The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1890-05-08
THE CUSTER SLIDE
Death in the Bleak Hills Of
Cgur dAlene.
ausn or The SORT SNOW.


spek&se Pals zevssw
While II Wallace learned some grsrshse
particulars Of the disastrous szowsss1e q
tie Custer cine. IN which ssx snsness lost
their izses. Sfsow lar in deep drsfts apon
the steep naounsasa ss<ies. Their came 3
os&xsnx rain. and With IL . mighty gaze
thai rocked the tai trees ard toosened tie
earth and snow.
The miners we're NOT nnmsndssl ~ their
peril 30 impressed we're some cf shern
with The terror Of the stsrsn ard the dsrs-
gers which hnsg stoys their hszds. thai
they refused 10 psss fle might In the board
snghouse. prsssrring 20 sssep IN the rnonfh
Of The tunnel. Thitker thxy had carried
their bedding for txo nights. b31t death mad
market them for its own, and they were
Eos 10 escape
fallen upon the lonely mountain The day
shift had come cut u Inc mine and we're ct
supper In the boreinghoGse- without. the
gale kowied over the bleak landscape, the
scattered trees were weaving away in the
hsackness, and tee rain came peising down
in torrents. The gloom OF their environ
nfent was ref.ecsed in the faces OF the
miners
said ore OF the survivors. shat l could
hardly swallow my supper. The men were
quiet and distracted. All az once We felt
little jar. 1t was the FIRST touch OF the
avalanche. Then ali Was wreck and ruin.
and we were buried In great mass OF bro
ken tirnbers. trees, earth. rock and SNOW
The boardinghouse sat upon q little
bench cut in the mountain side. and when
q IL x.ax1< e.. Z.
shot over the building, but crushed il ike
you would crush an eggsbeia In your hand
Three Of the buried miners dug their way
out Of the debris and summoned help.
News Of the disaster was sent to Wallace,
and fifty men responded - promptly a.
possiDls. The work 81 excavation went
forward with unaagging energy. Nov q
dead body would be reached, crushed BY
the forces OF nature or smothered By the
snow Some Of the men we're taken out
alive, only 70 die within . few minutes;
others we're slightly injured, and some
were unhurt
Jack Galbraifh. the foreman of the mine.
was married man. his family living on .
farm in the Wood river country. He had
planned 70 abandon the pe-ilous lie OF
miner the present year, and was going to
two hours after the avalanche, and one of
the survivors talked with him. They dis
cussed their chances of life while lying be-
meath the debris The air keps growing
fouler. and Galbraifh informed his com
panion in peril that be could not survive
much longer. Soon after that the rescuers
reached them, but it was too late for poor
Jaek!
Wxff az
Sine-Miie creek The trail is steep, and
the snow lay deep in the lonely gulches
By this tme . hundred men were on the
ground. The scene vas one never 10 be
forgotten by those who viewed it, The
dreary landscape. the awe-struck specta-
tors. the avalanehe's path of destruction,
and the dead and injured men lying about
upon the snow, combined to form q picture
that Was awful in It's intensity.
The victims we're tigntly swsthed in
blankets. and ropes were bound around
them. The ends of long rope we're then
I'D TO their feet. and five or six men
grasped the rope and dragged each body
down the mountain.
II was a melancholy procession that
wendell its way toward the town. For q
long distance the path of the snow side
was followed The bodies we're dragged in
single file. and following them came the
wounded, some Of whom had 10 he borne
on stretchers. IL was i've miles down the
mountain to the nearest point reached by
sleighs- The task OF dragging the bodies
was laborious and slow. bat at last 1t was
ended. and the dead miners were placed in
sieighs and thus carried into Wallace.
Wallace presented . scene of woe the fol-
lowing day. Hitber two victims OF the
Canyon creek disaster had been borne.
That made eight dead bodies in the town.
The funeral was most impressive. Three
OF the victims were me mbers of the Roman
Catholic church. and their bodies were
taken for burial 10 the old Mission down
the river. and laid to rest in the midst of
The beautiful aud peaceful surroundings
selected many years ago by the daring mis-
sionsries OF the church ~ site for the eia-
cation OF the Indians.
A brass band headed the funeral cortege
and 30 men were in line With the ex-
eeptaon of fsalbrsiihNhe other victims were
buried upon the mountain-side near Wal
lace