Rocky Ford enterprise., 1906-03-23
BURIED IN SNOW
DISASTROUS AVALANCHE At
CAMP BIRD MINE.
SEEK SAFETY IN TUNNEL
Immense Mill and Mine Boarding
House Destroyed-Firemen Ekes
kiiied-Employes Rush Into Tunnel.


Ouray Sunday night says:
Seven men were buried under snow
for several hours and one met instant
death when two slides struck tho
Camp Bird mine boarding house and
mill at o'clock this morning.
Andrew Ekes. fireman. was killed
and william Weybright, William
Greasy. Samuel Smith. John Ander.
son and Jerome Andrews were all
more or less injured.
The Camp Bird mill. which had re.
Gently been Installed at n cost OF over
100000. the reading room of the mill
and fourteen strings OF tramway were
carried down with the U. S. slide.
At q o'clock this evening second
snow slide occurred Mt the Camp Bird
mine which carried away the Angle
station. the shed building OF the Camp
Bird dump. the blacksmith shop. store
room where NIL the provisions for the
mine are kept. and two miles OF the
Camp Blrd tram. The destruction OF
the provision house Is most serious
loss and cuts OF the food supply OF
those nt the mine.
The $50 men employed In the mine
have taken refuge In the tunnel. Prep
ArntIons are being made To rescue tho
impcrilcd miners and get food To them
before the snow makes II Impossible
to reach them. If food liz not rushed
through to the Camp Bird miners by
tomorrow Il may be too late TO prevent
them from starvin. TO death In the
tunnel.
-. - -. ....tt... ha,,aa h,Iiltnr
was carried away and the mill wns so
badly damaged that II will have to DO
entirely rebuilt. The damage to tho
buildings and machinery In yariotsiy
estimated at from si5o.O0o to 100000.
.it In reported here that when the
COMPANY rcbuildH the mill II will prob
ably be located nt Ouray instead OF In
the stiich near the mine. and VIII ID"
corncctcd with the mine by u tramwny.
Six men were sitting In the reading
room OF the boarding house shortly
nfIcs midnight. reading. playing cards
and otherwise amusing themselves
while the storm raE.d without. The
bilnding snow had been falling unccnH'
ingiy for days and when one OF the
men went to the door he could not r"r
twenty feet for tn. binding na.rr
that fell. silently. continuously.
Suddenly the men were startled by
'hc sound OF the grinding. munrhinF.
hiaaIng. roaring avalanche that was
sNsrpius down the mountain side re-
I-niIcaRiy toward them. Almost with
the drHt sound of the uncuminE horror
the mass OF the slide struck the build
ing.
The house was crushed lik" 'h-
bhsiI OF IN egg The men were thrown
- with the mass OF wrcclaEr Into the
marlslrum OF destruction and hurled
underneath the mountain JuEEcTntu'.
The slide passed ON down the noun
tain. carrying n long stretch ui the
aerial trEmwnr with u.
,hcn 1, struck the mill whcgc three
mci were working. TIL" mill was
crushed and the men buried In the
snow.
R.N. Smith. William wrybriEh,. Sam
Smith. John Anderson. Harvey BrisEs
aud Jerome Andrews were the men in
the boarding house.
In the min were Frank Strickland. a
vaichman. William Greasy. who was
clcarninE tho stamps. and Andrew
Ekcs. a fireman.
WryhrIsht. Sam Smith. Anderson.
Andrews. Briggs and the three men ~
the mill were buried In the snow ana
NFNtNAsNs bIlkkN NhA h"H''a ''N -
i few minutes. Il. 4. Smith was not
cnEulfcd. but was stunned by the i'm
pact OF tho slide.
lie quickly recovered and with tho
aid OF Briggs began digging for the
others.
'Supt William ]. Cox was at the mill
when the slide struck. but was not
caught. lie at once put atty men from
the mine to work to rescue strickland.
Greasy. Ekcs and the others.
The work was most difficult and dan
E.roua because of the uncertainty
whether other slides would follow.
The storm was raging violently and
greatly impcdcd the work.
After nearly two hours work
strickland was found alive. but with a
heavy timber across his head and an
other across his feet, bending him SO
tightly tlrat he could not move. He
was buried underneath nearly eight
feet OF snow.
Fln,n after Greasy was found beneath
tie wrcckase o. the mill. He Is Iadly
crushed and bruised. but not danger
Dusly injured.
Before the men were ordered to
cease work on &c. cunt Of the danger
OF more slides. the men who had been
carried down with the boarding house
were recovered.
Ekes alone was not found until this
morning. When his body was reCov-
cred It was found buried under many
feet OF snow and pinioned In the
wrecked machinery OF the mill. His
dealt. had been instantaneous and he
probably never knew what had hap
pcncd.
County Commissioner II. A. Smith.
who is employed at the mill. was the
first to bring reliable reports OF the
disaster to Ouray. He remained at the
camp during the night. helping the
men recover their buried fellows. and
early this morning started fer this
place on snow shoes.