The Elbert County tribune., 1899-02-16
TEN BODIES FOUND.
VICTIMS OF rwo AvALANcHEs.
silver Plume Miners Cabins Swept Away
without warning-A Woman and Tws
Children Ameng the yictImA

NPI ilunit 10 Int ltDckl houitaiu
News last night said:
simultaneously two snowslides oc
CURED in Cherokee gulch. at this place.
at S:i5 this morning. Ten lives We're
lost in the laundering rush OF snow.
roek and timber. The ore HOUSES OF the
Pelican and Cory City We're carried
away and fully $4,000 worth OF ore
WIS carried into the basin between the
mountain sides and lost.
Inhabitants are terrorizcd. as SNOW
slides have never been known In this
section of the country. The vast
amount of snow ON the mountain sides
frowns down upon the people below,
and the miners are In mortal terror lest
a repetition OF the frightful nvnlanclies
Will occur and carry away their cabins.
All the killed are miners or mem-
bers OF their families.
The terrible snowslides came without
warning. The morning was clear
and cold. with the sun shining bright
ly. So far as known, nobody received
n warning OF the disastrous slide. Su-
perintcndent Robeson Of the Pelican
mine was standing outside the shaft
house OF the mine when he noticed n
peculiar movement OF the great mass
OF snow high on the mountain side. Be-
fore he comprelendcd the danger. the
terrible roar OF the swiftly moving
mass OF snow and earth instinctivcly
drove him to a place OF safety. He
saw the start of the slide and reached
cover before the snow reached the
shaft house where he was standing.
The slide IL the most disastrous ever
recorded IN the northern part of the
state 1t occurred directly north of
this place, where the mountain side
nre steep. In its descent. the first slide
moved with terrible rnpidity. Several
of tie miners were standing outside
their cabins enjoying IA rest after
breakfast. They were cut on with hut
n moments warning. As the first slide
began TO move, several miners OF the
Pelican APPRECIATED the danger of the
situDtlon Their natural impulse was
TO hasten to warn their companions In
the cabins on the mountain side. but
the force of the elements was too great.
and before they realized 1t tons ana
tons of SNOW were upon the cabins and
had reduced them TO splinters.
In coming down the mountain. the
mass of snow struck two cabins west
OF Republican mountain and the shaft
house and boiler rooms OF the Cory
City mine. These buildings were I'M
fortunately located directly In the path
of the slide.
The second slide took different
course down Willehnn gulch. east OF
sherman mountain. between the Peli-
can and Seven-Thlrty mines. That slide
carried away cabins in which there
were seven miners. all OF whom found
death in the frigid and uncomfortable
mass that bore destruction with it.
Superintendent Robeson, who no
ticed the movements of both slides, de-
cInres that the scene was horrible.
Timbers Of huge proportions were
ground into splin.ers by the pondcrous
mass of swiftly moving snow and Ice,
and before n bird could have winged
AWAY II was upon the humble hnbitn-
tions of the poor miner.
The slides Travelled for at least two
miles and worked n furrow In the
mountain sides at least ten feet deep.
As soon as the report of the catastro-
phe spread. both gulches We're visited
by hundreds OF people who were will
Ing to lend n hand to the work OF res
cue. Word of the disaster soon
reached Georgetown aud people came
from there TO assist In the noble work
OF searching for the dead and injured.
The thermometer registered 10 de-
grees below zero, but the work WIS
promptly begun and prosecuted. Seat
tered along the mountain side here and
there were few tmbers which
served to guide the work OF the res
cuing parties. The brave miners who
were attracted to the scene worked
hcroically.
Inside of five minutes the rapidly
moving shovels of the rescuers ell
countered the body OF Antonio Migret-
to. He was more dead than alive. but
the spark OF life was apparent and im-
lt..t.. Hon. xsa ,rtx .tttt
Willing hands carried him TO sled
and he was brought into the depot
where every medical attention
was given him. Soon after Antonio
Mnleano and Giuseppe Corcunio We're
found They We're almost dead and
were brought here ut once and given
medical attention.
The first bodies found were those OF
Mrs. Destefano and her children. The
mother had her arms clasped about
the inanimate form of her younger
child. The other child was found
short distance away. The mother had
evidently seen the avalanche approach
ing and had made an attempt to save
her child in escaping from the house
The bodies were brought here on
sled. The work of rescue continued,
and in the remains of the Destefano
cabin cook stove with the fire still
burning was unearthed. The chicken
coop of the modest home was next
found. and the thirteen chicks were
uninjured.
AS the work went on the bodies of
Peter and John Tondini. Gerondo
Guenzi. G. Bietto and Enrico Novaria
were uncovered. They were not badly
mutilated, but the severe pressure of
the snow told ON their blackened
faces. The bodies of Joe Tondini and
Dominic Destefano have not yet been
found. 1t is known~a definitely that
they persisted. Destefano left his
cabin shortly before the slide came
down and was walking in the tlirec-
tion of this city when the avalanche
caught him and hurried him to de-
struction. 1t is probable that his body
viii he one of the last recovered.
The list so far rs known Is:
Dominic Destefanio, wife and two
children.
Joseph Tondini.
Peter Tondini. t'lffI
John Tondin.
Gerondo Guenzi.
Il. Bietto.
Enrico Novaria.
Scattered over the mountain side
leading into Cherokee gulch are numer-
Gus ore houses OF the Pelican mine.
These ore houses Were well stocked.
The workings OF the mine have many
surface outlets at which ore houses
are located. None of these houses are
standing. 1t is estimated that fully
$4,000 worth of ore was stored in
them. This ore has been swept away
and will be lost to the owners of the
property.
The situation here Is considered still
serious. More slides are expected and
should they come tonight n large por-
tion of the city might he buried. A
slide down Brown solch is looked for