Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1913-05-31
vain WAIT FOR WEED
Snowslide Peril Is Met in Quest
of Tobacco.
Mining Camps Supply Destroyed
Through Accidental ExpIosIon Of
Dynamite close to Camp
seven-up Game 10 Played.

Washington.-"Up In the mining re-
gions OF the San Juan mountains of
Colorado" said Charles Cavender. an
attorney OF the mining camps OF that
state, now on q visit to the capital,
the snow is so deep and treacherous
that from the first Of October until the
first OF the following June man takes
his life in his hands when he attempts
to travel up or down the declivities OF
the peaks or the steep slopes OF the
divides.
Especially is this true In the late
spring, when the warmth of midday
has somewhat softened the great snow
masses.
In the summer OF 1911 force of
several hundred men went up to the
Sunnyside mine, perched high above
timber line amid the eternal solitude
OF Sultan mountain. They carried with
them everything necessary for their
maintenance and comfort until the fol-
lowing July--including dynamite for
the mine and tobacco. ample tobacco.
for the men.
Now, 1t happened In May that a box
of dynamite which, through inadvert-
ence. had been set out against the
cache where they kept their package
goods, blew up one night. and scat
tered condensed milk and canned beef
and such picked stun all over the I'm
compahgre range.
They didn't mind losing these ne
cessities; they could do without them.
But when the boys found that every
crumb of tobacco in the camp had
been blown over into New Mexico
they began to look serious.
The first day was bad enough. but
when the second sun set upon that to-
baccoless crowd they were In a nerv-
GUS state that made them ready for
anything. About ten o'clock that night
the superintendent, who found himself
too shalfy to work or sleep, wandered
over to the miners bunkhouse and
found Big Costigan, County Carlow
man, putting on his snowshoes.
bate him at siven-up to say who
should go below and get the 'baccy.'
explained Madigan. day foreman. by
way Of explanation, as Costigan. hav-
ing obtained o generous contribution
from aA hands, set out on his pariious
journey, relying somewhat on the
chill of the night to lessen the danger
from snowslides.
"It was gloomy lot that went
down on the eight o'clock shift that
morning
The day wore on, painfully, slowly,
tobaccoless; but at sunset. as the su-
perintendent stepped out of his office
to soothe a system of badly jane
nerves with a whiff of fresh air, he
spied Costigan stumbling over the
crest of the divide furlong away:
staggering. evidently overcome by the
altitude.
"As they drew near, Costigan halted
and stood, wavering, swinging his
arms aimlessly in the air A glance
showed them two things; one that he
didn't have an ounce of tobacco on
him. the other that 1t was something
stronger than rarefied air that made
him reel In his tracks in that aimless
manner. In short. Costigan was glo-
riously drunk!
Look here rasped the superin-
tendent, where's that tobacco we've
been dying for up here for three
days?'
Over the drunken face OF Costigan
there came look OF soggy. puzzled
thought, which. a moment later, gave
place to an expression of much
wronged virtue.
""BaccyT he exclaimed Baccy?
You--hic- 'shpec' man t re-
hic--remember eve'y III thing?'"