Evening star., 1949-01-06
Storm Rescue Pushed
In West, but Drifting
Snow Hampers Work
by the Assesictsd Press

by the Assesiotsd Press
DENVER, Jan. 6.-Some of the
5000 persons marooned in the
Colorado-Wyoming blizzard en-
joyed warmth and wholesome
food today for the first time
since Sunday, while efforts to
save others were pushed by
ground and air.
Hundreds Of stories Of intense
suffering were told by victims OF the
storm as they we're rescued from
small roadside villages, drift-locked
automobiles and isolated farm
houses.
The biggest mass evacuation was
made by a Red Cross train that
picked up about 900 half lf-starved
refugees from Rockport, Num- and
Lone Tree in Colorado.
Planes Drop Food.
The train pulled into Denver last
night with 400 passengers, including
two expectant mothers in serious
condition. Some in need of medical
attention had left the train at
Greeley. Others were taken to
Cheyenne, Wyo.
Military and civilian planes fiew
over the stricken area, dropping
food and blankets for the occupants
Of stalled automobiles and trains.
Snowplows bucked drifts 90 to sol
feet deep in an effort to reach them.
The snow had stopped falling,
but winds clocked up to 10 miles
an hour in Southeastern Wyoming
caused ground billiards as fierce
as the original storm and hampered
efforts to open the highways. AS
fast rs the snowplows cleared the
roads the blowing snow filled them
again. / /
Authorities feared that when the
drifts finally are cleared away the
death toll, which now stands at
four, may rise. 1.-TWO others were
known to be dead In Nebraska)
Latest victims were John Ripinz,
66-year-old gold miner who suffo-
Gated when an avalanche of snow
roared down q mountainside to bury
his cabin near Fairplay, Colo, and
Joe Brown, IS, who froze to death
In his one-room house at Cheyenne
Mr.. Brown was found huddled
close to o coal stove that had gone
out.
al De Credico. Rocky Mountain
News reporter, few in an Army Air
Force plane over the storm area
and described the ground billiards.
as terrifying"
Even at our altitude" he said,
I'VE could see wave after wave of
finely blown snow build up into a
dune, then topple over like pounding
SURF"
One Of the most graphic accounts
of suffering came from Edward
Heintzelman Of Loveland, Colo, a
52-year -old veteran of the Far
Eastern Air Forces.
While he was trapped for 10 hours
with i've other persons in q stalled
automobile, Mr.. Heintzelman said
he thought of his three years Of
hell" In Japanese prison camp and
decided this is just as bad"
I'VE forced ourselves to keep
awake for three days and nights"
he related. 1T was so cold we were
afraid we'd freeze to death in our
sleep. Thank God they found us
today. don't think we could have
endured another night"
The wind howled necessarily
around the car, Mr.. Heintzelman
said, and with temperatures 10 below
zero their frozen breath covered the
inside with frost almost an inch
thick. They had no food, water or
heat.
Among the refugees brought to
Denver by the Red Cross train were
So persons from Greyhound bus
that had stalled near Lone Tree.
They went without food for 48 hours
while five Safeway trucks loaded
with groceries sat within O hundred
yards of the bus.
When the storm died down, the
truck drivers saw the bus and dis
tributed food to the passengers.
The Union Pacific Railroad last
night began the Eastward move
ment of IA passenger trains which
had been stalled by the storm at
Green River, Rawlins, Larnarrie and
Cheyenne since Monday.
Passengers included players Of the
Villanova and Eastern All-Star foot
ball squads, homeward bound from
California games; members of the
Northwestern University Band which
played during the teams Rose Bowl
victory over California, and the
Hamline and Wyoming basket ball
teams.
ALI of these trains were routed to
La Sale, Colo, via the Borie cutoff.
then Eastward to Julesburg, Colo,
where they went back on the main
line.
Passengers aboard other Union
Pacific trains tied up east of Chey-
enne and at Kimball and Pine Bluff,
Nebr, will be taken to Cheyenne
aboard buses. Railroad oficials said
they would be cared for at the Wyo-
ming capital until their trains can
be brought in or other equipment
obtained.
Altogether about 1900 passengers
were aboard the trains.
Airplane pilots reported seeing the
hodias nf thousands of dead rattle