Year: 1879

coming down. The wind was blowing.
and the dry fakes were hurled about In
such eddies that the miners could not see
dozen yards from their cabin. The
wind moaned through their primative
hut, as if to let them know that winter
had come upon them In night, and it
had fairly caught them.


Mccoy once more urged a retreat, but,
in the hope that the storm would abate,
it was decided to defer their departure
for awhile. There was danger Of becom-
ing lost, when they could not see where
they were going, and it looked simply
prudent to wait. However, it proved a
great mistake. The snow storm was one
of the severest ever known in that section.
For six days succeeding there never was
minute of cessation.


Sometimes, of course, the fall was more
than at other times; but the flakes were
drifting downward all the while, and
when the crystal clouds finally exhausted
themselves, the snow lay fully eight feet
deep in the canon, while mountainous
masses curlcd into all sorts of shapes and
hung over the cliffs. The sight was SUBJ
lime, but enough to appall the stoutest
heart
1twas fortunate thing they brought
so much provisions with them, else they
would have Jared i'll, for it was out of the
question to proceed hundred feet in any
direction from the canon. By hard labor,
too, they dragged in enough broken
limbs and tree-trunks to keep the fame
going. The cold was notspecially severe,
and they were we'll provided with blank
cts, but the fire was needed for cooking
and it's warmth was pleasant at all times.


On the third day it became apparent
there was no saving the mule, and he was
shot, dressed and placed away in the
snow against all contingencies. It's a
good deal better to eat mule-meat than to
starve to death


With the abatement Of the storm, the
sun came out and shone with great
strength. This started a thaw, which
continued a couple of days. though it was
not to be expected that it wonld last un-
til the snow disappeared. It would re-
quire weeks of such weather, and that
was improbable at this time Of the year,
for November had grown into winter.


During all these long, dismal days of
the storm, the miners remained within
the hut, smoking, sleeping, eating and
passing the time as best they could; but
with the appearance Of the sun they dug
their way out, and climbing up the ledge,
where they had been working, cleared
away the snow and resumed labor.
They kept up good hearts, for the men
were old miners, whose experience was
mainly a history Of bad luck, and they
tried to cheer themselves with the belief
that their good fortune had come at last.
But such was not the case. There was
chloride ore beyond question, but it
didn "pan out" we'll,


The three men were pegging away as
hard as ever to !" ard the close of the day,
when, as the twilight gathered in the
canon, low, rumbling sound caused
them to stop and look at each other with
blanched faces, wondering what it could
mean. It sounded like the muttering of
an earth quake, and the miners would
have set it down for that, but for the
fact that there was no perceptible tremor
IN the ground. The terrible grumble
grew louder and louder, until, looking
up, they saw an enormous mass of snow
sliding down from the cliffs far above
their heads.


"Go for camp, boys!' yelled Nc Donald,
leaping from the ledge, and scrambling
desperately through the snow, his COM
panions but few seconds behind him
They were only a rod or two from shell
ter, but the snow was upon them before
they reached it. But the avalanche as it
may be called, did not fall at once; it be-
gan like a torrent, rushing through a
bank, growing more massive, alarming
and stupenduous each second. Thus it
| was the miners succeeded in plunging
into the cabin, head first, just in time.
The frightened men had barely oppor-
tunity to crawl into their prison, when
down came the main body of the avalanche
composed of snow, ice, trees, earth, and
boulders, burying the party under depth
of forty feet.


The projecting rock and strong poles
saved the party from being crushed to
death. Some OF the supports gave way
| unoer the enormous pressure, but a CON
siderable space was left in which the Door
fellows could move about


1t was dark as midnight, and as the
miners found they were all there unharm-
ed, they concluded they would be smoth-
cred to death, for it seemed that it would
take but a short time to use up all the air
at their command.


But this fear fortunately was unfound-
ed. There we're creviccs all along the
sides which admitted all the atmosphere
they needed; and, encouraged by the GER
talnty that imminent death was not i'm.
pending, they began to dig out their pro-
visions. The regular supply was about
ex' austed, and they were immensely re-
lieved when they brought out the carcass
of the mule.


The broken poles and supports fur
nlshed all the fuel they needed tor cook
ing, which was the only necessity for fire.
There is warmth in snow, and it is we'll
known that animals have lived for weeks
securely protected from the wintry blasts
sweeping over the wastes above. What
ever the imprisoned miners suffered from,
it was sure not, to be from cold.


The next natural proceeding was to at
tempt to dig their way out. With the
long poles at their command they delved
in different d,rectiOns but it was imnOs-