The Russellville Democrat., 1886-01-28
How Miners Pass the Winter in
 Snow-Bound Localities.

6NVWsDOUuO G4cdltltos
 Hundreds of mlners are snow-bound in the mountains of Colorado, and must remain so for several months. It is in- teresting to glance at the condition of the majority of these isolated dwellers on the sides and near the sum nj. q. ssile ranges which constitute the backbone of this continent Their cabins are com modisas, warm and comfortable, and are generally situated at or near tunnel workings, which afford them easy and safe access to the scenes of their day and night shifts of toll. These drifts are used as store-houses for provisions of all kinds, and while some are natural ice houses others are temperate enough for articles that would be injured by freezing. The experienced, prudent miner locates his cabin fn the timber, which tempers the furious wind storms and also protects him from the dangers of the dreaded snow slides. If the sit uation is above timber line, he chooses fat 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 a shelterinc ridge of solid rock in place or upon :. .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 accommodating. Granting that he has safety secured to him, what are the remaining conditions of his months of imprison- lnentp The natural tastes and domes- tic instincts of the individual are the gauges of his preparation for thorough enjoyment or mere federation of his vol untary exile, and hence the habits and customs, the pleasures and amusements, and the modes of living are as 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, vegeta- bles, meats and all kinds of preserves and relishes Intellectual pabulum can be made as diversified as in lower alti- tudes, with the one exception of daily newspapers. Those possessing musical tastes and accomplishments provide generously for enlivening the hours be- tween labor and rest. The convivial soul takes good care that the flowing bowl does net become exhausted ere the snow melts from the trails, or that the tobacco plug and pouch are ample for himself and all chance visitors. Water is obtained by melting the snow, and supplies of wood are previously prepared.
 The miners, from their cosy 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 hun 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 melting or settling, the whole mass plunges down the steep mountain sides, uprooting, overturning. and crumbling all objects in it's pathway until it's force is spent in the valley be- low or against the opposite mountain side. It is impossible to conceive the enormity of the destructive power of . Uug6 SHOW SLUG uitii Ouc 1OiiONc III Us wake down a mountain, where it has cut a huge swath through a heavy forest, hurled from their base gigantic bowl ders, scooped out the channel of frog en river, and deposited the entire debris in solid mass far up upon the opposite bank of the canyon. Miners have be- come expert in detecting the location and difaotion of impending slides, and are thus enabled to avoid them. They however, become reckless or careless in estimating the time of their occurrence, and, by passing over the field they cx- pect to see move later on. they are en- gulfcd in it's sudden breaking away, and are hurried to death they might have escaped by the exercise of more patience The web and Norwegian shoes enable the operators to climb the mountains and swiftly descend them to the settlements for mail or any neces- sarics of life which have not been pre- viously supplied. The writer has often been surprised most agreeably at the preparations for comfortable and even luxurious living by men thus snow bound in tho mountains in different rarts of the State. and in only few in- stances has noticed any scarcity or lack of variety in the essentials of either com fort or rational enjoyment. .-Dcnrer Re- pu6licGn.