Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1902-03-06
SNOWSLIDES
AVALANcHEs SWEEP DOWN COL.
oaADo MOUNTAINS.

AvALANcHEs SWEEP DOWN COL
oRAD0 MOUNTAINS.
Slides Occur One After the Other and
; Rescuers Are Swept Down With
Mass of Snow Upon Those They
Seek to Save.
Telluride, Colo, March 3.-Two
snowslides came down the mountain
near the Bob Tail mine yesterday,
the second burying several men at
work clearing the debris away from
the first. Henry H. Martin is miss
ing. Several were rescued with slight
injuries.
In the first slide the residence OF
Superintendent Van Law of the Snug
gler-Union mine was carried away,
but fortunately the occupants had
moved out on instructions of Manager
Collins, who feared for their safety.
While force of men were clearing
away the trail the second slide, much
heavier than the first, came down with
men. The noise of the moving mass
gave warning to the men and they
make dash for safety below a pro-
jecting cliff, which they thought safe.
but were knocked off into the snow
pile by the edge of the slide.
All but Martin, who is thought to be
buried under the mass of snow and
rock, escaped with their lives, though
several were more or less seriously
hurt.
The worst slide of the many that
have run within the past few days is
to come, it is feared. This is the Pan
dora slide which runs between the
Bullion Tunnel and the Valley View
mines.
A heavy snow Is falling. This is
the worst storm of the season and will
greatly increase the danger from snow
slides. The bodies of Paul Delpra
and Gus Won Fintel were found in the
third slide at the Liberty Bell Both
were horribly mangled and almost I'M
recognizable.
The work of rescue yesterday was
slow because of lack of men, many
of whom came here to attend the fu-
neral of the 10 victims of Fridays
slide, which was held yesterday after
noon.
Nineteen dead, 90 injured and as
score or more missing is the result,
so far as known, of series of snow
slides which occurred Friday in the
vicinity of the Liberty Bell mine, on
Smuggler mountain. 1t seems that no
less than four distinct slides &C.
Cured, each one claiming two or more
victims. Several bodies have been re-
covered, but quite number of the
known dead are still buried under the
tons of snow, rocks and timbers, by
which they were carried down. The
death list of the first slide, so far as
known, follows: Gus Swanson, H. S.
Summerland, Harry Golden, Gus Kraul,
j. F. Clemmer, Wade Grove, r. Bish-
op. The victims of the second slide
were: Harry A. Chase, L. d. Stanley.
Those who met death in the third
slide were: Gus Vintel John R. Pow
ell, Paul Dalphrese. In the fourth
slide the following were killed:
George Rohwer w. S. Gregory.
It was 10 O'clock before news of the
disaster reached Telluride. At once
number of men started for the scene
of the accident. Meantime the sur
viving employees of the Liberty Bell
began the work of rescuing the vic
tins of the slide. Several were taken
out alive, and dozen or more bodies
were removed from the snow, which
lay piled 25 feet deep in the bottom
of the canyon. A little after noon
second slide. starting short distance
above the first and practically follow
ing its track, swept down the noun
tain side, burying many of the res
cuers. A third snowslide came down
at o'clock about one mile below the
Liberty Bell mines and Gus Won Fin
TEL John Powell and Paul Dalpra, who
were on their return from the scene
OF the disaster, were swept away.
Harry Chase lost his life at the Lib
erty Bell while assisting in the res
cue of the unfortunates of the first
slide.
The Liberty Bell mine is one of the
the Smuggler Union and the Tom Boy
being the other two. 1t is owned by
Kansas City people. The Liberty
Bell is located about mile and three
quarters north Of Telluride, and has
an altitude of about $4,000 feet at the
mouth of the tunnel. The buildings OF
the mine occupy bench on the noun
tain side, and were erected in a loca-
ton that was supposed to be protected
from snowslides by ridge, which 1t
was thought would divert the course
of any avalanche that might be
started. The vast accumulation of
snow within the past two weeks, how
ever, gave the slide such volume that
nothing could stay it's progress until
IT. reached the bottom of the canyon
Charleston Invites Roosevelt.
Washington, March 3.-President
| Roosevelt has an appointment for to-