The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-06-25
Snow HbVve Us
Melting Of Gigantic
Banks m Rockies.
nieIfina on GIaanfit
Banks m Rockies.

snow scare has been frequent one alors
the Arkansas river in Kansas, but 1t ha.
never been justified Writing the Eagle
from Pueblo, Grant Jones says:
Deeper SHOWS than have before faller
In the Rocky mountain region for ove1
fifty years are now beginning to melt.
ALREADY the mountain streams are swell.
ing into torrents; and the question natur-
ally arises as to whether the great Mis-
sissippi valley viii not be inundated as
never before since the advent Of white
settlers along its banks?
Reports from western weather bureaus
indicate that there Is SUFFICIENT snow in
the mountains to set a rev flign water
mark from the head waters Of the Mis-
souri, and its mountain tributaries even
down 10 New Orleans and the gulf
The question is will the snow melt
slowly enough 10 prevent a wholesale
devastation
Pioneers Of the Rocky mountains
prophesy dire things 10 the peopIe .u5o
AVe along the lower waters OF the Mis-
souri, the Platte. the Arkansas and Ms
sissippi rivers. Tue men who know,
claim that the most destructive foods Of
the century may reasonably be expected
this summer.
Not within the memory OF the oldest
living inhabbant Of the Rocky noun
tains has there before been such a mi
Versal depth Of snow along the crest of
the continent awaiting the summer
thaEs.
Inc oWeLFers Of the mountains warn the
people Of the lowlands TO put on life pre-
Servers at once.
They base their prophesy as n soo1s
1r'O'i 'ne Iact that the rapidly melting
sho" at the present time Is sounding its
warning in every swollen stream.
Inis covering world Of snow extends
from the head waters OF the Missouri and
It's mountain tributaries, down even no
yond the source OF the Arkansas F.
hundreds OF miles the snow is believed
TO range in depth from five 70 more ,ba,
a hundred feet.
When this snow begins IN earnest ~
crumDle away before the summer sun ana
south winds. then may the banks NJ YES
tern rivers be lost 10 sight.
The winter just passed has bAAn tba
most severe In the history of the Rocky
mountains. Not a railroad In Colorado.
wyoming. or Montana, but has been
blocked as never before by snow
In Colorado both the Rio Grauds AMI
the Midland railroads have suffered =
seige Of snow unparalleled IN thA,r he
tory, while the Colorado and sou,b.rn
railroad was completely snoWbSInd fer
over five months. This latter railroad bas
only just recently succeeded in eertIns
trans through TO Leadviile, IIreck enrIdze
and other mountain points
In wyoming. the Union Pacific ra:Ircad
heretofore considered as having an ideal
trans mountain track has Curing the .as,
winter 'bucked'' snow almost c,nri,u-
ally.
Inere Is no way OF making an accurate |
es1ffnate OF the snow in The mountains. |
throughout the Leadville region many Of |
the great canons are pr1ct.ca;lv full of |
STOW. Tree tops are often buried for oil,
Of slght- In some places the dep,h ~
snow Is believed to be nearly or quite
200 feet.
IN ne Grand Enca'upment Il ming dis
trict' among the Sierra Madre noun
tains Of southern Wyomiuy. the de3th Of
hro" IS simply phenomenal Here ,te
niue mining town OF Bl,t'e. wyo.. has
10: months been buried Is complsreI,, g
was Pompeii. From this AMI other 81,
bucket camps in the district fra ;rb,bt-
tants were forced to Zee |, ths can,r..
town or Grand Encampment in the vsI;e,.
Here they have spent the winter.
ioe hahns Peak Mining district. a
Snort distance south Of Grand Ea-a!r-
rent and just across the STAT. line n
ooioTalo. has had seige OF snow thar
mas practically cut It of from al; o,,,s,5a
communication.
boress.. Colorado. the highrs. pos.of7ca
town IN the United States. Is bl,rIej ,,--
maps hity feet under snow bank IIe,s
rs IN many other mountlin towns. the
people mas tunneied from dol- 10 door
ana thus made life somewhat tola-ahI.
10 lhese people provisions have bean
carried largely on snow shoes, ire ea,o-
Dies being let down through shafts ~
tunnels N the snow 10 IN, ,eonla ba-
low. ~sO''e De-
Uncle Sans mail. excepting n,-a-s an,
o'her second-cilss matter. has haer do
- eN 10y months on snow SHOES a7dsin-
'e' MI 0HsF at that This. However. Is
not an exceptional state Of affairs f,-
nearly every winter the government mails
are carried on snow shoes. especially IN
Egeria Park and the Hahn's Peak %,
As u the prooa bilNy OF great floods
mat may completely inundate the iou,a-
'aHeys Of the Missouri. Platte Arkansas
anu MISSISSIPPI rivers on account OF this
world q SHOW in the mountains. .l1ere
some vide differences Of opinion.
Inc wiseacrss'' say that - y,ar,t--- ,
,auses floods. then this coming sun,n,sr
: destined 70 go down into history e,- ,
river foods
II the prophesy OF these "w4sescrss" :
'Aould be fulfilled. the highest water ,
marks at Kansas City. ST. Louis. Carr, :
mana New Orleans and other river :
'o'hs may within thirty days be rele- ;
gated TO a place OF gnifcant iute-ss, r
i tAe historical annals OF western riva-
io'lS. The consequence OF such a record '
're''k!as h"od would be too calami,ors
lna appalling 10 contemplate.
Others. more conservative. are n, -.
opinion that The conditions do m, r.
ant 'iscare." These claim that TIA
10" WI melt slowly ard much Of the :
water thereby Re absorbed in the grouns :
hey oaFe this theory upon the fact that
ne snow began falling early last fall be- .
ore TIE ground had been frozen and that >
aus the earth Is even noE absorbing q
nuoo 81 the water that in former wears q
you'd have gone over the frost-hanje1es :
round and reached the rnoun,a,, =
treams