The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-03-01

nduS the county seat OF Ouray county. The
state asked the federal government TO es-
tablish regular mail service to Ouray.
which is on the west side of the Uncompa-
hgre mountains, but the postoffce depart
ment declared that it would be impossible
to get mails through during the winter
months. MeaTs was again called upon, and
he undertook the contract for connecting
Ouray with the rest of the world. The
winter was hard one and the snow In the
mountains had effectually blocked all traf-
tic FOR more than a month when Mears
started out with a deg train and sleds to
carry the first NAH into the lively little
mining camp.
The express rate to Ouray when roads
were open was 81 pound and when it was
heraided that Uncle Sam proposed to car
ny merchandise for 16 cents a pound, every
one took advantage of IL to get in their
supplies, On the sieds that made up the
hrst train were packages of coffee, flour,
and ali kinds Of produce, even jugs of mo-
Iasses and bottles of whisky The trip was
accompanied by many perils, but the mail
was gotten through safely, and for several
years after that this method of trauspor-
tation was employed during the long win
tiers. In February of the first year that
the line was established, one of MIR.
Mears' mail carriers got caught in a snow
slide, and dogs and an were carried down
the mountain side. and not trace of the
outfit was ever found
Experience as a Mail Carrier.
The imposition practiced by the people
who took advantage of the mails to get
their supplies into Ouray for 16 cents a
pound got TO be pretty hard on the mail
carriers. To them was intrusted the safe
delivery of clothing, china, bottled goods,
and even women's bonnets. But the last
was too much for one fellow who worked
for Mears, and he concluded TO put a
stop TO it. On one trip he was loaded
down with half-dozen fine bonnets,
which were going to an Ouray milIiner, to
be supplied TO her holiday trade and the
mail carrier Intentionally took a slide
down the mountain side and landed on
the band-boxes. The bonnets were mash
ed fiat, and with alleged tender care the
mail carried preserved the ruins and de-
livered them to the consjgnee, pretending
to deplore greatly the miserable accident
But the animus was discovered and the
unlucky carrier was set upon and beaten
almost to death for being so careless with
the ladies' fineries.
In the year 1880 Mears had a contract
for carrying ore from the Yankee Girl
mine, at Red mountain, then one of the
richest producers in the world to the
smelter at Snverton. The ore was pack
ed over the trail, distance Of twelve
miles, upon the backs of burros and
mules, and while returning from Silver
ton, on one occasion, with 100 animals
packed with merchandise. the party was
caught in snow slide and the whole out
fit carried down the mountain. All the
pack animals were killed but the expert
enced drivers saved themselves by grab
bling the tails of their horses as they
went under the snow and clinging to them
aofr oil GfrIIor cd tn
after reaching the end of their slide. The
mailbag lost this time was not recov-
cred until the following July, when the
snow had all melted from the mountains.
Body Found six Years Later.
Upon another occasion the mall carrier,
going from Silverton to Ophir, one of the
toughest parts of the whole country, was
carried down in a snowslde, and the man 5
body, with the mail bag strapped around
it. was found six years later. The body
had been caught in the snow, which had
packed tightly around ii and had laid on
the mountain for six years before being
melted by the sun. The body was in a
perfect state of preservation, and the
mail was found Intact and sent on to its
destination after the unusual delay.
But snowslides are not infrequent in the
moutains of Colorado and the winter trav-
eler is in constant danger Of meeting with
such a mishap as being carried mile or
two from the trail by a slide. The Sheri-
dan mine, famous producer, Is high up
in the Uncompahgre mountains, close to
Telluride Upon one occasion some years
ago as the day shift comprising one-half
| of the three hundred men employed in the
mine, were in the cabin eating dinner, the
! snow on the mountain came down and
| carried cabin and men over the mountain
! for 300 feet, killing nine of the miners.
| Another snowslide took the shaft house
| of the Virginius mine, in the Mount Snuff
! file district, down with it, killing twenty
| seven Of the night shift, who had gone
| to bed Just before the snow came. About
/ two years ago freight train on the Rio
| Graude Southern got caught in a slide
| In front of the station at Ophir and went
| down the mountain, followed by the rail-
| way station, in which lived the keeper and
| his wife The tation keeper and his wife
were at the supper table when the house
| started on its trip, and after going down
| 800 feet the man pulled his wife out, Meth
| er of them being hurt in the least by their
remarkable experience.
/ Once when Mr. Mears started from Sa-
| guache to the Indian agency at Uncom-
| pahgre with a train of pack mules, II took
! them three months to cover the 10O-mile
tourney. After working their way
! through the snow all day the men had to
dig through to the earth and allow the
animals to feed on the long summer grass
beneath Only a few miles could be COW
cred each day, and several times the
party was compelled TO lay up in their
camp for week at time until the snow
fall abated.