Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-07-26
ACCIDENT AT Mr. WASHING ron.
A Terrible Crash in Tuckerman's Ravine
Fall OF the Celebrated Snow Arch,
Instantly Killing a Young Man and Sc.
riously lnjuring Lady.
Mr. WASHINGTON, N. H.. July "a

Mr WASHINGTON, n. H., July "a.
Another terrible calamity has been added
to the many White Mountain tragedies. TIE
great snow arch in Tuckerman's Raviue.
5000 feet below the summit, and just to the
southeast of it, fell AT o'clock this afternoon.
and instantly killed Sewsl Fsun,e, the son of
Boston lawyer, who has an office on School
street, and severely injured Miss Pierce of
New Bedford. Fsunce was Is years old, and
his father is of the firm of Wiggin 4 Faunce.
rly this morning party of four gentlemen
and six ladies left Grove cottage in Shelburn,
three miles east of Gorham, for a drive to
Crystal Cascade, Glen Ellis Falls and a visit
to Tuckerman's Ravine. The leader of the
party induced the father of young Fsunce,
who was stopping at the same place, to allow
him to accompany them on the days trip
just at what hour the party entered the rsvnc
is not known here, but from what can be
learned Faunce and Miss Pierce had entered
the arch, and little after two il fell in, in
stantly killing the former and seriously injur-
ing the latter. The leader of the party ran
as rapidly as p ssible TO the summit TO give
notice of the accident and procure assistance.
He was in terribly excited condition when
he arrived here, and failed to give an intelli-
gent account of the accident. The EMPLOYEES
of the Summit House, the officers of the sig.
nal station and the printers in the office OF
Among the Clouds, responded Immediately
and went to the scene of the accident. When
they arrived Miss Pierce had been taken out,
and all but one of the party had started down
the ravine with her. The remaining one gave
some account of the falling of the snow arch.
and where he thought Faunce was buried.
He then started to overtake his friends. The
summit reliet party, who had taken axes and
shovels with tnem began at once to remove
the snow. After chopplng and shovelling in
the place that had been pointed out to them
where the body of Faunce would probably be
found. they saw 1t would b. impossible to get
through the snow for long time, so they
went lower down to tunnel under the great
mass. They had removed only small
amount when they came upon the head of
the unfortunate young man. They were sur
prised and shocked at the sight, but by few
minutes of hard work they took the body
out. 1t was in a upright position, crushed
back to the rock wall which forms one side
of the arch. Life, of course, was
extinct, but il was thought no bones were
broken. The body was carefullys handled,
and the severe labor of taking it to the Sum
nit House was begun. 1t was, indeed,
great task. but no on finched, and shortly
before o'clock it was taken to the Glen
House carriage house on the carriage road at
the summit. DIR. Geo. S. Cove of the Fab
yam House went to the summit by train. and,
as soon AS the stage arrived IRON the Glen,
he and an employe of the hotel went with the
remains down the mountain to the Glen
House, arriving there about IL clock. The
party who went down the ravine to Crystal
Cascade with Miss Pierce arrived at the
Glen House at 8 o'clock-just seven hours
after the accident. Miss Pierce was immed-
lately put to he'd in an exhausted condition.
1t was thought she had no bones broken.
The parents of young Fsunce, who had been
notified. arrive. at the Glen House at a later
hour. The snow arch ia one of the greatest
attraction of Tuckerman's rsvine, and is Wis
tied by hundreds of people every summer.
The warm weather caused il to melt rapidly
and its fall is from two to four weeks earlier
than at any time within the last ten years
Ii is exceedingly dangerous for parties to go
under it later IN the season, and only a year
| or so ago it fell with terrific crash within n
few minutes after party had passed under
and out of it. Since the party arrived at the
Glen House, they have instructed the hotel
| people there to withhold all information from
the reporters, even going so far "a to make it
impossible to get Miss Pierce's full name or
that OF her father. Repeated efforts BY tele.
graph and telephone have been unavailing.