Evening star., 1944-04-11
Snowp|ows Churning
Path 10 81 Trapped
On Colorado Pass
By the Associated Press.

BERTHOUD PASS, Colo, April
11.-Marooned high in the Rock
les by a road-swamping ava
lanche and heavy SHOWS, 80 per-
sons, including three babies,
waited today for their rescue
after a severely injured WAVE
officer was taken down the
mountainside in an Army "snow
buggy"
The victims were taking their
plight in stride. The inn where the
80 persons were housed was warm
and there was plenty of fuel. None
expected to be released before noon
today.
While huge snowplows chewed
their way up the east and west
slopes of this 11,314-foot pass, SOL
diers applied their Arctic training
yesterday in carrying supplies to
the summit. Corpls. Dick Holmes,
Frank Pichini and E. Lopez, ski
troopers stationed at nearby Echo
Lake, snowshoed in with first-aid
supplies. The snowmobile brought
is cots, food and blankets.
Three Cars Swept Away.
The marooned party took shelter
IN the summit lodge Sunday night
after rumbling snowslide swept
three automobiles off the road and
stalled others. One young woman,
buried inside her car by eight feet
of snow, dug her way upward to
safety by jabbing with a screw
driver.
The WAVE officer, 1t. Helen Barr
Durfee of Los Angeles, gamely ig-
nored the pain from a back injury
last night while she was strapped
to a toboggan, which then was
placed in the rear of the Army show
vehicle. The snownobile travelled
miles down the mountain to an
ambulance waiting to carry the
officer to Denver hospital.
1t. Durfee had been travelling
with her fellow recruiter, 1t. Cath
crime Cockburn, Bethesda, Md, of
the SPARS. 1t. Cockburn suffered
severe shoulder injury.
Throughout yesterday the ma
rooned party kept morale at high
level while they munched ham,
burgers and cheese sandwiches set
out by 52-year-old Martin Lund,
the innkeeper.
Buried 40 Minutes.
Most spectacular case was that Of
Edith Foster, "a, of Craig, Colo, a
school teacher. She was driving
alone, she said, when "all of a
sudden I saw a whole bank of snow
come down the mountainside" 1t
ingulfed her car, which didn't over
turn. She was trapped
She shut off the motor, rolled
down a window and, with a screw
driver, began to dig, moving the
displaced snow to the cars interior
She dug until her head popped up
through the snow.
Mrs. L. j. Kane of st. Louis, VIC
tim of frost bite, said she saw snow
sweep over Miss Fosters car and
that she believed it was at least
40 minutes after first cries for help
were heard until the teachers head
popped out of the snow.
Bethesda Officers Description.
1t. Cockburn marveled that she
and her companion on the harrow
ing drop were still alive.
1t. Cockburn and 1t. Durfee were
en- route to Denver in light coupe
from the Winter Park ski area on
the western slope.
They followed close behind a
highway department snowplow un-
til it begged down in the heavy
drifts. They stayed in the car and
passed the afternoon reading.
Except for a sound resembling
the cracking of a tree" 1t. Cock
burn said, there was no warning of
the avalanche.
II just turned to comment about
It," she went on, when the car was
engulfed and swept over the side of
the road. was conscious of the
car rolling over six times, but I
didn't have time to think about
what was happening.
Car. Jammed Against Tree.
"The car hit tree and came to
a jarring stop. 1t was on its side
on the right side, with the drivers
window up, and almost completely
buried In the snow. I managed to
roll down my window and crawled
out. I asked 1t. Durfee if she were
hurt and she told me about her
back. shouted at the top of my
voice for help but no one answered.
I struggled up the slope to the road
and finally got hold of the highway
department men. Three of them
finally got through the snow and
down to her, and later were able
to take 1t Durfee to the shelter
house by toboggan. They had to
carry her up to the road in their
arms"
Busiest man in the group was
1t. J. r. Kennedy, a doctor, who
with his wife and year-old daugh-
ter Karen 10 was begged down
in the snow near the summit. Lack
ing proper facilities, 1t, Kennedy
cared for many cases of frostbite
during the night and aided 1t Dur
fee. The Kennedys were en- route
from Salt Lake City to his new as
signment at Salina, Kans.