The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-02-17
IN BELT.
The Mining Camp Enjoyed Three Days of
/ Isolation.

| The Mining Camp Enjoyed Three Days of
/ Isolation.
Special Correspondence OF the Standard.
Belt, Feb. 16.--For three days this
little camp has been experiencing that
lonesome sensation which in this day
and age always accompanies a lengthy
or brief isolation from the outside
world. We were not entirely cut off,
as the stage from Great Falls managed
to get through every day last week, ex-
cept Saturday. On Saturday and Sun
day, however. no Standards reached us
That was perhaps the worst feature of
the blockade for the people Of Belt, for
without the Standard they are without
the news. Sunday night or early Mon
day morning, three snow slides occurred
along the track on the Belt hill. Two
of them were just small tumbles Of
snow that would have required very lit
tie effort to clear away. The third one,
however, assumed almost the proper
tons of an avalanche. 1t occurred
just beyond the big trestle, three miles
west of town. For a distance of 100
yards or more the track was buried I'M
der from eight to IL feet of snow For
the first time in years, the Nellart train
was unable to make her regular trip to
Neihart, and in consequence we had
no train at all on Monday. The block
|, ade was raised this morning and it
/ went out with a whoop and hurrah That
put the whole townain f1utter of EEK.
element. 4E.
About 9 o'clock word was received
that snow plow would soon be COM
ing down the hill. About one mile west
of town a small snow slide had slid
down the hill and planted itself fairly
upon the railroad track. This spot was
plainly visible from down town and a
good many persons were watching to
see the snow pillow plunge into and
through it. The engine came down the
hill and plunged into the obstruction
like a demon. For a few seconds no,h-
ing could be seen but clouds of snow
flying mountains high. Then, with
scarcely perceptibe slackening of speed,
the engine and pillow emerged from the
cloud of snow and the real excite
tment began. Almost Immediately af-
ter passing through the drift. the en-
gineer began to blow warning blasts
from the whistle. The engine seemed
to increase rather than diminish it's
speed and the spectators to realize that
something was wrong. Just what the
trouble was could not be ascertained,
but the brakes failed to respond to
the application of air and the engine
came on toward town at a fearful
speed. THE switch engine was stand
ing on the main line near the depot.
When the yard crew realized what was
coming, the engineer on the switch en-
CINE reversed his engine, pulled open
the throttle and he and the fireman
jumped for their lives. The runaway
engine with the snow plow attachment
crashed into the switch engine before
it had gotten fairly under way. THE
snow pillow was badly wrecked, the foot
board on the switch engine was de-
molished and the pilot timbers more or
less damaged. Neither engine left the
track. The snow plow engine came
to a dead halt, while the switch en-
CINE went cavorting down the track on
it's own hook. 1t was overhauled near
Arlington and there were a number
of railroad men who felt very thank
full that the accident resulted in moth
ing more serious. AS if this was not
excitement enough for one day, just
before noon a team, coming down the
wagon grade west of town, ran away
and one Of the horses was instantly
killed The team was hitched to bob
sled, in which were two men, whose
names could not be learned When OPP
posite the A. C. NJ. Co.'s barn a Whit
f1etree came unfastened and dropped
down onto the horses heels. They i'm
mediately broke into a run and the driv-
er, with his companion. evidently be-
lieving discretion the better part of
valor, dropped the lines and tumbled
out into the snow When the frighten-
ed horses came to where the road PASSES
under the railroad bridge, they turned
aside and attempted to pass under the
trestle a few feet south Of the roadway
One of the horses struck it's head on a
brace and was killed dead. the upper
part of its head being literally crushed
to a pulp.
Reports from the country indicate
j
/ BILE amount of suffering and loss of live
stock, the intensely cold weat Their of
the past two weeks has not been accom-
panied by the heavy losses that might
reasonably have been expected. Sheep
men have lost only a few head If the
very weakest of their flocks and cat
tie men say their losses have been very
small. A warm chinook wind is now
blowing and the snow rapidly disap-
pearing from the hills.