The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-03-07
BENEATH THE SNOW
Where One rIan Got All the Shovel.
ing He Wanted for Life.

we had a camping ground nearly w rect
and almost circular. IL was comfortably
warm there, but We didn't care 10 stay
on that account. The first thing that
Flatty tried TO do was to make steps
and Climb out, but the snow was too huny
and he couldn't make any progress lie
said IL was a pity We burned the Tree,
because we might have made ladder out
of IL, and then he started digging 10 ma
another, but couldn't get anything but
branches fit for frewood. When the sun
came out about eight o'clock I'm the
morning, he got a line on his direction
and we all started tunnelling toward the
spot where he said we would ma the
sidewall Of the gulch We worked with
hands and feet and shovels and tried to
pack the snow under foot and tunnel on
an upward slope but the dry snow
wouldn't pack worth a cent. IL was like
cornstarch or magnesia. When he struck
any brances we set fire 70 them ana
warmed the snow up some, but there
wasn't heat enough TO do any good ana
the light snow kept falling down from
above as fast as we dug into H. Some
times one OF us would plunge headlong
| into the snow and wallow around, only
| TO back out exhausted.
I'VE shoveled cords of IL out around
the camp fire to melt II away, @ nat egay tnS
feet toward where F'latty said we would
| find the wall. He couldn't tell whether
mile We We're al pretty tired after we
/ ate our bacon and johnny cake and drank
! our tea and were mighty eager 10 get
tSe Ser free Soks Sok er up twice % in the
4 night and put more wood on. ana each
| time ! saw that somebody had done the
same thing some time before. After a
breakfast of mush cakes and coffee we
all three tackled the tunnel JOB Win
| shovels and blankets and managed TO dig
| about ten yards by midday. You see We
4 had to remove all of the snow from the
4 frozen surface down. and that on wide
| system. too, so as to make the walls slope
enough to hold up. After dinner we lit
| our pipes and went at IL again. hoping
| all the time TO find pole long enough 70
climb out upon, but finding only small
| Just as it was getting dark. Dave hit
his shovel against log nearly TWO foot
thick. but IL Was bedded IN the rI,sten troIen
brought firewood. whilst Dave and |
| cleaned along both sides Of IL and we
finally got the log burning merriiy' WHILST Wills.
| and turned into our bags. During the
| night the heat from the burning tree
trunk melted the roof on the tunnel an, ana
| wide. but the side walls were not hrm
| enough TO climb and we had To push on
day day we we're almost ragged out when
! Flatty struck perpendicular wall on
rock Ii was too straight up and down
our tunnel along TO the right until Dave
| struck a assure about five feet wide. We
\ brought all the wood We had, and aftef
| doing some shoYeling In the big crack
we built a roaring fire in IL and soon hao
stream of water running out OF ~ anu
disappearing in the snow. We Dug Ioi
wood only after. that and kept the hre
going all night, each man standing
| four-hour watch. In the morning we mac
melted back the snow in that little pas
for more than hundred feet and founo
the bottom sloping steadily upward un'
III the crust was only fifteen feet or SC
over our heads. We kept shoveing ano
firing until we were so high up the slope
| that | could see over the edge by stand
ing on Dawes shoulders. In a couple o1
hours more we pushed Flatty M 99t a. amq h,n, n,
| he lopped up and piled on the snow along
the line we had followed. He had sucf
fire going In few minutes that we ma. a.
to retire from the rush of water IN IN
cleft and go back to the camp Flatt,
continued TO feed the fire with dead woot
until evening and then ne droppen ,n., I'M,
quite comfortable there and we decide.
TO pass another night, but Dave ant
! Flatty decided 10 go out and cut some
more wood for the camp fire. The,
brought n lot OF wood over the crust ans
flung It down into the camp. Then tne,
brought tree trunk and slipped ina
over the side and made a ladder To e
In and out with. The Thermometer wen
down 20 about 20 below zero that nlght
but we were quite comfortable. YOU se'
we might get out any time now. but W.
couldn't go without the mules so w
were contented 10 stay another night. ,,
Next day we examined the cleft in tn
rock and found II clear TO the end. bu
IL required some dirt digging TO make J
nassahle for the mules and we hhd V
thaw the ground before we could use IN
nick and shovels. IL was nearly nigh
before we got the Job done and we spen
still another night In the hoie IN tn
snow About a foot OF snow fell befor
dawn. hut "a didn't bother us much ant
we packed the mules and made an earl!
start on the following morning tn
mules went out through the split rocl
without any trouble and we started ol
the back track. | had enough and Flau!
was uuite urgent about going back, Will
Dave wanted to go forward. We agree'
to put of the trip for six weeks. AM
meanwhile ] got over my mining teye
and went 20 work for the company again
II heard from Dave a couple of year
later and he wrote that Flattv had foun'
color while digging dirt In that cleft o
rock I'm Big Toms Gulch and had sneak
ed back thee alone and opened pront
able lead which he sold ont Tor $500
| Ns.. Il - ehssF