Arizona state miner., 1925-02-07
GOVERNMENT PENSIONS WIDOW
OF FIREFIGHTER KILLED IN
ROCK SLIDE

ROCK SLIDE
Mrs. Maggie E. Pfingsten, Nogal,
N. NJ, whose husband Ed. C. Pfing-
stem, Forest Service firefighter,
died last August from injuries re-
ceived by being caught beneath a
mass Of sliding rock in the White
Mountains east of Captain, N. NJ,
while on his way to a forest fire, has
been granted a pension for the sup
port of herself and children, accord
ing to District Forester Frank c. w.
Pooler.
Mrs. Pfingsten's husband, previous
to his death, had been employed by
the Forest Service off and on for
about twenty years. He had worked
as carpenter, trail foreman, fire
guard and fire fighter and was act
ing in the capacity of fire fighter
when he was caught in the rockslide
that caused the injuries from which
he died. The Forest Supervisor un-
der whom Mr.. Pfingsten worked re-
garded him as a man of great cour-
age and faithful and efficient work.
man.
In company with Forest Ranger
R. v. Gait, Pfingsten set out horse
back, morning Of August %, for q
forest fire the smoke of which they
had spotted from lookout point.
They calculated the fire to be in the
region of Indian Creek in the heart
of the White Mountains. The noun
tains are exceedingly rough and prec-
1pitous and the men found such
hard going that they were compelled
to leave their horses long before the
vicinity of the fire was reached. TAX
Ing food and water they proceeded
on foot for about two hours and a
half through country that was al
most impossible
About five-thirty in the afternoon,
according to the report afterwards
submitted by Ranger Gait, after trav-
cling all day they came near where
the fire was burning. Pfingsten at
tempted to pass along the lower edge
of cliff. He put his hand against
the rock face to steady himself when
suddenly the whole thing gave way
and he was swept down the side of
the mountain in an avalanche of
stone and earth. He came to a halt
when his legs were wedged fast be-
tween the rocks and a tree. BY the
use Of dry poles, Ranger Gait was
able to move the mass of rock and
release Pfingsten. One leg was bad
ly crushed and was bleeding profuse-
ly. Gait administered first aid and
set out for help.
About four o'clock in the morning
Gait returned with doctor and some
other men. The whole night had
been spent in travel during which
Pfingsten laid on the ground alone
and unable to move. A stretcher oil
poles and a piece of canvas which
Gait had brought for the purpose was
improVised and after such temporary
relief as the doctor could give with
out hospital facilities, the trip dowr
the mountain began. More than two
days and nights were required fol
carrying the injured man out of the
mountains to the marine hospital al
Ft. Stanton. They were days of he
roic stoicism on the part of the suf
ferer, to whom every jolt of the lit
ter brought almost unbearable pain
and of hardship and fatigue to his
rescuers.
Mr.. Pfingsten was unable to with
stand the shock of exposure, loss O
blood and intense suffering and diet
at the hospital in spite of efforts O
the best physicians to save him. TIL,
government has borne all expense in
cident to the death and burial tn
District Forester states, and now ha
given final APPROVAL to grant O
S66.67 per month for the benefit O
the widow and children which vii
continue as long as their status re
mains within the scope of the En-
ployees' Compensation Act.