Year: 1875

Gazette, writing from Salt Lake. Utah,


Jan. Is, says:-A serious accident


having happened in one Of our mining


camps, and being Of kind that could


never happen in our vicinity, I thought
I would give you short account Of it.


In one of our mining camps, known


as "Big Cottonwood" the mountain


peaks loom up to the height Of from | l.


900 to $4,000 feet, and during the win


ter the snow storms rage incessantly.


Consequently the camp is subjected


to the most terrific snow-slides.


One of those storms was Of the most


fearful character . little fall Of


snow Of six or eight inches during


night, but that many feet, with the


wind bowling, and drifting the snow in


every direction. There are places up


there where the snow is probably over


forty feet deep. These avalanches are


caused by the wind sweeping up on one


side Of the mountain and forming a


large drift just over the ridge Of the


opposite side, which soon becomes too


heavy. and, detaching itself, plunges


down the mountain, increasing in size


until a moving mass Of snow, covering


acres, and ten to forty feet thick, sweeps


with the rapidity Of lightning down into


the cannons, carrying everything before
it. No soft snow, but packed and jam
med together so perfectly solid that the
moment the mass stops. heavily loaded
ore-tsams can be driven anywhere on
top Of it, the horses shoes only making
an impression. A person in front Of
one Of these slides can commence his
prayers none too quick. Wading in
snow anywhere from his knees to his |
neck, With it blowing SO that he can't
see four feet in advance Of him, he
doesn't have the least chance to escape,
although he knows one is coming by
the terrible roar it makes, which can
be heard long distance.


One Of these slides swept over mine
called the ''Anna," last Tuesday, kill
ing four men. The mine was working
six men, on eight hours shifts, which
necessarily kept two men at work while
fsur were either sleeping or resting.
Their cabin, or rather boarding house,
Immediately in front Of the tunnel they
were running. was built very strong.
and considered safe from slides. At
IL o'clock at night the shifts were
changed, and the two men whose duty
came on left two Of the men in the
house asleep, and the other sitting up
at the fire. One had commenced writ
ing letter, and the other was sitting
on stoel smoking his pipe.


The two men had just reached the
face Cor back end of the tunnel, which
was in distance Of 400 feet, } and one
had raised the sledge to strike the drill
when they heard the roar Of the slide.
They ran back to the mouth. which the
slide had ran over leaving it filed with
about five feet of snow, which they had
to dig through. and on getting out,
found nothing in sight. The house
was swept away completely. They !
raised an alarm as soon as possible, and
getting word up to the mine called the ,
Prince Of Wales" which was running
about one hundred hands, they all
turned out and commenced digging for
The house, which was net found until
late the next morning. 1t had been
carried down the mountain about two q
thousand feet, with about thirty feet of n
'now on top Of it. i


Four men inside were found just as ?
he other two had left them. The u
NOW had broken through the roof, and
,ad enveloped them SO suddenly that
hey had not moved. They were not
bruised in any way, but had been suf- !,
ocatsd. The man sat there at the ta- q
lie in the act of writing, the inkstand !.
lot even having tipped over, but the
nan smoking had probably heard it
coming one second before be was struck,
md bis pipe lay between his feet. There : :
hey sat, nodded in the snow, looking
IS perfectly natural as if alive. The =
wo men in bed could net even have :
yoke up-they lay in their beds with
he blankets over them as smoothly as p
just laid on. The men who helped al
ig them out, and who brought the a
edies into the city. said that by the \
ooks of the men they couldn't have +"
walked at all.


The slides have started in early this =
ear. There have been seven men to
illed within the last two weeks, and a Ill
umber Of animals; but the camp for al
now-slides is "Little Cotton wood" at tt
'hich place, a couple of winters ago,
q avalanche came down killing tbir- ty
zen men and some thirty y-odd animals. er
! rumor is in circulation this evening th
nat another bad happened at the same ed
lace, killing six men. so don't know gc
neither there is anything in 1t or not.


A Paisley printer. afflicted with ths ."