The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-04-25
TIE s1sa ~ AZ AVALANCHE.
Perils OF TrsFst In the Snow Mountains
81 Siitish Columbia

81 SIitish Columbia
Imagine If you can the very toughest bis
Of nature you have ever seen, or take .
newspaper, crumpie IL into "A ball, and
placing IL on table suppose all it's raised
parts to be peaks and the hollows ravines,
picture the sharp edges as ridges more or
less timbered, the hoiiOws bare, smooth or
steep as the roof Of the steepest house yon
know of, and you have an idea of the
mountains and gorges of the SLOGAN.
Let Us suppose we are standing near the
summit OF one of these ridges on a bright
sunny day In January. IL has been snow
ing continually for days, and the beauti-
full lies IN plenteous profusion every
where six TO eight feet deep In tho timber
Ell ridges and any depth you like In the
ravines. The sun gets warmer. Up above
you near the crest Of the mountain little
bits of crystals detach themselves and 60
rolling down the slope. A tiny crack
forms at your feet and widens across the
gulch. In an instant tho whole snowy
mass is in motion, and with o kissing,
rustling sound and an upheaval along It's
edges goes hurling down the gorge. Faster
and faster it glides. The air Is filed with
snowy spume. Where you stood IL was 9
fivulet. thousand feet below 10 Is q
mad torrent. The noise increases a. 10
gains momentum
Rocks are torn loose, broken TO atoms
or ground 10 powder, trees uprooted and
broken to pieces, logs smashed to splin-
tiers At half mile on Its path IL pre-
sents n crest OF go Co 80 feet in height and
moves faster than an express train. Voc
betide any living thing In Its way now.
Nothing made by man can stand before 10;
the wind of its creation Is hurricane. n
cloud If snow and dust follows In It'd
wake. In a seothing torrent IL pours over
rock and precipice and moving res!stlessiy
ON leaves In its track broken and crushed
fragments OF rock and trees and tho
smooth snd polished grasses In the gorge
The thunder dies, IS gone and the ava
lanchc is passed. Down at the foot of tho
slope, "a mile away, mountains of snow
tossed up In hopeless chaos. wild tsngls
OF rocks, earth, trees and logs remain TO
mark the slide, and often. aiasl too often,
tho bodies Of brave men caught In It's rush
lie buried IN its icy embraco.
All around you can hear. day and night,
the distant, mufiied roar 81 passing ava
lanches. They come and go at all times
and at all hours. Each year a new one Is
created, for the older ones are well known.
They have claimed their blood tribute.
Each hos its record Of brave men done to
death. These avalanches are overyw here.
There Is no: "a wagon road or a mountain
trail that does not cross the path Of say-
ersl On the Kgslo SLOGAN road TO New
Denver thGrs are five or six; on the winter
road TO SaBdon and Cody Creek, four. All
trails % the mines cross and recross these
moving destroyers Yet all the season OF
greatest danger there Is moro traffic on
these roads ard trails than on many high
ways In civilization. Marvellous escapes
are an everyday matter. No one hesitates
or delays On account Of the peril % Dc IN
CURED. Often, very often, tbs snowsiide
rasss= a feys faet from tbs ore laden peck
team, but not always with warning Ia
an instant men and animals ar" over
whelmod and tossed like sirsws ia The boil
Of seethiua snow II - mercifnl tbG.
death Is instantaneous
The force e tie wind created By one II
these larger sIides j. well nigh inGrs-8ible-
In the valley 81 the Iliceillswast, on the
line a the Canadian Pacific. tree tops sro
cut on by the ioreo e tho wind On the oD-
,osits side - the rsvine through which
the avalanche doscends. TIE snow 10
pressed Into tho hardness Of too and ilt9s-
ally tears CT srinds 10 powder every thing
IN its path The many dsf,ioTa5is fatal
files that have lately occurred IN TIE 80
can are rarity due 20 tbs distraction ~
the tirriber on ths wooded siopc~ by ia
fearful fires II lsst summer. the trees bold
ing Hp the snow and preventing s8idiag.
VS. rsssd u many brave AID hsrDiosscfs.
bat surely THE patient courage that csily
taxes even chances wisa death On the
siapss and 81 the mountains - tie -loosn
deserves fsseTs than a passing tribute -
Victoria Ce.oasesa