The Springfield herald., 1902-03-07

SDenver Colo. March IA special
4epatch from Telluride to the Repubh-
c4n says: s$nfsss ~ W. SN1f' 4
At the Libertx Befl mine ana the Cor
~ Creek basin; below 1T, yesterday,
4ree separate spowsfitles descended
I'D as result fourteen men are
E4own to be dead, an unknown num-
&r are buried inSt the SNOW, and twelye
Adly injured ones are in the hospital,
xhile several other men who we're hurt
4re at their homes. st. I"
vrhe first slide occurred at i 30
O'clock yesterday morning. coming
from above the Liberty Bell mine, and
wrecking the boarding and bunk
houses. Seven men We're killed here.
"a AS soon as the news reached the city
q large force OF rescuers started out.
afw while they were Mt work diggihg1
out the dead and injured u second slide
deccnded which buried an, unknown
nllmber of men. Three bodies were re-
covered.
This alarmed the rescue party, and
as fierce storm Eas raging, and tlla.es er,s :
was danger Of other slides, word WAT
sent to the city to send no nore, men
out. The rescuers started for homo to
await the cessation, of the storm and
were overtaken bys 2 third slide and
f9A were killed.
N1fs believed 4x6at few II any marS..
bodies can be,recovered- uutiI the sn0S.
melts, when y 10 thought the list of
dead may be swefled 10 at least a4scsff..
The most lucid and connected ae-'
count of the first disaster is that given
by L. NJ. Umsted. Mi. Umsted is enl-
ployed in packing ore from cruster
to the tram station. He had lust come
from breakfast and was in the static
saddling his animals. when he.,!heard
terrific crashing and rattling., Tha'
stable grew suddenly as dark as night,
and, stepping to the door, he. opened y
and found the outside totally dark and
the air filled with flying. snow. ,.ai !.
Thinking it was II terrific gust of
wind, he slammed the stable door shut,
and waited Few seconds. He ,peered
through n crack and as 1t grew Hight
again he opened the door and-saw 'the
tram cable swinging about and buckets
rolling down the hill. AS the snow
in the air settled he stepped out few
feet and looking up toward the lioard,;
ing and bunk house. could see no sisJts
of these buildings. Then looking down
the hill. he saw boards and timbers
sticking out of the snow and scattered
about. mn
he then went up to the ore and tram
house. or where it had stood, and saw
what he thought was n piece of over.
alls Grasping it. and attempting to
pull it out. lie found he had hold OF "a.
mans body.
Tearing away the snow and boards.
he pulled out the body of GINS Krau1
The body was terribly mangled and
the head crushed till 1t was no thicker
than the two hands laid tiatly to-
gether.
- then started toward the boarding
h6Nse and met his brother, Charlie
Umsted. who told him what had hap
pened. Charlie. was employed in the
boarding house and escaped. by being
out at the time after II bucket of WA
ter. But for this Charlie must certain
ly have been among the victims, as
none of the boarding house occupants
escaped. -
The first slide occurred at the Liber
ty Bell group of mines. located in Gp--
net Greek basin. three and IL half
miles north of the city. at 30 o'clock
this morning. 1t was one of tlle larE-
est snow slides known in the country.
and sacrificed the lives of seven men.
1t started onc-half mile ..:!boSe the
Liberty Bell boarding and bunk
houses and came down the mountain
side so rapidly that scarcely any one
had time to evade II. .
The worst snow storm known in this
section since 1895 has been raging for
the past three days and it is said that
the snow and fog were so dense this
morning when the slide came down
that it was utterly impossible for one
to see ten feet ahead. 49, ,.rr
BY some fortunate circumstance II
large number of the miners employed
On this property, and there are between
200 and $50 on the pay roll. came to
the last night and as it happened did
not reach the mines until after the
first avalanche of snow came down.
Had they been in their bunk house the
loss of life would have been appalling
The accident, of course. broke the tel
ephone circuit. and it was an hour be
fore word of the. disaster reached
town, being brought down by one of
ID Dworkmen who escaped.
XII the doctors available and many
citizens ut once started up; ;the trail to
lend such assistance rs was In their
power in digging out the burieasand ill.,
iurcd men and it was we'll toward
noon before any authentic Information
rxpEpIENcEc I'M cAprIVITV