Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1904-03-03
FATAL SNOWSLIDE
Remains of Avery Henderson
Buried Under Avalanche.


Buried Under Avalanche. {
We are in receipt of a letter
under date of Feb. Is, giving a de-
tailed account of the snow slide
which occurred there and costing
the life of Avery Henderson well
known mining man of that camp.
Our correspondent says: Saturday
afternoon about four o'clock two
mail carriers, Jack Morrisey and
Phil Guidices arrived at Roosevelt
with the news that the Edwards
cabin situated about miles up
Monumental creek from Roosevelt
was entireey demolished by a mon
ster snowslide, and the sole occu-
pant Avery Henderson, mining
promoter, was buried inside the
cabin unless he was at JEWELS
camp some three miles distant.
AS quickly as possible all the avail
able men including Mr.. Edwards,
who was patching with Mr.. Hen
derson but fortunately was in town
. at the time of the slide, secured
snowshoes and started for the
r scene of disaster. Our only hope
' that he was alive was in the pos
sibility that he might have been
caught in some timbers and pro-
tected from being crushed to death
by the awful weight of snow. We
. arrived at Phil Guidice's cabin,
= which is situated about three miles
Ii this side OF Edwards, and decided
that one of our party should go
l. from there up to JEWELS camp,
r, to ascertain if Henderson was
10 there. Vogan decided to 60 and if
81 Henderson was there he was to re-
turn, but if he was not Vogan was
!, to fire charge of powder and we
- would proceed to Edwards at once.
40 1t was very trying situation even
y to the hardened old miners who
a were gathered in that little cabin,
" awaiting for the sound of that
v. dreaded shot which would tell us
r, that another one of our comrades
e. was carried was carried into eter-
or nifty by those treacherous slides
IS. which cannot be avoided in this
oil country. We were sitting silently
II around the fire each one trying tt
I'd dispel the dreadful thought when
g. the signal came. Filing silently
out of the cabin door, we mounted
our snowshoes and started on oul
VI lonely trip, arriving at the cabir
en- at $50 o'clock. We found thu
~ cabin nearly filled with snow ant
Gu everything inside crushed with tn
awful weight of snow. The onl.
available spot where a man coul'
IN, possibly save his life was in tn
he lefthand corner as you enter AM
ur we at once started to shovel snoy
ng as fast as possible from this place
for Reaching the floor in few minute
we started to clean a place fror
. the door back to the fire place
700 practically removed all the sno,
,1 H and unearthed the missing man
N. shoes, which were recognized b
a Edwards, as were also his trousers
40 This convinced us that he mus
have been in bed and upon hearin
the roar of the slide, had escape
has missing the terrible crushing whic
RS. he would have undoubtedly r.
this ceived had he stayed in bed. M
OIL, Edwards found that pair I
for trousers and a coat were missing
to which led us to believe that /
had partly dressed before leavir
,rs- and was either wandering about
day the storm or had been caught
hey another slide. We soon four
,ck- light depressions in the snow lea
tied ing from the cabin, made som
Iver time during the storm and we
in probably the ones seen by the ma
hey carrier. Following these tracks
and the light of our candles for abo
With one-half mile, they entered anoth
snowslide. After searching (
three hours we were unable to I'll
LOS any trace of him or where he hi
one come out on the other side.
arc We know without a possit
me doubt that he was buried SON
N d where in this slide, and as '
say could do nothing more until NOR
eA- ing left for camp. The next NOR
very ; ;.,e 10 VOC narty left for the ali
WIN returned with no news OF the mi
..; gn ing man. They used sharp pc
Niiie as that was the only method
puncturing the snow in the hol
,ger, of striking the BODY AS
the storm is still raging further seal
rites has been abandoned Numere
day. slides are reported and it is feal
e in more lives will be lost.
2 to Mr.. Henderson has daugh
will and brother living at Sandusi
their Ohio, his former home.
elves
how ~ NoI wv LoSoPO'