The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1902-03-06
BURIED IN SNOW
VICTIMS OF COLORADO DISASTER
PLACED AT FROM TWENTY
TO TWENTY-FIVE.
FOURTEEN BODIES FOUND

Unknown Number Still Missing and
Twelve Persons Are in the Hospital
Badly iniured-Eog So Dense When
the Catastrophe Occurred II Was
Utterly Impossible for Anyone in Its
Path to Have Escaped.
Telluride, Colo, March 3.-Ine num-
Der of9liVes lost in the four avalanches
that swept down the sides of Smuggler
mountain Friday is now estimated at
from 20 to 25. Fourteen men are
known TO have been killed, an un-
known number are buried under the
snow and II badly injured persons are
in the hospital. Several other men
who were hurt are at their homes. It
Is believed. that few il any more bodies
can be recovered until the snow melts.
The most lucid account of the first
Snowslide which carried away the
boarding and bunkhouses and other
buildings of the Liberty Bell mine in
Cornell Creek basin, three and a half
miles north of this city, burying the
occupants in the gulch under masses
of snow and debris, was given by L.
M. Umsted, who is employed in pack
ing ore from crusher to the tram sta
ton. He said he had just come from
breakfast and was in the stable sad
ding his animals when he heard ter
rife crashing. The stable grew sud
denly dark and, stepping to, the door
he found the air filed with flying
snow. A few seconds later it grew
light again and he saw the tram cable
swinging about and buckets rolling
down hill. He could see nothing OF the
boarding and bunkhouses, but looking
down the hill he saw boards and tim
bers sticking out of the snow and
scattered about.
He then went up to where the ore
and tram houses had stood and saw
what he thought was piece OF over
alls. Grasping it he pulled out the
body of Gus Kraul,
Terribly MansIed and Crushed.
He then started toward the boarding
| house and met his brother who TOLD
him what had happened. Charley I'm
sted was employed in the boarding
house that was demolished and escap
ed by being out at the time after
bucket of water.
F. C. Clenlmer, it is said, was sitting
| at his desk. making out the time of thu
employees of the mine when the crasl
came and all the books of the com
| pany. recording the names of those
! employed, were destroyed. The exac
number of men who were caught II
! the slide is not known, but there Wer'
| probably not less that 90 In the bunk
| house and clearinghouse when the.
were swept away. Fortunately a larg.
| majority of the 270 miners employe,
| in the Liberty Bell mine were eithe
!! in the mine or absent in town at tn
time of the accident. 1t had peel
showing for three days and the SNOW
| and fog were so dense when the slid
came down that it was utterly impos
sible for any one in its path to hay
| escaped it.
The accident broke the telephone cir
| cult and several hours elapsed befor
a messenger reached town with It'd
| ings of the disaster. All the doctor
available and many citizens hurrie'
up the mountain to lend assistance ii
digging out the dead and injured
| Seven bodies had been recovered an,
five injured men brought to town whel
a second slide came down in the patl
of the first, killing two more men an,
injuring number of others. Thi
was followed by two more snow slide
in which five lives we're sacrificed. Al
! the storm still continued and the worl
of rescue could only ne carried on I'm
| der the most extreme danger to tn,
! living and as it was believed that n,
more of those buried under the snow
could be alive, it was decided to aban
don the search for bodies until it cal
be prosecuted with greater safety.