Western appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1885-18??, 1888-02-18
UNDER AN AVALANCHE.
a Five Weeks Imprisonment in a
Log Cabin.

was coming out of the mountains
to the north of Virginia City with a lot
of miners mail strapped on my back.
There was no regular mail route there
then, but about once II month some
one took the letters down and re-
turned with any mail found at the
poSt-Otfice. | was on snow shoes.
The winter had been severe, and the
snow was five OF six feet deep on the
level. The 9th of January had been
very balmy day, with a warm sun
and wind, and on the morning of the
2Sth l started
[ had to make my way along the
base OF a range known to us then as
Bills Thumb, and for this twelve miles
there was only one settler. He was
an old bachelor who had built himself
q snug, stout cabin under the caves of
the Thumb. He was hunter, miner,
prospector, taNidermist, naturalist, and
l don't know what else. Some of the
boys who had met him had an idea
that he had soured on the world, and
come out there to live hermit life,
but he was chap who kept to him.
self and would not allow any one to
question him. l got along very well
for the first five miles, but then real
lied that l was in danger from snow
slides. The thaw had continued
through the night, and it needed only
jar to send the great masses of snow
lying on the mountain rushing down
the slope with L force which nothing
could stand. enc took place behind
me which brought down hundreds of
tons, and as pushed my way forward
all my senses were on the alert for the
first signal of danger.
When l had approached within pistol
shot of the hermit's cabin saw the man
himself about q mile down the valley.
He was coming toward the house, but
had q burden on his shoulder and was
moving slowly. Therefore, us reached
the cabin, | stood at the door to wait
for him, thinking he might wish me to
take Il letter or do some errand. He
was still half a mile away when l
heard q dull heavy fall away up the
mountain above my head. I knew it
was mass of snow tumbling off the
rocks and that it was the seed of an
avalanche. The sound had scarcely
reached my ears when I wheeled to
the door, lifted the latch, and the next
instant was inside. | was none too
soon. Almost every pound of snow on
a mountain side thousand feet HIGH
and a quarter of q mile long was in
motion for the base. 1t came with a
terrible roar and succession of crash
es as rocks and trees were caught I'D,
and held my breath for what was to
happen. The house trembled and
rocked, thousand empty wagons
seemed to rush over the roof, and then
all was midnight darkn ess, and the
stiffness of the grave settled down up
on me. .. -.a.
The house had been buried under an
avalanche. 1t was Gods mercy that
it had not been swept away and torn
log from log There was only a small
fire on the hearth, and before I moved
/ struck Il match to see my way. After
looking about bit found d candle,
and then | began to investigate the
situation. On opening the door l
found the snow packed solidly in front.
Going to the single window found
every ray of light shut out. In the
room was a bundle of rods about as
large as my finger and nine feet long.
There were six Of them. I seized one
and thrust it upward from the door,
but 1T did not go through the drift.
dashed another to it, and yet the length
was not sufficient. lashed on Il Sec
ond, and now had at least twenty-five
clear feet of pole to probe with, and
believed the upper end found daylight.
In front of the cabin, and about two
hundred feet away, was . great mass
of bare rock forty rods long by fifty
feet high. This would stop the ava
lanche, and it was more than likely
that solid mass of snow forty rods
long and twenty-four feet deep lay
above me.
What had become of the hermitp
There was not one chance in thou
sand that he had escaped. The ava