The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-12-22
AVALANCHE OF ICE
IN OGDEN CANYON
Frozen Waterfall Breaks Loose
and Crashes Down Side
of Mountain.
TWO STEEL BRIDGES
CRUSHED LIKE EGGSHELLS
Mountain of Ice Blocks Road in
forge: Valley Citizens
Isolated.
Special 10 The Tribune.

Special 10 The Tribune.
oppbN, Dec 2l.-Nith a roar that vas
heard several miles. AN avalanche or ,ca
weighing thousands of tons. formed nv.
lnc artificial waterfall at the mouth nj
ogdeh canyon. came crashing down the
mountain side this afternoon. shortIv art-
or . o'clock. carrying destruction I'm IFS
path
AS result OF the slide the steel bridge
'i 'he Ogden Rapid Transit company and
the county bridge spanning tho Ogden
river. both directly In the path of the
avalanche. were crushed Ike cs-shnlls
tIle county road was blocked with a
mountain of Ice end snow so rs TO render
.dlttG through the mountain gorge i'm
possible for several days. and the waters
ol the river damned up in such a man
ner tTp as as 10 a,,. cause considerable damage TO
canyon. ard the tracks of the Ogden
iSdpld Transit company
Several Narrow Escapes.
Several narrow escapes we're renorted
~ thy tlrne OF the accident the road
through The canyon was alive with teams
ana vehicles containing Christmas shop
pers from Huntsville and the Eden Val
ieys. either coming To town or return
ing TO their homes Had the slide occurred
a lew minutes Ia ter city-bound car com
ing down the canyon would have been
ourled beneath the avalanche OF ice
"luGh carried tons OF rock and loose
earth il slid down the mountain sIdr
The car was well flled with passengers.
who would undoubtedly have been Killed
instantly.
A cutter, containing four residents OF
Huntsville. had few seconds before the
crash passed beyond the zone OF dan
ger. The vehicle was so near the fall
ing mass that one Of its occupants mar
Ing boulder
All Traffic Ohsfructed
The huge pile OF Ice. snow and rocks
which fell directly in the roadway OBJ
strlcts all traffic as completely as il the
entrance 10 tho canyon, had been filled
WITH piles of stone blocks cemcnted to-
ecther. The debris covers a space of
forty feet and Is over thirty feet high
III some places.
The Ice slide has seriously uterfered
With the plans Of people living 10 the
east of the city. Members OF families
living IN liuntsyine and Eden valleys
are in Ogden toBiSlit. separated from
their wives and children. with no definite
knowledge of what time a reunion can be
effected. But Tor the heavy snow. which
fills the North Ogden CANYON TO 4 depth
OF several feet. Huntsville and Eden val
leys could be reached by this roundabout
method, but ii IL sai6 that tho r0ad
through this canyon Is utterly iWp3 ssable
on account of its natural steep grade and
the snow.
Beautiful Scenic Effect.
Siuce the heavy snowstoim aud The
near-Zero weather which followed. the ar
tlticial waterfall at The mouth OF Ogden
canyon became frozen. Tho fall Of water
Is over sevcuty-iivc feet and covers the
entire side ui the mountain. The volumes
OF water pouring from the sioe Of the
big pipe line continued To freeze until the
whole mountain side was covered with Il
solid coating OF ice several feet thick
For the past few days a large number Of
people had visited the canyon To admire
the beautiful scenic effect.
The constant freezing of the thick
sheets of icc on the mountain side caused
the grayiistion TO become so great rs 10
dctach the huge avalanche. sending ii
hurtlnc down. covering the car tracks
and county road and destroying both
bridges The destruction OF the steel
tr"stlc of the Rapid Transit company aud
the county bridge alone Will result i'm
close 10 $4,000 damage. in addition 10 the
damage 10 the roadway from the damned
waters OF the Ogden river and the de-
Struction of the car tracks for some dis
tance. which is probable unless the OBJ
struction is Immediately cleared.