The Delta independent. [volume] (Delta, Colo.) 1886-19??, 1912-03-15

Alta road IN Gold King basin, at
point where the tram between the
mine and the mill crosses. This
slide was large, and the mail wagon
in which were the driver, John NJ.
Walker and J. NJ. Wagner, manager
of the Alta mine, was caught, and
both men were covered pretty well
up to their heads and one horse
knocked off the road. Road Over
seer Sam Boyer and Sam O'neil hap
pened to be near and both of them
were caught, as was a horse belong
ing to Boyer. None of the men were
carried down the hill and none re-
ceived serious injuries.
Tuesday there was repition of
.Iondays trouble with slides. The
Big Elephant slide ran over the
Tom Boy electric surface tram and
took out two long spans of the track
sheds. about 10 feet in length, but
did not damage the tracks. The
transportation of ore stopped one
shift during the day. At night the
motors We're started up and the
TRANSPORTATION resumed. Wednesday
the two breaks in the shed were
mended and everything going along
as usual The same slide took out
the Telluride Power companys cleo
trio power line and the Mountain
States Telephone company had five
poles knocked out and $500 feet OF
wire, the poles carrying six wires
each. Both of these lines were re
paired temporarily and imm ediate-
ly. The same day the telephone
toll lines went out over the hill on
the Camp Bird mine side and this
cut off connection with all outside
points except and alone, Norwood,
which was not in the slide country
and was unchanged.
The slides which were most dam
aging to life and property occurred
! Thursday morning between and 9
O'Clock, when the Seventy-Six and a
portion of the Cimarron Joined for
! ces and came down the hill in Mar
shall basin for distance OF over a
I half a mile, and covered up three
| houses, three families living in them
and killing Edwin Thomas, ''Neddy
Mutt" as he was Familiarity known
to everyone who knew him, and he
had wide acquaintance in the basin
and in Telluride, for the reason that
/ he has been in the employ of the
Smuggler group of mines for the
past quarter of a century. Edwin
came off shift at the Union Cross,
where he is hoist man, at the
regular time and was out in the
yard shovelling snow when the big
slide came and caught him, and his
body was taken out of the slide at
noon. The slide was an immense
one and in its course down into
Savage creek it had to go past the
watering trough where the road
turns to go to the Tom Boy mine
below the Ophir tunnel. Right
in that turn there are number of
little houses, but the slide did not
] eaten an. VI lItAI SAStPA NAsl1 Va
Tony Andratti and Edwin Thomas,
above the road on the hillside and
VIM. Dale's house below the road.
The families were all in the houses
at the time and most of them were
in bed. As Examiner was informed,
there were Mr.. and Mrs. Edwin
Thomas, Tony Andreatti wife and
two children. VIM. Dale, wife and
three children, making eleven per-
sons concerned. However, Dale had
gone into some mine nearby just
before the slide came and only ten
people were covered up.
As soon as the slide broke, Alva
Fickline, stable boss for the Tellu-
ride Transfer company at Smuggler'
saw it, and as he had previously
turned several of his horses loose
to go to the watering place he look
ed after them until they stopped
near the trough, and in this way
saw Neddie shovelling the snow out
in the back yard, and when the
snow broke he yelled at him. When
L came he gave the alarm at the
Bullion tunnel and soon sixty men
came out OF the mine and started
the rescue work. Soon after Mr.,
Heron sent IS men equipped with
shovels from the Tom Boy mi1e,
and the men were divided off into
groups and rescued all alive except
edwin Thomas, whom il was thought
had gone down the hill farther than
he did They turned over tons of