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Show The winter of 1951- 52 was a fitting sequel to 1909- 10. However, this time the avalanches chose to demonstrate their power in a different area: from Oregon and northern California through Idaho, Nevada and Utah to central and southern Colorado instead of the northwest. Everywhere snowfall records were broken. That no single disaster compared with Wellington in 1910 was entirely a matter of chance. There was no loss of life at the completely demolished Tungstar Camp in California because the mine and mill happened to be shut down. The streamliner " City of San Francisco," snowbound in the Sierras, happened to stall just between slidepaths. A rescue snowplow was not so lucky. Confirmed avalanche fatalities were distributed as follows: Montana 1, Utah 1, Washington 1, Colorado 4, Idaho 4, California 8 - total 19. Property damage was so widely scattered that it can only be estimated, but was certainly well over a million dollars. There is no possibility that exposure to avalanche hazard in the United States will again decline. The pressure of traffic, communications, recreation and industry is too great. Neither is hazard the product of climatic winters only. Injury, death and property damage are an annual toll which merely rises to a peak in years of abnormal severity. The old- time answer to avalanche hazard - " either stay out of the mountains or take your chances" - is no longer good enough. The winter recreation areas administered by the Forest Service are providing a new answer. In contrast to 1909- 10, the equally disastrous winter of 1951- 52 saw no avalanche accidents, fatalities or property damage on winter sports areas protected by Forest Service snow rangers. CHAPTER 2. AVALANCHE STUDY The study of avalanches is difficult and expensive. Necessity is the only reason for undertaking it. The Swiss, pioneers in snow research, did not encounter the avalanche accidentally while on a treasure hunt or casually during a skiing weekend. They have lived with it for centuries. Modern engineers have found avalanche defense works as old as the towns they guard. In 1931 a national commission was established in Switzerland to coordinate all of the work being done by various groups and organizations. This resulted in the famous Avalanche Institute with its snow laboratory and staff of technicians and engineers. The Institute engages in all forms of snow study from basic research in snow mechanics to the development of avalanche barriers. - 7 - |