The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1902-03-01
SEVENTY-FIVE MEN MEET DEATH
ON MOUNTAIN SIDE IN
COLORADO
REsCUING PARTY IS KILLED
Second Avalanche Crushes Them
While They Labor to Secure Bod
les of Their Fellows Carried
Down to Canyons Bottom.
MINING PROPERTY DESTROYED

TELLURIDE, Col, Feb 28.-The most
terribue snowslide accident ever known
in Colorado caused the death of seventy
five men at the Liberty Bell mine, on
Smuggler mountain, today. Although
the scene of the disaster is scarcely two
miles from this town, information is diff
ficult to obtain, on account of the pre-
cipitious character of the ROADS and the
vast amount of snow. Nearly all the
buildings of the Liberty Bell mine were
carried down by the slide, all the books
which show the number and names of
the men employed being lost, so that the
death list can hardly be known for many
hours, possibly not until the rescuers
have removed the immense quantity OF
snow, rocks and logs from the canyon
where the victims lie buried.
1t seems that two slides occurred prac-
tically in the same place, the second
burying those who were trying to rescue
the victims Of the first
The first slide occurred at 7:30 o'clock
this morning, while the men of the day
shift were preparing for their days
work. About 200 men are employed in
the mines and mills of the Liberty Bell
company, and less than half these were
at work at the time of the accident The
the bunk house near by. Both these
buildings were carried down the noun
tain side 2.CG0 feet and crushed to kind
ling wood by tons of snow.
1t 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 Of rescuing
the victims Of the slide. Several were
taken out alive and a dozen or more
bodies were removed from the snow
which lay piled twenty-five feet deep in
the bottom of the canyon. a little after
noon a second slide, starting a short
distance above the first and practicany
following its track, swept oOWn the
mountain side, burying many of the
rescuers.
Third Slide Claims Victims.
A third slide came down at o'clock
about one mile below the Liberty Bell
mines, and Gus Won Fintel John Powell
and Paul Dalpra, who were on their re-
turn from the scene of the catastrophe
this morning, were swept away
Harry Chase lost his life at the Liberty
Bell, while assisting IN the rescue OF
the unfortunates of the first slide of this
morning.
TELLURIDE, Col, Feb. 2S.-The Lib
erty Bell mine is one of the three largest
mines in this district the SmUggler Union
and the Tom Boy being the other two
1t is owned by a Kansas City syndicate,
the name of the company being the Lib
erty Bell Gold Mining and Milling com
pany.
The Liberty Bell is located about mile
and three-quarters north Of Telluride, and
has an altitude of about 1900 feet at the
mouth of the tunnel. More than 200 men
are employed in the mine, and both day
and night shifts are worked
The buildings of the mine occupy a
bench on the mountain side and were
erected in a location that was supposed
TO be protected from snow slides by a
ridge, which it was thought would divert
the course Of any avalanche.