The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-09
SN0WSLIDE AFTERMATH
Funeral of One Victim Will Oc-
cur Today.
THRILLING EXPERIENCE OF
VAN PATTEN AND LARSEN.
Searching For Another Victims
Body-Meeting of the County
Commissioners-A Former Ogden
Man Sentenced.

Sunday night the body of poor George
williams, one of the victims of the
snowslide in bursts canyon on Thurs
day, reached Ogden. AS has already
been stated Williams body was found
about midnight Wednesday. His death
must have been almost immediate as
the body was badly crushed.
The body was found under few feet
of snow; below it several feet was
found the dead mans hat. The gloves
and hat of Justus Van Patten have
also been found but as yet no other
traces of the body.
SAW THE AVALANCHE.
Irving Van Patten, brother of Justus,
and James Larsen of Peterson were
working near the mine with the other
two men when the slide started. The
mine is on the east slope of bursts
canyon. "Irve," as the younger Van
Patten boy is Familiarity known, saw
the slide coming and shouted to the
others at the same time running out
of the way himself. The two victims
heard him but seemed not to compre-
bend the danger or were too much con-
fused to run. They simply paused
from their work in chopping and looked
up at the rushing mass of snow bearing
down upon them. They had ample
time to rush into the tunnel but did
not do so. Larsen, too, was in the
track of the avalanche, but having just
started, the slide had not gained much
momentum, and he clasped a stout
tree which withstcod the force of the
avalanche.
HE CHUNG DESPERATELY TO THE
TREE
while the snow went past and over him
and thus escaped serious injuries.
"Irve" Van Patten had got out OF the
track of the slide by running but the
other two had gone down with 1t.
Williams BODY was found about
quarter of a mile from where the slide
struck him. Near his body was a
wheelbarrow carried from the mine
dump. The physical feat of 17-year-old
Irving Van Patten in spreading the
alarm is something remarkable. See
ing that nothing could be done without
help he kept right on down the canyon.
The snow was deep and there was no
road except that made by his fathers
horse that morning. The slide was at
about O'Clock The nearest inhabited
house from that sheltering his grief
stricken mother near the foot of the
slide was at the old Red Dairy" ranch,
three and one-half miles down Cotton
wood creek The boy went on foot
down the canyon to this ranch and Sc
cured d horse, thence galloped six and
one-half miles to Peterson station
where he sent the message to intercept
his father at Uintah. This message
reached Mr. Van Patten about o'clock.
The boy had travelled ten miles a third
of the way on foot, in less than two
hours.
Search for Van Patterns body has
been renewed although two slides
which have come down on top of the
first one renders success extremely i'm
probable The efforts of Mr.. Van Pat
ten are Ditiful. Since the accident he
has hardly rested a moment. Night
and day he works frantically on the
massive snow heap in the bottom of
burst canyon. About 10 men are work
ing constantly but it will be as much
by chance as anything else if their eff
forts succeed. Mr. Pearce yesterday
made some long iron probing bars to
assist in the search.
Mr.. Pearce and Mr.. Champneys had
Mr. Williams body brought here and
will stand the expense Of his funeral,
as the man had no property and no
relatives so far as known. Interment
will take place at O'Clock from Lind
C,,ictsc 11nderta king paTlOrS