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Show • A TRAGIC EXPERIENCE IN 'rHE LI'iES OF WILLIAM AND BESSIE WHITE by Clar a Sparks) their daughtee 'fhe story I am attempting to relate is more than an incident , I would call it a tragic experience in the lives of my parents . They bad immi grated to America in the early 60' s , a.nd tempor arily located in Salt Lake City , my father was an engineer in England , but when they came to Utah in its early days , he soon dis covered there was ve ry lit t le to be done in his line of work. At the time of my sto r y , he was operating a saw mill located far up in the mountains of Hard Scrable canyon near the summit . My father with his family had lived th ere through the pleasant autumn months and thr ough most of the deep winter. The snow was piled high in the mountains , and now , it was early spring and the snow was beginning to melt . This particular warm early afternoon, my oldest brother, • Fred(then about 19 years of age) shouldered his ax and started up --- •- the canyon road. He had previously noticed, about half way up the side of the mountains between high ridges , a large dry tree . He was going to cut it down for fi re wood , whi ch was then needed . He had nearly reached the tree w.hen he heard a terrifi c r umbling . A wall of heavy snow was sliding down one of the mountain ridges . He was directly in its .path and could not escape , and almost immediately upon it another slide came t hundering; down t he opposi te ri dge cover-ing him still deeper , it was almost like cement , packed so solid around him . Fortunately, one of the mill hands was coming down the canyon r oad some distance above and had noticed Fred going up the mountain side and shor tly after , he heard the roar of the snow slide. The man quickly turned his eyes in that direction in searc h of Fred, and not finding him , knew beyond a doubt the young man was under the snow. He urged his horse to full speed and soon came running to- •• ward the mill shed shouting , "Man under the snow!" My Mother heard the cry and opened her door to iriq~ire as the man shouted, "Its Frecttt. There were plenty of men ready to dig but only one shovel available . Some of the men went in search of tools, they knew of a camp in another fork of the canyon some miles away , which would take time that should not be spared. They appealed to my Father to designate the place to dig which must have been a tense moment in his life , but with little hesitation he did so, and in a few seconds he changed the place to a distance of about 5 feet . It seemed hours had passed when at last more shovels came . They continued to dig in that place until they struck the heel of his bo6t. Seized by uncontroll~~le emotions my poor dea.r Father jumped in the hole and started to dig with his hands . Had the men continued to dig in the first place selected they would have struck his head . Fred was quickly released from his frosty prison . A weak -~ flutter of his pulse proved that life was not extinct. He was soon placed in an improvised hammock and brought to the house. • During the long period of watching and praying that my dear 1•tother passed through, which was two and one half hours , she was torn between·reason and hope. Her two next oldest children, the boy trying to persuade her to prepare for the worst, the girl urging her to cling to her faith for Fred ' s life . Both of these children trying to be of help and comfort to her. On receiving word that her son was found and still alive the tension she had been under so long was greatly relieved, but when Fred was brought into the house and was regaining consciousness his color was so dark , his features so distorted , his incoherant mutterings so confused, and apparently in pain fighting for his breath, Mo~h@r covered her f ace with her trembling hands and for t · I ..,/ • • • a moment questioned the wisdom of his rescue . Thomas Erwin , one of the ol der men who had been so helpful , comforted my parents by telling them he had seen similar cases before and as sured them that in a short time Fred would be perfectly normal . It was true . The recovery of my brother was marvelously rapid, and he lived to the age of 83 years . Was the father of 9 children. Mr . Erwin , when describing the accident, said Fred was lying face down, his head slightly turned to one side , his ax lay clo_sely against his face , blade down forming a wedge protecting his nose and mouth f rom the closely packed snow . This may have provided a slight breathing space and increased his chance to live • |
