The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1891-07-31
a MILLION TONS OF SNOW.
The Fearful Rush of an Avalanche From
Mountaia Peak to tsulch-

The Fearful Rush of an Avalanche from
Mountain Peak To Gulch-
About two thousand fee: from the
Denver & Rio Graude depot there i a
mass of snow IN one lump which con
tains about one million tons of water.
The mass represents n snowsllde which
came from the summit of Kendall
mountain the night of February %. The
point where the snow broke from the
apex of tie mountain Is probably two
and a half miles from the railroad track
and the slide made the run-accordlng
To witnesses who heard the crash at
the start and the crunch when 1t stopped
IN less than two minutes
Monday night was n terror The
mercury had shrunk away down in the
bulb, and everyone expected 70 see the
climax of the storm About o'clock
great banks of snow began to accumu-
late and pile up in fantastic shapes on
the mountain tops. Then came pu1fs of
wind as strong rs gale. and miniature
whirlwinds scurried here and there all
over the park, toying with the loose
boards and sending mp columns of sport
i've snowflalless, says the Silverton tCoL)
Miner.
Higher and thicker and darker the
cloud battlemcnts piled over the AniInas
canyon. while those up the Animas-
like castles OF light riding on pillows Of
r,.splendent silver. loomcd in maguiii-
cent grandeur. Over and among those
aerial mountains the moon pccPed
through ttfully and cast in flood Of
dazzling light.
by o'clock the storm was ut its
height The wind tore through the
foliage on the hillsides, and. battering 2
at the buildings. hurled defiance 1t man
kind ScrpCntine lines of glitt"ring fire
glca!ncd from between the rr--.i N the
clouds. and loud detonations from the
battlcments on high proclaimed the
march of the storm
It was about midnight when, above
the roar Of the clements far above the
clouds upon old Kendall, the loud
-'crac-l1-ll'' was heard. Then a '-crooch,
crooch. cruuch,' and then the whole
mOuntainsidc seemed TO be coming
with "a fearful and indescribable crush.
Thousands of tons of snow were shot
out of that wide space above timber
line and piled into Idaho gUlch, and
brushing down every thing before IT.
Trees. rocks. banks of frozen earth
all shared in q common fate, and 10 see
that monster coming. aS ii seemed,
from the clouds, would have been =
grand sight. There was no stop to the
colossal mass when it struck the Sat.
Making its own road Is it eouTacd it,
race filling in al declivitics. it con-
tinucd on its mad race until il reached
the river.
Instead of stopping there, 1t smeared
bridge for itself and continued over
the railroad track. carrying with It two
telegraph poles, the \ and spread itself
finally over the town site, within two
hundred yards from the main street IF
Silverton.
Such a slide has never before been
seen here. and to those who have never
seen one and are skcptical OF its tre-
mendous energy, we invite their atten-
ton To this one before going elseV here.
Once before in the history of this town
has the Idaho gulch slide come down,
and that was in 1879. when IL barely
reached the river. The snow now lies
six feet solid on the railroad track.
At the foot of the gulch it is at least
one hundred and thirty feet deep. 1t Is
full of timber-trees from six inches to
two feet in diameter broken into splint-
ers. rocks weighing tons are scattered
through it, while the entire body is as
solid as ice itself. People go every day
to view this giant of the mountains. and
IL Will continue TO be Il source Of inter
est until II mclts beneath the rays of
our July sun.