A TOWN SWEPT AWAY.

Feilding Star, Volume V, Issue 45, 17 April 1884, Page 3

A TOWN SWEPT AWAY.

At Denver, U.S.A., on the 11th March, a soowslide descended on the little snowhound station of Woodstock, on the Branch South Park * KtfUway,' 75 miles southwest of Lead ville, carrying away every building in the town, including tho railway station. Seventeen persons are known to have been caught, including Mrs D«»yle, a widow who kept the station, and her six children; another woman (name uuknown) and ten section men. The two women were rescued alive, but seriously injured. The body of one section hand waa recovered. No others could escape alive. As soon as the news reached Pitkin the fiiebells sounded the alarm and '" a large number of citizens started on snowshoes for the *ccne of the disaster. Among the missing are : Jasper M. Carwell, of Tomisch; J. Brown, telegraph operator at thc station ; Geo. Alexander, Horace Alexander, and Mike Shea. A large number of snow shovelers left next morning. The snowfall in the mountain distnets of Colorado the present winter is without parallel in the history of the State. Many mining camps. in the west and south have been snowbound since November. San Juan county is the greatest sufferer. Durango, Stlverton, and Eico, containing from 1000 to 5000 inhabitants, are still blockaded, no teams having reached oither tawa for several weeks. Breckinbridgc, 50 miles north of Leadville, is nearly destitute. Montezuma, 18 miles distant, is in a pitiable condition. Gunnison, situated four miles from the largest eoal mines in the State, is suffering from A coal famine. The snow is eight feet on a level over the whole countiy, and in jwrines and gulches is from 50 to 100 feet deep. The only means of communication hi bj snowshoes, and few men are heroic enough to brave the bitter storms. When the spring thaws more these mountain snows, fearful results must follow. - 1