The Elk Mountain pilot., 1899-01-31
A EouEt1 Exper!encc.


Saturday morning Geo. Miller
and Paul Mcguire left Irwin with
q four-horse team and an empty
sled to break the road TO Crested
Butte, the severe storms Of a few
days previous having completely
blockaded il. Along towards six
O'Clock in the evening q furious
storm sprung up, and nothing hay-
INC been heard from the men or
the road at either end OF the line,
The people became apprehensive
for their safety, owing to the dan
Ger Of snowslides. A party of men
had already started cut from Irwin
to discover, il possible, the where
abouis Of the men and team. They
got down as far as Rogers and,
finding the rear half of the sled
there and seeing where the team
had went around the exceedingly
dangerous point just cast OF the
tank, six Of The party concluded
they had been met with assistance
from here, and accordingly turned
back. Two Of the Irwinites, Joe
Schell and Hiram Thompson, were
net satisfied with the outlook and
came on around the dangerous To-
cality with determination to come
down to town if they did not find
the men and team. Upon round
ing the point this side of the tank
they found the front bob Of the
sled buried IN the snow with the
whip sticking out TO mark its loca-
tion, and down'at. the foot Of the
hill was a horse in the deep snow.
These conditions served TO arouse
the worst fears of the searchers
and they began to look around in
the snow fer the men. bat had not
continued their search very far
when they came to the other three
horses standing in q place around
the next point which had been
cleared for them. This fact alleyed
their fears end they soon found the
men Little farther down where
they had built n fire by the side of
a snow-fence, and were trying to
partially shelter themselves from
the raging storm. The Two Irwin
boys we're SO tired that they had no
alternative except to remain with
the others. IN the meantime three
men had started up the road from
here on snowshoes at about 6:15.
but succeeded in getting only two
ard one-LGlf miles when they were
obliged to turn back, the furious
gale blowing directly against them,
the Iooseness Of the snow and The
terrible darkness combining in
making it impossible for them to
proceed. In returning they met
eight men and four teams break
ing the road up the gulch and went
along with them. After being out
seven hours in The face of the
binding storm, during which time
men and animals labored heroicaliy
in forcing their way through huge
drifts tor nearly three miles, all
wero compelled to return from
sheer exhaustion. Upon their re
turn Joe Hurlow started up the
road made by the teams carrying
his snowshoes with which to travel
on from the end of the road. He
was followed by Harry Tingley
who went up in a sled as far as the
other teams went. These men
were favored by the abatement of
the storm and a little light from
the moon and finally reached Mil
Ter and his companions after an
orluous trip. They quickly came
back 10 town and relieved the great
suspense endured through the en-
tire night. Again the men and
teams that had been out the night
before went up ARD broke another
mile Of road, and one of the men
took some provisions up to the
stranded party, who had had moth
i1or tn eat oy drink FOR twentv-eix