Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1893-02-03
A NARROW ESCAPE.
a rarity Of Star Miners Slid Upon-All
Escape Serious lujury.

smith, started tor the mine yesterday.
Leaving Haley about IL o'clock in
the morning in Cameron's sleigh,
drawn by four horses, they made slow
progress to the mouth of Star Gulch,
about two. and.a halt miles from
HALEY, owing to the recent fall of
snow and the drifts encountered.
When the bridge a the mouth OF
Star Guich was reached, there was a
pause aud plan Of operations agreed
upon. Charles Sonnl.itner walked
on ahead to the highest point on tho
tirst part Of the grade, TO spy out the
lay OF the land. The snow was
eombed over the top of Della noun.
tain and piled in drifts on the noun
tain on the south side of the ravine, and
it was evident that very little would
start a number OF slides.
James Lyle went ahead of tho party
on the bridge, and exploded q giant
powder cartridge, to start any slide
that might be ready to ZONE down.
The explosion had no effeot-not inn
mediately, at any rate.
The men were then divided into
two parties, one of which was to
shovel of the grade and thus break
road, while the other was to re main on
the bridge, where it would b. com.
safe, and be ready to run
TO the assistance of its comrades in
case Of accident, OF to relieve them
whsn tired.
r. D. Cameron, j. M. Jeffrey, John
GallaR her aud Harry Blake frs,
worked at shoveling a way through
the snow to the old Union Pacific
at the base of Della mountain,
as a place Of shelter might be needed
in case somebody got too badly hurt
to admit Of being brought back to
town.
Presently Mr.. Cameron was left
alone to finish the job OF clearing a
way to the tunnel aforementioned,
and Messrs Jeffrey, Gal!agh, r, Blake.
LYLE, aud three others went TO work
shove!ing off the grade. George
Turner stood 10y holding the coats OF
the shovel-rs
Between so and GO feet Of the
grade had thus been broken when
slide came so rapidly and noiselessiy
that no one saw it more than a NOM
ent before it was close to the shovelers.
Messrs. Bake. Lyle and Cameron
were close to the old Union Pacific
tunnel, aud were uninjured, some OF
the slids passing over their heads.
Three others happened to be on the
edge of the slide, and were only
spriukled with n,ing snow; but J.
NJ. Jeffrey, John Gallagher, and
George Turner were caught Jeffrey
was throwu down the side of the grade
to the bed of the creek, about 60 feet
below. but happened to glide on top
Of the slide, and clambered up on the
opposite mountain side aud thus got
out of the way of the slide. He es.
capped serious injury, but was some>
what bruised and may prefer standing
to sitting for few days. He los. his
shovel.
John Gallagher and George Turner
were also caught, but did not have
such a narrow escape as Jeffrey, as
the latter was the foremost up the
g aie. Gallagher aud Turner, seeing
the slide coming just before it reached
the grade, turned down and in hops,
>kips and jumps, get out OF the way
lost his shovel, but Turner
pluckily hung on 10 the coats. Blu,
for their presence Of mind in Jumping
as they did, aud thus preventing the
slide from getting purchase upo"
them, they woulc have been over.
whelmed and, possibly, caught under
and suffocated. as poor Ed. Smith was.
The party then wisely decided to
return to town, and arrive d about 5
o'clock last ev. ming.
They will remain here until tie
moderates, before lacking
tie ravine again. And even then it
may be advisable rot to 60 until the
is really settled, and III.