Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-01-30
SNOW BURIED MEN m AGONY.
Crushed Under Colorado Avalanche they
Drink their own Blood.
specIal o the New York world.

ASPEN, Col, Jan. pa tragedy OF !
the winter solatice almost rivalling the {
horror OF the Black Hole, is told here. I
Two OF the men are Dead two are '
writing in the last convusive agonies; {
the lives Of four others, who present an
cmaciated and sickening sight, are hang
ing in the balance, while three are the
unframed figures OF miracle. Though
snow-slides are the commonest carriers
Of death in this part OF the Rocky Noun
tains, it rarely occurs that prolonged
suffering is inflicted upon the victims.
The sweep Of the fatal Bosom is usually
electric-like-the humiliation in its path
complete and instant That the ava
lanche spared life in this instance was
equally wonderful with the manner Of
escape.
Granite Gulch, the scene Of the dsas-
ter, is tributary to Maroon Pass. 1t is |
extremely ahFup. in It's ascent to tim
Der line, the desert line OF the noun
tains, about II ,099 feet above SEA level
In the north shadows and deep gulies
Of the peaks above, banks OF snow from
fifty to one hundred feet remain the
year round Sometimes in the winter
huge caps with bulgng crowns and
protruding rims can be seen fitting
down ON the peak tops ominously. 1t
is then that the experienced Rountain-
GERS leave their little log dens and take
up winter quarters in some valley camp:
Two weeks ago one Of these snow
caps settled down on Tennessee Noun
tain at the head Of the gulch. Below
were several cabins occupied by miners
and prospectors The knowing ones
passed the warning along the gulch,
and most OF the men lost no time in
coming to Aspen. The occupants OF
the two substantial cabins some distance
below timber line, however, laughed at
the fears OF the fugltives, and remained
to prosecute work on their claims. One
cabin stood in a dense grove of tall
pines in the bottom OF the gulch. The
other was elevated on an exposed spot
about fifty feet higher on the mountain
side. The former cabin was occupied
by James Tooley, Harmon Clinton and
John McElroy; the latter by Charlie:
futile, Melville Patterson, Martin Riley
Clayton Garnet, Solomon Camp, John
Farris, August Goodwin and Albert
Somers. Last Sunday night the heay
lest snow-storm OF the season set in
Monday night four feet had fallen il
the timber Communication between
the two cabins was cut off by the drifts
Everybody except Paterson had retircC
early. shortly after midnight, while
engrossed in a novel, he heard thun
dering noise, but thinking it only
freak OF the storm it gave.hm no meas
mess, After lapse of minute
mighty crash, as if the pine forest werj
being feled at one blow from gan
hand, caused him to excaim:
"The slide, boys"
The cry awakened Garnet, Goodwin
and futile, and in their excitement Pat
terson upset the rude table on which TIN
candle stood, extinguishing the light
The next instant the cabin was crushet
in like an egg-shell under foot and wa
carried twenty yards with the drift
Then followed the silence of the sepul
chre BY the resistance of the heav
forest the slide was divided, and on
shoot detected along the side OF tn
gulch and, forced upward by the press
ure, buried the other cabin. TIL
weight was not overwhelming, and onl
few OF the side logs gave way. One {
these crushed Tooley's leg Just tn
bare edge of the slide, about eight fee
deep, covered the cabin Clinton an
McEroy were not slow to realize this
and speedily commenced to dig thei
way out with pick and shovel. The
worked with the despair Of men slowl
suAocating They piled the snow be
hind them as they tunnellcd to the SUI
face, About o'clock Friday mornin
they broke through and dragged thei
wounded companion out with then
Their provisions were still intact within
They prepared frugal breakfast, cal
ried Tooley back into the buried cabir
bound his wound and made him as con
Portable as possible and, armed wit
shovels, picks and an axe, started out I
rescue the remains of the friends whor
they were certain had been entombeC
Where the cabin had once stood, SUI
rounded by stout fences, they found
mountin of snow composed in part
the varied elements of landslide, wit
here and there broken tree trunk pr,
truding The main avalanche ended
hundred yards further on, slopng OF