Rensselaer Republican, Volume 13, Number 51, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 September 1881 — Buried by an Avalanche. [ARTICLE]

Buried by an Avalanche.

Leadville Democrat. Our readers will doubtless remember Thos. McConnell, who was lost last winter while crossing mosquito range, where he lay buried In the snow until last Sunday. Mr. S. B. Hilliard,an intimate friend of McConnell's, oalled at the Democrat office yesterday and related the circumstances ot McConnell's death. On Thursday, the 2d of December, MoConnell started out, and on the same day his brother, George .McConell,' came into town for him,and missed him in Stray Horse. On Friday the brother started back to oamp. When he left the road for the trail he followed the tracks in the snpw to the slide. Then he turned and went to the cabin. When he got there be was very much surprised to Hud that his brother had not arrived. He then told the boys in the cabin about the tracks he had seen in the snow. Several men then started back up the slide to hunt for the tracks George McConnell had seen. As soon as they found them Osborne, one of the party, identified the tracks fls those of Thos- C. McConnell. They then Went below the snow slide on Pend ary’h lake and found no tracks there. Then they went around the slide three times and could find no tracks going out. The terrible truth flashed upon them that McConnell lay buried in the avalance of snow that bad come thundering down the mountain sides George McConnell then Bent Osborne in to tell Mr. Hilliard about the terrible mystery that enveloped the fate of their friend. Hr. Hilliard at once organized a party to go and shovel away the snow and find the body of the ill-fated man. The party got ready to start, but a fearful snowstorm arose, such a one that nobody would dare to brave on the bleak Mos3uito range. The storm raged four ays, so that it was impossible to cross. As soon as it abated sufficiently the party started over and got the miners to assist in the work. A force of from eight to fifteen men worked four and a halt days with shovels and. rods, but there was such an immense pile of snow that they did not get over half of it in that time. Just then the Storm rose again and drove them out, and before they could get back, another slide came down bn the first one and fillet! up all they bad done. Theweary and disheartened miners saw that further work at the time was useless, and they decided to leave it until Xune, when, they thought, the snow woold be melt-, ed. When the mountain of snow began to settle, the men watched it day to day by turns. On last Saturday they hired eight men and a team and sent to W. B. McDonald to get some> more men to as Met in the work, and continued until one of the men got tired and commenced looking around, and discovered some files and stooped down to brush them away, and in doing so knocked the snow from the dead man’s boot They then got some boards and made a box to put him in, and went to work to uncover him. A vacant space was found of about eight inches around him, where the ice had melted, and outside of this space six inches of solid ice was found all around the body. The position of the body when found was that of a man running. He was standing with one foot extended and with the left hand extended and the right hand at his side. He was doubtless running down the moadtain side in front of the slide,and was caught just as he was running and {tinned against the bank of snow in ront of him. The body was buried ten or fifteen feet deep in the snow and iee. The body was taken out, straightened, and put in the box and brought to Leadville.