Show 2 Huge Sn s' s Close Provo Prove S' S 1 J Canyon Highway y 45 35 Feet Avalanches hes Bury Road One Mot Motorist rist May Be Trapped Trappe Telegram Leased Wire Vire PROVO March 20 Two O-Two Two of the worst in a decade in Provo canyon thundered down across U. U S. S highway early Saturday burying the road beneath 35 to 45 feet of snow and mud Electric power powe for several eVeral Provo canyon communities and outlying districts was s severed vered as giant boulders and muck rum rum- bled down at Bridal ridal Y Veil fal falls s and F Fergusons Ferguson's rg ranch shearing shearing off ott utility poles and trees tree's and smashing smash smash- ing out a foot section of a a. Utah P Power and Light Co flume fume First reports from workers as the caterpillars swung syung in Into fic action said the slides slides' had blocked the Heber branch of the Denver Rio Grande Western railroad The Provo riv river r was dammed by bythe bythe bythe the slide for approximately 13 sours hours CreaKing the me snow sours hours CreaKing the me snow Saturday at about 1 30 pm p.m. The river however is flowing at minimum at this season of the I year and hence did did not cause damage damage dam dam- age while it was blocked or when it broke through St State te road workers and peace officers dug into the mass of snow spurred by the possibility a a. p passing sing motorist may have been trapped under the avalanche Boxed Boxe by Slides One driver who abandoned his machine when it was boxed in by bythe bythe bythe the two told investigators investigators investigators gators there was a acar car car a few minutes ahead of him when whim the avalanche struck The motorist who related the experience was Raymond O. O S Stewart ewart of f Orem who possibly missed being trapped when he stopp stopped d' d to make a telephone telephone telephone tele- tele phone call after th the fir first snow snow- slide Workers us used d snowplows as they started operations a. a at aLL 4 am The slides were vere beU believed d' d to have occurred at 1205 am a.m. Wallsburg and Midway towns up the canyon suffered power blackouts when the boulders and snow snow knocked out a foot section see sec tion of the flume at Olmstead Albert power company who lives at Nunn Nunu a half mile thile below belo the slides said crews were at work and power may b be restored by nightfall State road commission officials Saturday afternoon estimated it may take until late Sunday to clear the debris debris' from the highway main Provo Provo-Heber traffic artery Earlier estimates Saturday Indicated indicated Indi indi- up to four days to reopen the road to traffic to and from Uintah basin blocked by the aval ava ava- l lanche I Sheriff Sherif Theron S. S Hall HaU said it was the worst in the past 10 y years ars but that no reports of missing persons had been submitted submitted submitted sub sub- to peace officers Workers at the scene of ot the slides said the snow was deep enough to cover a locomotive and some some trains At Bridal Veil falls faUs the snow ranged up to 45 feet deep and covered at least two city blocks At Fergusons Ferguson's ranch the depth of the tho snow was less Mr Stewart recalling his es escape escape es es- cape said he had been skiing and was returning down tho the canyon about midnight It was snowing heavily and he stopped at Wildwood Wildwood Wild Wild- wood to fix his skid chains It was there that another automobile passed him Abandons 5 Car ar Farther down the canyon he stopped at the Vivian park state road commission shed to telephone he would be delayed by road conditions conditions conditions con con- and his call was Interrupted interrupted interrupted inter inter- by the theline line going dead This interruption was linked to to the slide at Bridal Veil falls down the canyon Mr Stewart drove drova down the canyon and the second slide oc occurred occurred oc- oc behind d him Trapped between the two he abandoned his car then and cr crawled and walked over the top of the lower one He He- said he could find no tr trace ce of of tracks of ot the car which preceded his down the canyon |