and when they become top-heavy, or
the lower supports give way by melt
ing or settling, the whole mass plunges
down the steep mountain sides, up
roofing, overturning and crumbling all
obstacles in its pathway, until its force
is spent in the valley below or against
the opposite mountain side. 1t is i'm
possible to conceive the enormity of
the destructive power'o of a huge snow
slide until one follows in its wake
down q mountain where it has cut a
huge swath through a heavy forest,
hurled from their base gigantic bolders,
scooped out the channel of q frozen
river, and deposited the entire debris in
solid mass far up upon the opposite
bank of the canon. Miners have be-
come expert in detecting the location
and direction of impending slides, and
are thus enabled to avoid them. They,
however, become reckless or careless
in estimating the time Of their occur
renee, and, by passing over the field
they expect to see move later on, are
engulfed in its sudden breaking away,
and are hurried to u death they might
have escaped by the exercise Of more
patience. The web and Norwegian
shoes enable the practiced operator to
climb the mountains and swiftly de-
scend them to the settlements, for mail
or any necessaries of life which have
not been previously supplied. The
writer has often been surprised most
agreeably at the preparations for COM
Portable and even luxurious living by
men thus snow-bound in the noun
tains in different parts of the State,
and in only few instances has notic-
ed any scarcity or lack of variety in
the essentials of either comfort or ra-
tional enjoyment. Demver Republican.