Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1906-03-19
.SNOWSLIDE IN COLORADO
Mining Plant at Camp Bird Destroyed,
Causing Loss of Nearly Half Million,
GREAT sNowsToRM IN SOUTHWEST
street Car Tramc In Missouri and
Kansas cities BADLY interrupted
and Trains Are Delayed I'm
Every Direction.

OURAY. Colo, March 1s.-A mammoth
snowslide in the Mount Sneffels district,
six miles south of Ouray. last night
wrecked the Camp Bird mill, tram house,
boarding house and reading room. William
Cressey is known to have been killed and
1t is feared other lives were lost. A num-
Der Of men, 1t is reported, were seriously
injured. The property loss is estimated
at from 100000 to $5O0OOO
The Camp Bird bunk house adjoining tho
reading room which was wrecked, narrowly
escaped being engulfed and crushed There
were between 900 and $50 miners and en-
ployes in this building when the slide came
down. The residence of General Manager
Cox also escaped destruction by a narrow
margin. The slide had largely spent It's
force before reaching the assay shops and
general offices of the Camp Bird mine.
This avalanche, which moves annually and
| is called the the United States slide, was
larger this year than ever before. 1t
started moving last evening at o'cl-vS
following its usual course. - =. rule 1t
| spends its force by the time 1t reaches
the gulch, but last night it continued on
to the Camp Bird mill, crushing It like
an eggsLell This large mill, being in the
direct path of the avalanche, checked its
| terrific force, otherwise it would probably
have reached and destroyed the bunk
/ house.
Communication interrupted.
Telephone communication with the Mount
| Sneffels district has been interrupted for
! four days and the first news of the dis
aster was brought to this city this after
noon by County Commissioner Smith, who
left the mine at daybreak. A rescue party
/ started out at once. but It will take them
several hours to reach Mount Sneffels, as
the roads and trains are blocked with snow.
A telephone message received here from
Silverton at o'clock this afternoon stated
that a report has been received there that
scores of miners were killed by the de-
struction of the Camp Bird boarding house.
but this report is discredited here.
The Camp Bird club house was one OF
the finest ever built for a similar purpose.
Camp Bird is the mine sold by Thomas
f. Walsh, the millionaire mine owner, sew
eral years ago to an English company,
Road blocked for Week.
[ TELLURIDE, Colo, March ia rumor
was in circulation here last night that q
passenger train on the Rio Grande & South
ern had been swept by a snowslide near
ophir loop and thlrty-fve persons killed.
Diigent inquiry has failed to disclose any
lot inc report. hdliIOdu oIH-
cials say there was no train in the vicinity
OF ophir loop at the time when the slide
occurred.
For one week IL has been storming al
most continually in this district. There has
not been train run between Telluride and
Durango for over week and the road is
still blocked by snowslides near Ophlr and
Rio. Telegraph and telephone connmunica-
| ton is seriously interrupted.
SnOwEtOrm I'm Southwest.
KANSAS CITY Mo. March 1s.-An un-
usually severe snowstorm prevails in the
southwest tonight The storm. accompanied
by a stiff north wind, began early today
and up to a late hour continued undated.
The wind drifted the snow badly both In
city and country. Street car traffic in Kan
sas City and at other Kansas and Missouri
points was totally stopped or badly inter
, | rupted. Railway trains in every direction
were delayed and It is likely that many
schedules will have been annuled before
morning
Although the weather was not especially
cold much suffering resulted. Following az
2 unusually open winter, hundreds of families
, provided themselves with but meager sup
plies of coal. and fuel companies, expecting
] a light demand during the remainder o
2 the winter, had permitted their stocks tC
. run low The longest continued stretch oi
6 cold weather In Kansas City and this par
Continued on Second Page.)