Gilpin observer., 1912-09-19

er the fourth day the rolls passed into
oblivion and coffee became the sole
article on the bill. BY noon on Sun.
day several of the German immigrants
came to the hotel as delegation from
the hundred odd second and third
class passengers and demanded that
they be taken in.
The proprietor OF the hotel said he
had no more food, but that he would
accommodate them with beds on the
floor fori6 pesos a day. The immi-
grants left in anger and returned an
hour later.
| acted as interpreter. My knowl-
edge OF Spanish, Portuguese. German.
etc, came in very handy, and in or
der to get even with Hotel Man
charged him Is pesos day for acting
as interpreter. which he willingly paid,
as | was the only man on the train
speaking Spanish and English and he
needed me. In fact, he spoke hardly
ten words in the day to his guests
without my assistance
The committee from the station
asked me to tell the proprietor of the
hotel that unless they were allowed
the freedom of the house they would
burn 1t to the ground Incidentally
they called him hog-dog and other
complimentary names.
Nearly Burned tine Hotel.
The landlord dismissed the commit.
tee and said his rates never changed
and sure enough at o'clock that
night the entire front OF the hotel was
discovered in flames. and 1t required
the combined efforts of all the guests
| to extinguish 1t. which we did by
means OF the snow and several bucket
| brigades.
On the evening OF Monday. our fifth
| day. was asked to call upon the con-
ductor Of the train and inquire IL any
thing In the way OF relief train was
coming. My call upon this function
ary- was useless; he was SO crippled
with rheumatism that he would not
utter word save oaths and waved
me away from his bunk In the sleep
er. Repairing to the station saw the
poor immigrants huddled together en-
deavoring to keep warm. Two had
died during the bitter cold of the
previous night. and the entire crowd
OF them looked emaciated and hungry.
Learning where the telegraph op-
orator lived, l dragged that worthy
from his drunken bed. 1t was now'7
o'clock and steadily growing colder.
A high wind was blowing and the fine
particles Of snow almost blinded me.
The operator accompanied me to his
booth in an outbuilding near the sta.
ton and after confessing to me that
he had not sent word to Buenos
Aires about the plight Of the train, he
transmitted a message which l dictat-
ed. / told him | was a Marconi man
in the employ of the road and under
stood the various codes. This un-
doubtedly impressed him, for In reply
to my message. which read:
Train snowbound. Puenta del In
cas-. Passengers freezing. starving
got this reply:
Rushing train with supplies. Hug.
gins"
This Is all l remember. l know that
II was far below zero and that my
hands and ears were cold and stiff.
When next I awoke was lying in
my room at the hotel with Mr.. Christy
and several Englishmen working over
me. They say collapsed shortly aft
er~leaving the station and that when
l did not return by o'clock Christy
organized search party to rescue me.
thinking | had been attacked by the
immigrants. They found the lying
face up In snowbank almost frozen
to death ~" t:,
We finally arrived back in Buenos
Aires where Mr.. Reichenbach cabled
my Arm and received word to return
Immediately.
Seven men and Ave babies ,perished
on the trip. Two Germans tried to
walk from Puenta del Incas to Mendo-
"a and we're frozen. Several immi-
grants died from exposure while liv-
ing at the railroad station. Five babies
died on the return trip. and upon. the
arrival of the passengers at Buenos
Aires not one received any part Of ths
fare back. tN