"Along The Blue" #10 | 1 Comments - Click Here :

Leadville Herald Democrat; Feb 11, 1893;
The White Death
The Crew of a Rotary on the South Park Meet With a Terrible Fate
    Frisco, Colo. Feb, 10 - A snow slide struck a Union Pacific snow plow and two engines at this place at 9 O'clock this morning, and instantly killed Engineer Lynch and Fireman Smith, and seriously injured Engineers Boynton and McGreevey and Brakeman Hawkins. A mountain of snow covered the unfortunate men, and it took several hours to dig out the dead and injured.
Details of the Disaster.
    The terrible accident has caused intense excitement. The accident occurred about a mile west of Frisco, and not far from Dickey, about thirty one miles from Leadville. At this point the road runs along the side of the mountain, which is very steep, and there is a deep gulch below, extending down probably several hundred feet.
    The rotary had been ordered out in the morning to keep the track clear and was standing on the track steaming up. John Lynch, the engineer on the rotary, was engaged in oiling the machine, and J.B. Smith, the fireman on the rotary, was also standing near, as were John Roan, a Fireman, Dan McGreevey, an engineer, and William Boynton, engineer of engine 263.
    There was some snow falling, and all hands were busy preparing for a vigorous campaign against the heavy drifts. Suddenly, against the noise of the escaping steam, could be heard a distant rumble. It grew louder and louder, and suddenly the men realized that an avalanche was upon them. An effort was made to escape from the impending danger, for it was now seen that the awful snow slide was directly above them. It was too late, and with a frightful roar the mass of rock and snow plunged down like lighting, crashing everything beneath it into the gulch below.
    When those who escaped alive were able to realize what had occurred, an awful site met their gaze. The rotary had been knocked off the ledge and was a total wreck. Engine 263 was knocked off the side, and was covered with snow, while beneath a mass of snow and rock 150 feet long and ten feet deep were the bodies of Lynch, the engineer, and J.B. Smith, the Fireman of the Rotary. Roan had his nose broken and head bruised, but not seriously, while William Boynton, of engine 263, has a badly sprained and bruised ankle.
    The officials were at once notified of the accident and a wrecking crew dispatched to the scene. The injured men were all sent to Denver. The remains of Lynch were sent to Breckenridge for burial. The other man, Smith, is from Como, and his remains were taken there.
    The track in the vicinity of the accident has been cleared away, and traffic is moving, another rotary having been dispatched to the scene of the trouble in order to keep everything clear.