The Elk Mountain pilot., 1899-02-21

night to do it., the opening of the
twentieth century will see the Festi-
val established, not only as an annual
frolic and reunion of Colorado people,
but grand exhibition of the resources
of the state and the ingenuity and in
dustry of its people. While it is pro-
posed that an entire week be given to
this exposition and fair, it is also rec
ommended that the Festival of Noun
tain and Plain continue its special
features, but that the same be confined
TO three days.
A dispatch from Silver Plume on the
18th stated that the inhabitants were
afraid of other avalanches. A slight
thaw, puff of wind, jar may bring
down millions of tons of snow that
now hang upon the mountain tops, al
most defying the laws of gravitation,
The awful slide of Sunday morning
was only n forerunner. Barely n tithe
of the burden of the mountains came
away in the avalanche Sunday. II
left great circular gaps. whose walls
of snow rise vertically n hundred feet
in height. But the first slide paved
the way for the rest 1t swept out
every obstacle and filed up the low
places, so that when the rest comes 1t
will have clean sweep right down
into the town itself. Any slide, nc
matter how slight, coming down Wal
low Hen gulch now will reach the
school house, besides many residences
near it, and there is little doubt but
that they would be destroyed. If the
break occurs on the east side and in
Cory gulch the slide will now be di.
verted, coming across the lower works
of the Pelican and the Diamond tun
mel striking the business section of the
town. Had all of this snow given way
yesterday it would have been carried
into town and the loss of life would
have been terrible. People began leav
ing here to-day, and many will take
up their homes in Georgetown until
fears of snowslides are over.
Commissioner Hermann, of the gen
eral land office, has made report tC
Secretary Bliss in which he says thai
Deputy Surveyor Ober will complete
his corrections of the survey of the
east boundary of the Southern Ute
reservation by June 18th next. Con
tinuing, he says: The prospective
settlers within the ceded portion of the
reservation are becoming very insist
ent in their desire to have the surplus
lands thrown open to occupancy and
Ht''i'iitHls II HIS DetH SusStsltt
that inasmuch as the location of the
boundaries are fixed with n fair de
gree of certainty and MS the delay &c
which prospective settlers have been
subject is likely to be still further ex.
tended, some action might be taken
which would open such lands as are
positively known to lie within the
reservation. / recommend that the
necessary steps be taken to open to
occupation and settlement the lands
within the ceded portion of the South
ern Ute reservation except those lying
east of the north and south half sec
ton line in the western range of see
tions in townships 30 and 33 north
range l west. and those of the range
line between ranges l and west, in
township "a north, and also all lands
north of the south line of the northern
tier of sections in township 81 north
range . west. New Mexico principal
meridian" The excepted lands EN-.
brace only about 1000 acres, while
those whose opening Is recommended
include twelve full and twenty-foul
fractional townships. This recon-
mendation Is n decided victory for
Judge Bell, who has persistenly
pressed the matter for the opening of
the Southern Ute lands for two ses
sions, and to whose suggestion to the
commissioner the action is now due
Leadville people had snow-shovel
Ing party on the 10th that was well
attended and n great success. Owing
to the blockade the supply of coal had
dwindled to the point that 1t was GER
tain within twenty-four hours to shut
down the pumping plants and smelt-
isSnn1
men turned out with shovels to clear
the tracks TO Malta, six miles away
where many loaded cars We're stand
ing. The entire crew was in charge
of George w. Cook who had depu.
tiZed six or eight well-known mine
managers of the camp and smelter su.
perintendents to assist him in carry
ing on the work The Rio Grande ran
Its big snow plow over the track and
deposited the men at different points
along the line. They were placed in
squads of 100 and 200 and were soon
hard at work. The men appeared to
take special interest in the work laid
out for them. and it was wonderful to
see the activity displayed. Not sin
gle workman nor any of the managers
in charge left the track throughout the
serious storm. For fifteen and twenty
minutes at n time il was impossible
for the men to see each other even a
few feet away on account of the fall
ing snow, but that made no difference,
and they continued the work until it
was completed. Four miles of the Rio
Grande track on which it was almost
impossible for three engines to haul
one car was placed in such condition
that regular trains could run with
ease over the track The work per
formed was the cutting away of ice
which clung to the rails for n distance
of from eight to twelve inches on each
side, and shoveling the snow to dis
tance of five to ten feet, as occasion
demanded, on both sides of the track.
One hundred tons of coke and about
fifteen cars of coal were brought in
from Malta over the Rio Grandc this