The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-02-26

With q Rush and . Roar an Ava
lanche 0verwhelms the Town
Of Alta, Utah
sixteen OF the Inhabitants, intending
Five Children, Supposed to Have
Been Killed.


For the fourth time in its brief history
Alta, q mining town at the head Of the Lit
tie Cottonwood canyon, has been swept
away by SHOWS slide. At $50 o'clock last
night the lights of a miner in shaft IN the
Famous Mine were extinguished by sud-
den gust of wind Running to the surface
the miners eyes met scene of destruction
similar to that he had Witnessed year ago
the first week in March, when the same
mans light had been similarly extinguished.
A snow slide had passed over the mouth OF
the mine and descended on the little town
below. burying it, only seven houses re-
naming standing. and some OF these badly
wrecked.
The snow broke loose about three-fourths
of mile up Emmett Hill, and the entire
mass, from the Vallejo Mine to Grizzly
Flat. fully three quarters OF n mile, rushed
down with terrific roar. carrying every
thing before it, and only resting In the
gulch. The avalanche passed over very
nearly the same ground swept by that or
March last, but the snow being eighteen
feet deep on the mountain side, the de-
struction was greater. AS soon as the min
ers could be notified, they turned out, and
at the risk Of their lives brayely begun the
work of rescue and recovery. The search
was kept up all night. and four persons
were taken out alive, while two bodies were
also found In the morning three men on
snow-shoes came down the canyon eight
miles. where they found conveyances for
this city.
1t is known that sixteen persons were
killed, and the following are their names:
James Watson, Andrew S. White. Barry
Gibson. Mrs. Ford and child, Jerry Reagan,
David p. Vance, Tim Madden, Fred Guilt
nan. Matt Hickey, four children OF Ed
Ballou. two Cinnamon.
The few people remaining in Alta are
greatly alarmed, fearing another avalanche.
/ but they can not get out until relief reaches
them from here. The news has shadowed
this city with gloom, as many of the dead,
had friends here. A meeting was held this
evening to arrange for q relief expedition.
to open q track through the canyon and.
bring the dead here for burial Probably
hundred men, with appliances for cutting
snow, will form the relief party. There are
plenty of volunteers, though the trip is ex-
ceedingly dangerous, as slides are occur
ring al all times.
ANOTHER ACCOUNT.
A press dispatch from Salt Lake says: II
has been showing for "a week. and it is
twelve feet deep on level. 1t is still storm
ing hard. Last night, soon after clock,
a tremendous volume of snow swept down
over the Emma Mine works at Alta. doing
no damage there, except 10 take the smoke
stack along. Then it struck the town,
crushing about three-fourths of it, but, for
tunately, many of the houses we're deserted
for the winter. The place is built at the
foot of converging gulches, and the slides
have fair mark fuckers boarding house
was swept away and his hotel crushed. The
Vallejo works. including buildings and
tramways, were crushed. Two men at
this mine happened to be in the drift
and escaped injury. Stickley's and Tucker's1
and Wallace's stores We're injured slightly
Powers butcher-shop and Simpsons drud
store are the only buildings that entirely es-
capped. A large portion of the lost were in
the boarding house and hotel TwenF-
eight in all were buried, but twelve woe
dug out alive this morning. The rest ale
all undoubtedly de,d. The men from the
City Rocks Mine and the Evergreen formed
a digging force to get out the bodies. Three
were taken out ut last accounts, amid much
difficulty and in heavy storm and severe
cold. Timothy Madden was not dead when
brought ont, but died soon after. The bod
les of James Watson and Mrs. John Ford
was also taken out dead.