Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-06-17
THE DEADLY SNOWSLIDE
DESTRUCTIVE EFFECTS OF Colo
RADIO AvALANCHEs.
Nearly Always Attended with Fatal
Results - Twenty-Five Lives
Lost in One Day.
From the San Francisco Call.

From the San Francisco Call.
One of the most common questions asked
by tourists on the railroad trains which
labor through the canyons and over the
passes OF the Great Divide is the cause OF
| the bare streaks on the mountain sides.
where spaces OF varying width have been
| cleared of timber, boulders. everything
| which protruded above the surrounding
! surface, making path as distinct and
clean cut on the sides as II some Titan OF
! the hills had drawn a mammoth rake
! from peak to base. The explanation that
it was caused by a snowslide answers the
question ard seems, no doubt commonplace
enough to the tourist.
From February to May is the snowslide
season, and snowslides occur on almost
every steep mountain side where the condl-
lions are favorable. The prospector. miner,
mail carrier, any one who has to follow the
icy trails at this season. carries his life in
his hand and each winter claims its quota
OF victims.
The town of Silver Plume is known to
almost every tourist who has visited the
state of Colorado. 1t is hemmed in by
steep mountains at the upper end OF the
famous Georgetown loop on the Colorado
Southern railway.
The winter of 1850 was severe and
a large amount of snow had fallen and was
piled in vast drifts on the steep mountain
amount of snow and consequent danger OF
slides had alarmed the inhabitants to such
an extent that the authorities had ordered
the frame schoolhouse located at the upper
ehu OF the town at the mouth of Cherokee
gulch abandoned until the danger was past
On February Il. 1899 a strong wind
storm started and continued all night Sun
day morning II somewhat abated but the
wind was still whirling the light snow
about the mountain tops in fantastic forms
ana adding weight to the already overbur-
dened combs of snow and ice that hung
threateningly over the gulch The sky was
clear, however and the sun. playing on the
drifting Ice crystals, crowned the valley
with silver plumes innumerable making
the name of the little camp below seem
most happily chosen.
Terror of the People.
At $50 O'Clock the sun was suddenly blot
ted out and the town enveioped in a cloud
of light snow as impervious to vision as
frosted glass. Then came the rumbling.
| grinding roar which told the people a slide
had started. Panic-stricken they waited
until the noise had ceased and the fiying
snow subsidized, when every innabitant of
the town able to WELD pick or shovel start
ed Tor the scene of the disaster with the
paraphernalia of rescue. They found that
the slide had providentially stopped lust
above the abandoned school house. Ii had
proved furrow two miles long and 800
feet wide, and piled the snow. rock and
timber In miniature mountain at the bot
tom of the gulch.
Superintendent Robinson OF the Pelican
mine was standing near the shafthouse
when the slide occurred. Breakfast was
just over and several of the miners were
standing about their cabins below Mr.
Robinson was idly watching them when he
noticed peculiar movement Of the great
mass of snow high the mountain side.
Before he could give an alarm the ava
lanche had reached the cabins. sweeping
them, with their occupants, to the bottom
of the valley below.
At almost the same instant another slide
started further up the gulch, between the
Pelican and Seven-Thrty mines. 1t wreck
ed most of the mine buildings and cabins
grinding the huge logs of which they were
constructed in slivers. In these two slides
ten persons lost their lives and 5000 worth
of ore ready for shipment was lost.
Eight days later another slide occurred a
couple OF miles further up the canyon, at
| Browns Gulch. killing three miners and
| fn1uring five others.
Several Lives Lost.
On the Eagle river extension of the Den
yer and Rio Grande railroad sixteen miles
! above Leadville, Homestake Peak TRUSTS
itself, like an obelisk several thousand
feet into the air. On its side, just below
timber line, is the Homestake mine, che of
the first heavy producers Of the district
Just above the mine is a small lake. formed
by bench of eroded rock In the shadow
OF a gigantic boulder, at the bottom OF
this bench. three cabins were located. used
as storehouse and living quarters by the
eleven men who. provisioned for the win
ter, We're working the mine
On April "a, 1885, two friends of the men
working at the mine left Leadville on snow
shoes to visit them and carry in some mail.
On reaching their destina ton they found
the whole mountain side had been swept
clean into the valley below. leaving not a
sign of cabin shaft. house or nina.
Seeing Ehe frightful condition of affairs.
I tl,,s Z nod . h.
alarm. a rescue party, headed by Col
George w. Cook, mayor of LeadviIe
reached the scene of the catastrophe the
following day. They found the site of the
cabins covered with snow. rock and tim
bers to depth of forty to fifty feet, and
before the ruins of the cabins We're found
three tunnels had, with tremendous labor
to be run through the compact mass
The first structure found was the store
house, in which provisions and general
stores were kept. The side of the bunk
house was next reached, and. after clear
Ing a space large enough. a log was chop
ped from the wall and entrance gained.
In the bunk, near where they entered. the
body of one man was found crushed by the
logs. Leaning against the front of it an
other was standing with arm appraised. as
IL to ward off the danger Three. were
clasped In each others arms in the bunk
opposite. Another was found beside his
sleeping place in an attitude of prayer,
and on the bed beside which he knelt two
men were lying with no sign of having
been disturbed from their sumbers. The
three others had been crushed by the
timberS.
The date of the disaster was fixed by the
amount of provisions consumed, February
20 or %.
All but Three Killed.
One of the worst snowslides that ever oc-
CURED in Colorado. 50 far as loss of life is
concerned. was at a little station called
Woodstock, on the South Park railway
Woodstock was nine miles east of Pitkin
and near the famous Alpine tunnel. which
was completed that year. 1854.
In the Pitkin district and on the same
day. March 10, twenty-five lives were lost
by snowsides. The town Of Woodstock
consisted of the station post Office section
house. saloon and several cabins. The town
was located just at the foot OF the grade
where the double-headed trains began their
last steep climb along the precipitous sides
of the mountain before entering the tunnel.
The population Of the little hamlet on it's
last day. and the last day for all but three
of its inhabitants, seventeen-nine
men, two women and six children.
High above the little cluster of houses
was a narrow gorge. Above this the snow