New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-03-01
SCORES SWEPT TO DEATH
LINERS BURIED IN TWO
GREAT .SNOWSLLDES.
AVALANCHE CARRIES DOWN BUNK
HOUSE FILLED WITH MEN-RES-
CUERS CAUGHT BY SECOND SLIDE.

Telluride, Col. Feb. 2S.-The most terrible
snowslide known in Colorado caused the
deaths of from thirty TO seventy-fve men at the
Liberty Bell Mine. on Smuggler Mountain.( to-
day. Although. the scene of the disaster is
scarcely two miles from this place. information
is difficult 10 obtain account Of the precipi-
tous character Of the roads and the vast amount
Of snow. Nearly all the buildings of the Lib
erty Mine were carried down by the slide all
the books which show the number and names
Of the men employed being>%ost, that the
death list can hardly be known for many hours
possibly until the rescuers have removed
the immense quantity of snow, rocks and loss
from the canyon where the victims lie buried
II seems that two slides occurred practically
in the place, the second burying those
who were trying TO rescue the victims of the
first. The first slide occurred at 80 o'clock this
morning while the men Of the day shift were
preparing for their days About two
hundred men employed in the mines and
mills Of the Liberty Bell Company and less
than half of these at work at the time OF
the accident. The others were in the boarding
house or in the clubhouse near by. Both these
buildings were carried down the mountain side
a distance Of two thousand feet and crushed 10y
tons Of snow
II WAS 10 o'clock before news Of the disaster
reached Telluride At once a number OF men
started for the scene Meantime the surviving
employees of the Liberty Bell began the work
were taken out alive. and a dozen or more bodleS
were removed from the snow. which lay plea
twenty-five feet deep In the bottom OF the can
yon. A little after noon a second slide. starting
a short distance above the first and practically
following its track, swept down the mountain
side, burying many Of the rescuers.
third slide came down at o'clock. about
mile below the Liberty Bell mines, ana
Gus Won Fintel. John Powell and Paul Dai-
pra, who were their return from the scene
Of the catastrophe this morning. were swept
away.
About noon a powerful glass was directed
toward the trail leading up to the Liberty Bell
Squads of miners carrying the bodies Of their
unfortunate fellows could he seen coming down
II required from two TO four men to convey
each body and the descent was necessarily
slow Every now and then one Of the men as
sisting in this gTewsome task could be seen
TO lose his footing, stumble and fall. carry
ing those near him down II was while this
work was in progress this afternoon that the
second slide occurred. carrying down with It
possibly forty additional men.
The Liberty Bell mine is one Of the three
largest mines in the district, the Smuggler.
owned by Kansas City people. the name OF the
company being the Liberty Bell Gold Mining
and Milling Company. The Liberty Ben Is
about q mile and three-quarters north Of Tellu-
ride and has an altitude Of about l2ph feet
az the mouth Of the tunnel The buildings or
the mine occupied bench on the mountalrEloe'
and were erected in a location that was sup
which II was thought would divert the course
Of any avalance that might be started Tne
vast accumulation Of snow within the last TWO
weeks however. gave the slide to-day sucn
volume that nothing could stay It's progress 10
the bottom of the canyon.