The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1902-02-20
Fatal Catastrophe Occurs On the
Thunder Mountain Trail,
THREE LIVES SNUFFED OUT
Sad Death ola WellKnown Weiser Man on
Elk Summit

James Campbell the genial, warm
hearted brakeman of the P. & l. N. left |
Weiser on January 3lst for Thunder Mt
with hope high in his breast
Today he lies buried beneath a cruel
avalanche of snow out in the silent
mountain wilds, or his colo s,nps is being
borne by toling mountainers over ice
bound ranges toward his grief stricken
wife and child and sorrowing friends in
Weiser.
1t was great shock to his friends here
who had but a few days before grasped
his manly md on the eve of departure,
when the runor came in of the fatal &C
cident that snuffed out his life with that
hours had passed when the word became
definite through written message from
j. M. Venable sent by special courier to
Meadows and brought to Council by Bob
Cochran.
Later on the SIGNAL received the two
following letters from Warren conveying
further intelligence:
Warren, Idaho Feb. 18th, 1902
r. e. Lockwood,
| Dear Sir:-A.. snowslide occurred on the
Elk creek summit yesterday morning and
| Bert Tullis, James Campbell and his
brother-n-law were killed. Fred Williams
and Ed Myers escaped. A party of ten OF
twelve men go from Skaters today to
bnry Bert Tulls whose body was found
by Myers and Williams and to endaavor
to find the other bodies. The bodies will
be buried tenn porarily until their relatives
can be informed.
Yours truly,
Geo. l.. Patterson p M
P. S. People should keep the ridge in
crossing the summit to the left, and no
danger of Slides The right hand sum-
nit is two miles further but safe.
Warrens Feb. 10. 1902.
Dear Friends:-I have to send you some
very sad news. Jim Campbell and his
brother-n-law and man from Boise by
the name of A. @. Tulis, were all three
killed in a snow slide this morning on Elk
Summit. The other man had to climb
over it. They all lost their packs. We
found Tulls and got his watch and
money. We will do our best to get jim
and his brother-in-law but have moi
found them yet. We, Sweet and myself
were behind them. 1t looks like some
more snow will slide and we will have tt
be particular about looking for them
Ed Meyers is the man who faced it anc
10 80 nj
did live in Warrens.
write so people will know the straigh
of it, Jim Jewell had gone ahead o
Jim Campbell and no one else was hurt
Take this to Mrs. Campbell at once.
want her to know how it is. Will writ
when we find them.
DAN CoTTER.
Mr.. Fred Williams, who was wit
; Campbell at the time of the fatal occur
renee, arrived in Weiser Tuesday an
brought full particulars. About in tn
Y morning on February 10th the five mel
p Fred Williams, Ed Myers and Bert Tull
of Boise and James Campbell and Wi
Skyles of Weser the last a brother {
Mrs. CampbelD were crossing an ope
= space, so yards across, between two bodi'
of timber and were near the bottom of
Z draw on the Smith creek side OF 81
Mountain, with piece of smooth noun
ain side above them. All were waikiki
in deep snow, Mr.. Williams, being Il
'e only one with snow shoes, was hundr'
. Yards ahead to pick out the trail, whlt
L., nd
Williams had just crossed the open spa
g and had reached the timber when, with
roar, a quantity of the snow above sh
down with lightning speed across
trail. The rest were in the middle OF t
open space and had no time to reach t
timber a few Yards to either side. N
Movers faced the slide as it came a
climbed desperately, managing to keep
the surface Campbell, Skyles and II
lis were engulfed from sight and swe
: under the snow to the bottom of the gul
ahont twenty feet below. Had the slI
w. occurred two minutes sooner or later
one would have been caught. L
two rushed down to the scene and beg
TO search desperately for the men. IN
IT was only small quantity OF snow in
slide. covering an area about lou
square six feet deep In about twel
ma minutes they felt body by pushl
-o1 theis snow shoe pole down through
snow. They had only tin bucket W
which to excavate. When the be
inns was reached 1t proved to be L
lis, who was dead. They continued
search for three hours but failed TO
my the others. AS all their food and ola
ire RE cts were buried under the slide ana u
md. were 16 miles from the nearest nao
ioas ton they were compelled to suspend
burying the body of Tullis in snow u
AR sadly and YEARLY climbed back over
s,, sa cold; snow-clad mountain and mace u
cial wav to Jack Shaifer's place on the 30
,dsy Fork, reaching it in the night.
iaQe - aud cearchinQ Ds