Rensselaer Republican, Volume 22, Number 24, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 13 February 1890 — AVALANCHES AND FLOODS. [ARTICLE]

AVALANCHES AND FLOODS.

The town of Burke, L T., in the Coeur D’Alene mining district, has been nearly destroyed by disastrous avalanches. Half of the business houses are in rains. Three men were killed, and the terror stricken inhabitants have fled to the towns of Gem and Wallace, fearing a repetition of the disaster. Particulars are meager, as the wires to all the points in the mines have gone down, leaving no means of communication. The first disaster occurred Wednesday afternoon, and, Thursday morning, with scarcely a moment’s warning, a tremendous mass of snow swept down upon the town from the west side of* the narrow gulch in which it is situated. Five men were buried beneath the snow. Two were rescued, but the others are dead, and their bodies have not been recovered. The ill fated town lies in a narrow gulch, through which Cayon creek pours its waters into the south fork of the Cceur D’Alene. It had about two hundred inhabitants, who have deserted their wrecked or menanced homes and places of business. The nearest town is Gem, also upon Cayon creek, and three miles down the stream. Wednesday another disastrous avalanche went down upou a boarding-house connected with the Custer mine, which is situated upon Nine-mile creek, about five miles from Burke. The boarding-house was full of miners. Some.-were killed, others had narrow escapes and a number were more or less injured.

The disasters are not a surprise to those familiar with the topography of that section. The townaare situated in very narrow gulches, on either side of which abrupt mountains arise. The snow-fall this winter has been unprecedented in thiscountry. Within the last few days it has been raining hard, which hai the effect of loosening the snow-banks, and precipi tating them upon the town and the houses below. The Coeur D’Alene mining district is one of the richest in the world, both for gold’ and silver. It includes the famous Bunker Hill and Sullivan mines, perhaps the greatest fissure vein in America. The principal town is Wallace. The other towns ar6 Wardner, Osborne, Burke and Gem.