, 1885-04-28
DEADLY SNOWSLIDE.
Eleven Miners Hastily Hurried
Into Eternity.
The Discovery Made by Two
Visiting Miners.
Date of the Disaster Not Yet
Known.
The eHomestaken pead.

nearly all intimate friends Of theirs, and
two or three were relatives. As the men
had not been in Leadyille since January,
the mail addressed to them had increased
to quite a bundle. No word had been re-
celved for weeks from the men at the
mine, but their friends had no cause for
apprehension for their safety. Sweeney
ana Conerty resolved to go to the mine
and bear the accumulated mail to them.
With this purpose they left Leadyille on
Friday, walking across the country. Ar
irving at the Homestake, imagine their
horror to lind the gulch where the three
cabins once stood filled with snow and
every indication OF an avalanche, The
tunnel to the mine and the ore dump were
covered with snow. The men fired their
pistols and made o%utelles, but only the
echo came back as the answer. Satisfied
that no living being was about, the two
men made all possible haste to the eight
mile house
returning with a reseuing party, they
reached the mine early Sunday morning.
Nothing was visible except the snow
which had probably fallen and accumu-
lated during the past two months and lay
to a depth OF forty ieet over the cabins
Inc snow had settled and packed, rem
derng progress very difficult and axes
had to be used IN cutting their way
through.
Three excavations were made before tho
cabins could be located The first struct-
ure that was found proved to be the one
IN which the provisions, feed and general
stores were kept No bodies were iound
here. From this point the position OF the
other cabins could easily be determined,
ana the work was pushed vigorously IN
thelr direction,
Inc bunk house was next reached.
Alter clearing a space large enough a log
was taken from the wreck OF the cabin,
ana the INST body was discovered. Al
though the building was crushed IN by the
slide ana subsequent pressure thus body
bore no trace oil injury, and was not en-
numbered by iallen tmoers- Death must
have resulted from cold or suifocatlon' or
possibly IRON fright The body stood
erect the mead slightly thrown forward as
Il llstenlng' the arms nail raised as Il IN
defense the whole position indicating APP
prehenslon. Near him lay one OF his
companions IN a bunk lace downward
with MS arms crossed under his head.
Several large logs lay upon ms body ana
ne was undoubtedly crushed to death.
After three hours hard work the oppo-
site side oil the cabin was reached, where
the bodies OF three men were found IN an
upper bunk clasped IN each Others arms
These bodies Ike the hrst' were free
from ~overilanglng umbers' and the attr
tude indicated suifoeation' Inc limbs oil
the poor uniortunates were so strongly
lnierloeked as TO require the united efforts
oil SIX or eigh1 men Tor nun haii an houI
TO separate them. from here The work
en- tunneled to another corner where one
man was found beside a unk IN the atti-
tude oil prayer Death came by freezing
or sufiocation' In the Junk lay two oil
ms companions showing no sign oil nav
ing peeh disturbed rom their siumpers
A TUNE was then made TO another cor
ner, where two men were iound the iirst
with ms nose seraped OIL and his head
ana poaY hattened sideways between two
umoers' winch lay about two inches apart
his companion was crushed by the TIM
pers' ana ms lace and limbs were badly
scratched. Inc now around these bodies
was proiusely stained with blood
OWN 10 tne laet that all Oh inc faces
were covered with hali an inch oil white
mold the features could not be reeog-
nlzed' All were III night dress and their
clothes were deposited near the hunks IN
when tney slept ms and the color OF
their mar ana their size furnish adoubtful
clue to recognition.
Some OF the friends and relatives of the
do,d NO. w. on IL. - anJ -;
u ""r
ned them as nearly as II was possible
A clock and watch were found which
had both stopped precisely at $3.50. The
olooL vv,s an aIorm olool- or5 ,ho ,,o.n.
= g. IL osI az Ia"