Singular Mining Accident.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 146, 27 August 1872, Page 7

Singular Mining Accident.

Mr James Hanson, who is engaged mining in El Dorado Gulch, Idaho City, went from the claim to shut off the water, and in a steep gulch or ravine under the ditch started to prospect some ground, when, all at once, without warning, the whole side hill, capped with a huge bank of snow, caved and slid down the ravine a distance of about seven hundred feet, burying Hanson up and carrying him along with the slid.ng mas? the entire distance. Hanson's dog shortly afterwards appeared on the claim where Mr Kelly, Hal - son's partner, was working ; toil, covered with mud, made some curio is demonstrations to attract Kelly's attention, but think ing that the dog had only been chasing some gophers, Kelly did not follow him, and the dog returned to the scene of the catastrophe. About two or three hours after that, one of the ditch-tenders on Wills' ditch had his attention attracted by the dog, and heard somebody's voice crying out for help, and on repairing to the place he found Hanson covered i.p with the exception of his head, which he had managed to get above the sand and debris. Assistance being called, four men worked for three quarters of an hour before they could extricate him from his perilous position, and when they succeeded in releasing him he was found to be almost literally flayed alive. The sliding of the sand and snow over him, down the btec > ravine, had torn every stitch of his clothes, and rasped the skin off of him as though he had been rubbed with sand-paper. His long gum boots were rolled down so tight around his ankles that they could only be removed by cutting them off. The unfortunate man was carried to his cabin, and on the arrival of the doctor it was found that though badly injured, no bones were broken, and that Hanson is in a fair way for recovery. It was certainly a miraculous escape, and he may well congratulate himself that the injuries are no worse.