Omaha daily bee., 1885-05-01
UNDER THE AVALANCHE.
Full Confirmation Of The Mountain HOr-
TOT in the LeadYllG District.
The Miners Huts Swept Down and
Buried Deep Under the snow
slide-Expeditions Visit the
Scene.
Special 10 the ST. Louis Globe. Democrat,

hCCiutuls VI III Hull VIZ
are supposed to be buried under the ava
lanche were also on the train. The train
would proceed eight miles to q point
known as the Eight Mile house, and
thence the party would go on foot to the
Homestake, six miles across the country.
The men were armed with picks, shovels
and axes, and would reach the buried
men as soon as energy and muscle could
do It. Another relief party left at mid
night. They go via Sowbelly gulch, and
inform the miners there OF the catas-
trophe, and together proceed in q body
to the scene. A body of miners
have also left Red Cliff, and
the three parties would reach the Home
stake about the same hour. How much
work will be required before the remains
are found cannot be told. 1t Is probable
that the cabins have been swept down
the little valley hundreds of feet, if this
should prove to be the case q great
amount Of snow will have to be turned
over before the bodies are all recovered.
Many, however, think the snow came
sweeping down the adjoining mountain.
and lies almost where it fell. If this
should prove to be the case 1t will not
take long to recover them.
THE FIRST DISCOVERY.
M. f. Sweeny and Michael Conerty,
two miners who made the frat discovery
of the accident, tell the following story:
Many of the men working at the Home
stake were intimate friends of these, and
none of them had been In town since
January. A considerable amount of mail
matter had accumulated for
them, and their friends In
the city were growing un-
easy at their long silence, although II
was never for an instant supposed any
terrible calamity had befallen them. At
last Sweeny and Conerty concluded they
would pay them a visit and carry up their
mail to the mine. With this In view
they left Leadville day before yesterday
morning, and, after a long and hard
walk through snow, reached the place
where cabins ought to stand, which Is a
sort of basin on the mountain side.
Their horror can be imagined when they
found the cabins not in sight, and that
the little valley, or depre s.lon in the
surface, was completely filled with snow.
The mine is worked by a tunnel, and,
going up to it, they failed to find the
least sign of life, and the big dump and
the mouth of the tunnel were covered
with many feet of snow. 1t is impossible
to tell for what length of time these men
have been Imprisoned. 1t may have
been for only a day or two, but 1t is
feared 1t was weeks ago when the snow
came down upon them. The young men
fired their rsvolvers and made all the
noise possible, but echoes alone broke
the silence.
Il ALARM.
Rstraclng their steps, they reached
Sanderson 8 eight-mile house, and told
the story. The miners sss ,mbled there
did not give credence to the story, think.
Ing that the two men were mistaken as
to the location of the cabins. A party,
headed by Frank Sanderson, left at once
for the purpose of verifying the report,
and when they returned gave 1t as their
conclusion that there was no room for
doubling the catrstrophe.
Thu Homestake mine is the oldest sil-
yer and lead producing property In the
Leadville district. 1t was located early
In the seventies. The mine is situated
at the timber line In a very rugged and
almost inaccessible place, and several
shhACb i v o ttiuObG CJbb tll6 lives VI HUI
who have gone there In the winter time.
On n occasion Col. Thomas Smithsn,
IN old Leadville miner, started with q
companion from Orc City to take some
provisions and medicine to the mine and,
becoming lost and frenzled with the cold,
wandered for several days on the noun
tain. They were fortunately found by
miners employed at the mine. who had
considered themselves deserted In this
lonely place and were making an effort
to reach the settlement In California
Gulch.
ALL DEAD.
The first rescuing party reached the
ne of the disaster at $40 q. m. Moth
ing was visable except the snow, which
had probably fallen and accumulated dur.
Ing the past two months, and which lay
to a depth of forty feet over the cabins.
The snow had settled and packed, rem.
derlng the progress of the rescuing party
very difficult. Axes had to be used In
cutting the way through. Three excava.
tions were made before the cabins could
be located. The first structure found
proved to be the one In which provisions,
feed and general stores were kept. No
Doatcn Wcio ouiu Iuet6. PEOu tuin
point the position of the other cabins
could easily be determined, and work
was pushed vigorously. The bunk house
was next reached, after clearing away a
space large enough a log was taken from
the wreck of the cabin and the first
body discovered. Although the build
Ing was crushed In by the
slide aud subsequent pressure,
this body bore no trace of injury, and
was not encountered by fallen timbsrs.
Death must have resulted from cold or
suffocstion. The body stood erect, the
the head slightly thrown forward, as If
Listening. The arms were half raised, %
II In defense. The whole position indi-
Gated apprehension. Near him lay one
OF his companions, in q bunk, face down
ward, with his arms crossed under his
head. Several large logs lay upon his
body, and he was undoubtedly crushed to
death. After three hours hard work the
opposite side Of the cabin was reached,
where the bodies Of three men were
found In an upper bunk clasped in each
Others arms. These bodies, like the
first, were free from o~verhanglng tim.
bers, and the attitude indicated suffocs-
tion. The limbs of the three were so
strongly interlocked as to require the
united efforts of six or eight men for fully
half an hour to separate them. From
hers the workers tunnelsd to another
corner, when one man WAS found