OCR Text |
Show ou mturn in (MOODS Two snowslides came crashing down the north side of tho canyon at Alta on Saturday, barely missing the transformer station of the Columbus Colum-bus Consolidated Mining company and partly covering up Stllwoll's store, the only damage done being to the power lino of the Columbus and to several of the buildings of the Flagstaff Flag-staff Mining company which wero carried away. Had the slide been a few feet to the east or west It Is probable that considerable damage would have resulted and perhaps many lives lost. Not since 1900 lc sljdes occurred on the townslte proper prop-er and roports say that the havo been more numerous in the canyon (hs winter than for jcars. The damage dam-age to the power line w.as repaired as soon as possible and the mino Is again In operation On Monday morning Suparinten-dent, Suparinten-dent, Al Jacobson of the Alta Consolidated Con-solidated left Salt Lake to direct tho work of clearing the roads and at 4 o'clock in tho afternoon a telephone mossage from the Columbus Consolidated Consoli-dated said the teams had cleared the road through four slides and had reached the Columbus and In all probability would le the road open for traffic on Tuesday Little Cottonwood canyon, at the head of which Alta Is located, during tho winter is the scene of many snow-slides snow-slides The death record is added to almost yearly, but this season, while the slides have been the worst for several seasons, the loss of life has been minimized by careful protection pro-tection of all buildings erected. Many times during this winter at intervals tho road has been impassable and at this time twenty teams are engaged In clearing a passage way Unlike other seasons, wheu the slides hae been small and further down the canyon, can-yon, this j ear has scon some big movements of tho snow at tho head of tho canyon nnd in places where slides have not been frequent Gen-oral Gen-oral Manager Tony Jacobson of the Alta Consolidated, who has been operating op-erating in Alta for years says that not since 1900 have the slides occurred occur-red on the townslte proper All this time more than half the town was carried away, many Hve6 wore lost and tho property damage was great. Tbo most recent disastrous slide was thieo years ago when snow from the south sido of tho canyon camo down and destroyed the Sduth Columbus plant, killing ono or trto miners and a Chineao cook. This slide crashed Into tho kitchen and drove tho beams through the walls of the boarding house and also destroyed and coer-ed coer-ed up the mlno equipment. Last winter two miners were killed by slides at the Peruvian. Fatalities the past two years have been greator in Big Cottonwood than In Little Cottonwood Tho disaster at. the Utah Mines Coalition is still fresh In the memories of Salt Lakers, but buildings have been so placed that ample protection is now afforded the workmen. But a few days ago. two men were killed at the Tar Baby mine. Every precaution is taken by operators opera-tors in the district to'niako tho workmen work-men Jis safe as possible and in some of tho properties where tho dangers are too great, shutdowns are ordered or the. winter months, the equipment is placed In tunnels so that it mav not bo damaged by slides. It Is thought that the protection now afforded af-forded Is such that dangers In tho future are minimized. |