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Show RESCUE After he had gone on about one hundred y a r d s , R. J. r e a l i z e d he had not heard the other v e h i c l e f o r several minutes; on checking back, he d i s covered what had happened. F i g u r i n g R. D.' s probable l o c a t i o n when the s l i d e s t r u c k him. R. J. made a b r i e f p r e l i m i n a r y check. This only revealed that a d d i t i o n a l help was i m p e r a t i v e i f the large s l i d e area was t o be searched t h o r o u g h l y . As q u i c k l y as p o s s i b l e he made h i s way by over- snow vehicle t h r e e - q u a r t e r s of a m i l e down the canyon t o a Federal A v i a t i on Agency maintenance shed. Since the door was n a i l e d shut, he was forced to break in through a window. As he hoped, the shed contained a r a d i o. After several minutes he f i n a l l y made contact w i t h the F. A. A. in Salt Lake C i t y , and n o t i f i e d them of the accident and h i s l o c a t i o n . Then, f i n d i n g a long wooden p o l e , he r e t u r n e d t o the avalanche area to probe f o r the missing man. In the meantime the F. A. A. n o t i f i e d the near- by B o u n t i f u l Ranger O f f i c e, and by noon the rangers were o r g a n i z i n g rescue o p e r a t i o n s . The county s h e r i f f and j e e p posse were a l e r t e d ; other avalanche control work in the v i c i n i t y was h a l t e d and these rangers s t a r t e d t o the B o u n t i f u l area. The Solitude Ski Patrol v o l u n t e e r e d i t s a s s i s t a n c e . The various groups r e p o r t ed t o the Salt Lake F i r e Control Center, f i f t e e n miles from the Farmington area. This became a s t a g i n g area f o r the rescue o p e r a t i o n s . Probes and other equipment were assembled. Shortly a f t e r 1: 00 the f i r s t rescuers, two F. A. A. road maintenance men, appeared at the avalanche a r e a , u n f o r t u n a t e l y w i t h o u t probes. After obtaining some wooden probes, they j o i n e d in search e f f o r t s , but two of these probes q u i c k l y broke. F i f t e e n minutes l a t e r , three more men a r r i v ed by an over- snow v e h i c l e , but they too had only wooden probes. Meanwhile, attempts were being made t o f l y A s s i s t a n t Ranger R. T. i n t o the area by h e l i c o p t e r from t h e F i r e Control Center. However, high winds and lack of radio communication made i t impossible f o r the h e l i c o p t e r to land in the avalanche area. F i n a l l y the p i l o t landed R. T. at the Farmington F. A. A. b u i l d i n g . By 1: 30 a d d i t i o n a l personnel reached the s i t e w i t h snow plows and a few aluminum probes. F o r t y - f i v e minutes l a t e r R. T. a r r i v e d w i t h the remainder of the probes. R. J. e x p l a i n e d the s i t u a t i o n to the ranger, who organized a systematic probe of the s l i d e , s t a r t i n g at R. D.' s estimated l i n e of travel and proceeding u p h i l l . The search was begun on the downhill p o r t i on of the s l i d e . Several times d u r i n g the probing the searchers had f a l se i n d i c a t i o n s that they had found something and stopped to i n v e s t i g a t e . At 3: 30 one of the men who had been d i g g i n g out a f a l s e lead moved f u r t h er u p h i l l and upstream t o r e s t . Apparently he sat down r i g h t above R. D. The buried v i c t im was c o n s c i o u s , heard the man, and shouted. The searcher alerted the o t h e r s , and a l l f r a n t i c a l l y began t o dig w i t h t h e i r hands. R. D. was found b u r i e d under l £ t o 3 f e e t of snow in the center of the s l i de area. The snow v e h i c l e was l o c a t e d e i g h t y feet downhill from him. B r i e f ly describing h i s f o u r - h o u r ordeal to r e s c u e r s , R. D. r e c a l l e d that a f t e r the 119 |
