The Canon City record with which is consolidated the Canon City cannon., 1918-08-29
Accident Occurred at 2:3O O'Clock Thurs
day AfternOOn-Miss McLain Died Be-
fore Rescue Party Reached the Camp
Body Brought to Canon City Thursday
Night.

Owing TO its tragic character and
the youth and popularity of its vic
tim. few deaths among the people of
this community have evoked as much
of general sympathy. pity and regret
as that of Miss Merle McLain. only
daughter of Mr.. and Mrs. Arthur Nc
Lain OF 140l North Sixth street. who
was crushed To death on the mountain
side near Cottonwood lake, IL miles
from Buena Vista. Thursday after
noon
Announcement CT the terrible acci-
dent which r~s'.:ted in her death was
received here in telephone message
about ) o'clock Thursday afternoon
and spread rapidly thruout the city.
Everywhere the report OF her death
created the utmost concern and awak-
ened the deepest sorrow and commits
Grafton. Details of the unfortunate
affair were lacking during the early
hours of the evening and much in
quiry and speculation was rife as to
what had caused it and as 10 when
and how it happened. but none of them
could be satisfactorily answered.
Not until the arrival here OF Mrs.
T. II. Palmer and Mrs. KenZie
Bates Edmunds. whose guests Miss
McI.ain had been during her vacation
+~isft at Couou~ood lake. from Bucsa
Vista with the body at / O'Clock this
morning. were the particulars OF the
tragedy known to the distracted par
ents and intimate friends of the de.
ceased. Mr.. McLain was in Denver
at the time of the accident and did
not know of ii until coming home
Thursday night. Mrs. McLain had
been informed of it before her hus-
bands arrival
From such information as we have
been able 10 obtain it appears that
Miss McLain who was an ardent
mountain climber. had gone with
as Raspberry gulch," about two
miles from camp to gather wild rasp-
berries In her quest for them she
stepped on a large boulder. about 1
covered had an uncertain anchorage.
The movement of the boulder caused
Miss McLain Some alarm and in her
epdeavors to seek place of safety il
was loosened from its bed and she was
thrown TO the ground: the stone roll
ing over on her while she was pros
trate. breaking her left arm and
crushing her chest The internal in
juries proved fatal.
/ Mrs. Hester Brown and daughter. of
Chattanooga, Tenn. and Miss Lillian
Roberts of Kansas. who were with
Miss McLain at the time, gave the
alarm al the camp and some men. who
happened TO be there. improvised a
stretcher and FASTENED to the relief of
I the unfortunate Eiri. The accident
occurred at $3.50 O'Clock. but it was
an hour afterward before the rescue
party reached the scene where il had
taken place. Miss McLain was ten
Derby placed upon the stretcher and
/ the party started for camp. Owing to
the diaicult nature of the ground.
progress was necessarily slow and
Miss McLain died when about a hun
/, dred yards from the starting point
She was conscious 10 the last.
There was no doctor at Cottonwood
lake and none was summoned as life
was extinct when she reached the cot
tage where she had been guest for
the previous week or ten days. The
remains were taken to Buena Vista
and were subsequently brot to this
city. arriving here on Rio Grande train
No. 16 at l o'clock this morning.
Mbss McI.aIn had frequently ex-
pressed herself as having a delightful
time during her outing at Cotton
wood lake and was planning to return
to Canon City next Tuesday 10 resume
her work AS secretary of the local
auxiliary Of the Red Cross. Thurs.
day morning she sent words Of greet
ing and good cheer to her relatives
here by Mrs. lyman. Mrs. Swanton