1926 — Feb 17, Avalanche, Sap Gulch, Bingham, UT –39-40

–40 Cornell. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). 1982, p. 106.
–40 Forces of Nature. Avalanches. “Case Studies.”
–39 AP. “Bingham Fund for Relief of Destitute at $40,000…” Ogden Standard Examiner, 2-21-1926, 1.
–39 Armstrong. “The Terrifying, Deadly Avalanche that went down in Utah History in 1926.” 3-4-2016.
–38 (24 missing). AP. “All Rescue Hope Abandoned in Slide.” Salt Lake Telegram, UT, 2-18-1926, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Forces of Nature: “More than a foot of heavy snow falls near the town, causing an avalanche of snow, rocks, and trees to slide down Sap Gulch, burring 75 and killing 40.” (Forces of Nature.

Newspapers

Feb 17: “Fifteen persons are known to have been killed and the bodies of 50 more are believed to be buried in the ruins of eight buildings demolished by a snow slide at Bingham Canyon early today, according to Associated Press and special dispatches reaching the Standard-Examiner. The bodies of 15 victims had been taken from the debris at noon.

“Hundreds of work4rs are putting forth every effort to rescue victims who may have been injured and are still alive in the mass. The slide, which descended on the buildings at 9 o’clock this morning, occurred in what is known as Sap gulch, a small side canyon off Carr’s Fork and near the Highland Boy mining district.

“Added to the horror of the slide itself, fire broke out in the debris of the smashed buildings as the result of overturned stoves. It was feared by the workers that many persons caught in the crash but not killed may have perished in the flames which followed. The heavy snowfall of the past 24 hours also is hampering rescue operations.

“Included in the structures demolished by the slide are five dwellings, two boarding houses and a Methodist church.

“The disaster occurred when thousands of tons of material from the Highly Boy dump, mixed with an avalanche of snow, rocks and trees crashed down the steep canyon wall. According to meager details receive in Ogden, the slide was started by a slipping of the mine dump after a heavy snow-fall. The moving waste from the mine quickly gathered momentum, gathering and starting immense quantities of heavy snow as it descended the side of the canyon. It was accompanied by a terrific roar after gaining momentum, but the warning came too late for scores of persons to escape from the buildings in the bottom of the gulch.

“Many of the victims who were either killed instantly or died from injuries beneath the mass were miners who had come off the night shift and gone to bed in the two boarding houses. There had been no authentic list of the dead and injured compiled by the authorities at Bingham….

“The canyon has rather steep sides at the point where the slide took place…with many small homes on the hillsides.

“Men employed in the Highland Boy mine, the Utah Metals and others live in the boarding houses near the church, which were in the path of the slide…” (Ogden Standard Examiner, UT. “15 Dead Taken From Wreckage; Fifty Missing.” 2-17-1926, p. 1.)

Feb 18: “Bingham, Utah, Feb. 18 (AP).–Governor George H. Dern arrived at the scene of yesterday’s disaster this afternoon at 2 o’clock and made a thorough inspection of the scene of devastation.

“Bingham, Utah, Feb. 18 (AP).–Fear of another snowslide in Sap Gulch was expressed by officials of the Utah-Delaware Mining company this afternoon. ‘If it comes, I do not want to be in the office,’ said one of them. ‘I’m going to be down the canyon some distance.’

“The snow, which came down the gulch yesterday was from the west side of the gulch, and became dislodged from its weight. Today dawning clear, and as the sun rose, the thermometer rose until at 12:30 o’clock it was several degrees above freezing in the shade. ‘It is that heat we fear,’ this official said. ‘If it penetrates sufficiently to loosen the snow, thousands of tons will roll down the gulch carrying everything before it into the main canyon, and I hate to contemplate the consequences.

“Sentries who were on duty throughout the night were doubled today as the temperature rose. They were directed to fire their shotguns the instant they noticed any movement in the snow….” (AP. “All Rescue Hope Abandoned in Slide. New Avalanche Threatens Lives in Utah. All Believed Dead in Bingham Slide; 38 Bodies Taken.” Salt Lake Telegram, UT, 2-18-1926.)

Feb 18: AP. “Revised List: Dead, Hurt and Missing.” Salt Lake Tribune, UT. 2-19-1926, p.1. [38]

Mr. and Mrs. Jose Atencia and wife, cooks at the McDonald boarding house.
Mrs. John Beitia and one-year-old son
Ben Benson, 40 Pleasant Grove
Tony Cascaret, 46, wife and two children
Purdell Caywood, 3, son of Marvin A. Caywood.
Mrs. J. A. Caywood, 56
Alderman Clawson, 41, Spring City, Utah
Mrs. Bonnie Lillian Cole
Mrs. Mary Davis
Tom Dobeck, 33, Austrian
D. Dugan
John Falcon, 35
Frank Grahart
Isaac Keranan, 50
Sam Lahti or Saari
Fred Matson
Rudolph Matson, 26
Frank Miller, 34, of Butte
Frank (or Joe) Moneta
Lloyd Nelson
Wallace Preator, 29 of Murray
Sam Primell, Austrian
Mrs. William Rimby, widow and mother of four children
James Sanderson, 22, Gunnison, Utah
Dan Sullivan, 39, of Clarkdale, AZ
Thomas Tibby, 7-years-old
Elsie Van Newland, 10, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Van Newland
Leonard Van Newland, 16, son of Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Van Newland
Mr. and Mrs. S. C. Van Newland
Two men and one woman unidentified

Twenty two names of people thought to be missing are listed.

Sources

Armstrong. “The Terrifying, Deadly Avalanche that went down in Utah History in 1926.” Onlyinyourstate.com. 3-4-2016. Accessed 4-19-2020 at: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/utah/bingham-canyon-avalanche-1926-ut/

Associated Press. “All Rescue Hope Abandoned in Slide. New Avalanche Threatens Lives in Utah. All Believed Dead in Bingham Slide; 38 Bodies Taken.” Salt Lake Telegram, UT, 2-18-1926, p. 1. Accessed 4-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-telegram-feb-18-1926-p-1/

Associated Press. “Bingham Fund for Relief of Destitute at $40,000…” Ogden Standard Examiner, UT. 2-21-1926, p. 1. Accessed 4-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ogden-standard-examiner-feb-21-1926-p-2/

Associated Press. “The Known Dead.” Salt Lake Telegram, UT. 2-18-1926, p. 1. Accessed 4-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/salt-lake-telegram-feb-18-1926-p-1/

Cornell, James. The Great International Disaster Book (Third Edition). New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1982.

Forces of Nature. Avalanches. “Case Studies.” Accessed 3-28-2010 at: http://library.thinkquest.org/C003603/english/avalanches/casestudies.shtml#21

Ogden Standard Examiner, UT. “15 Dead Taken From Wreckage; Fifty Missing.” 2-17-1926, p. 1. Accessed 4-19-2020 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ogden-standard-examiner-feb-17-1926-p-2/