Salt Lake Telegram | 1949-02-05 | Page 1 | U. P. Fireman Relates Slide Story

the Scene UI u. P. P Fireman Relates Slide Story The following exclusive e e eje eye eyewitness witness story of the Bear River Ri canyon canon sn snout snout-lide w that took three lives Friday night was obtained obtained ob ob- ob- ob tamed bj hy Don MacKinnon Telegram Telegram Tele Tele- gram staff stat reporter from R. R D. D Russell fireman on the snowplow snowplow snowplow snow- snow plow train to which the three victims were ere ere attached By Br 13 R. R D. D Russel Russels as s told toDon to toDon toon Don on MacKinnon l CACHE JUNCTION Feb 5 5 That hat that buried three of oC f our crew was vas Just like lightning I I cant can't th think of anything happening hap hap- pening ening faster We Ve ha had the word vord to hurry over overto overt overto t to 0 the Cutler dam area from Brigham Brig Brig- ham iam City in the evening to clear slides lides from the tracks We Vc went through four Cour slides clearing them but when we came cameto cameto to 0 the fifth Engineer Holliday See Page 2 Column 6 I EYEWITNESS Continued from Page One W. W W. W Holliday Salt Lake City decided to look it over He backed the train up 40 feet and the assistant assistant assistant as as- CH H H. J. J Rush one of the victims and I decided to inspect the slide He went back to the caboose to get et a sheepskin coat and when he came back the other two men were with him I saw caw them go goo by the cab and so I stayed behind They walked up to the slide with their sheepskin coats pulled over o their heads The en engineer ineer looked at his watch It was 9 23 pm p.m. Suddenly I heard a scream It sounded like Walt Valt Rodgers' Rodgers voice Mr Rodgers was killed in the slide lide with Mr rr Rush and James A A. Moran foran Salt Lake City A river of snow cascaded down L the side of the mountain I yelled There the they go and the thc slide tumbled on down the cliff feet and slid onto the ice of Cutler dam The cliff is about an de 80 grce gree angle The slide built up to about 1 12 feet at that point I went back to the caboose e and got the conductor conductor conductor con con- ductor and in the meantime the from the crew working working working work work- ing out of Cache Junction on theother the theother other side of the slide came over and crossed the slide We Ve rushed back to a watchman's phone in the canyon and reported the accident If anything could have happened quicker I dont don't know what it could be That snow came down like lightning and those men didn't have a chance to get out of the way If we hadn't backed the train up 40 feet the slide would have hit the train and it probably would have blown the boiler up and us with it