Arthur H. "Art" Fulford
Burial Details
Obituaries
Aspen Daily Chronicle page 1 - January 4, 1892
KILLED IN A SNOWSLIDE.
Eagle, Colo., Jan. 4.--[Special]--A. H. Fulford, a well-known mining man of this place, is supposed to have been lost in an immense snowslide that occurred on New York mountain last Thursday.
He went up the mountain Thursday morning during a heavy storm to look after a property which he has been working, and has not been heard from since. The snowslide came down during the afternoon with terrific force, and it is generally believed that he was caught by it and killed.
A party of thirty men has been searching for him ever since but not traces have yet been found. Mr. FULFORD is about 32 years old, and has a wife and three children. Mrs. FULFORD is almost prostrated, suffering fearful mental agony from suspense, and expecting every minute to see the searchers returning with the body of her husband.
Telegrams have been sent to Denver and elsewhere to ascertain if by chance he has gone away on some urgent business, but there is very slender opes of his ever being found.
If he has been buried in the snowslide, it is probably that the body will not be recovered before spring. It is believed that others were also caught, but nothing is definitely known.
Aspen Weekly Times page 1 - January 9, 1892
H. L. VAN NOSTRAND, one of the searching party for the body of A. H. FULFORD was was caught in the snowslide on New York mountain one week ago yesterday, writes to The TImes as follows under the date of Tuesday, the 5th, from Nolan camp:
"A. H. FULFORD's body was found this morning by the searching party. The body was buried in the snowslide about two feet deep, apparently having been carried thirty feet or so after which the main body of the immense mass of snow passed over. Hair was found up the gulch from the body and the supposition is that he was killed outright. The body was about 150 yards from the point where his trail was last covered by the slide. He may have started the avalanche himself.
"The snowslide was of enormous proportions even for this region, the snow from fully twenty-five acres of hillside having slipped. This focused upon a small portion of the deep narrow gulch, filling it completely, it running up the opposite side of the gulch, where it left traces upon the trees by breaking of branches twenty feet from the ground. Thence the snow mass curved to the left, down the gulch, catching poor FULFORD in its deadly embrace. Masses of the snow continued down the gulch fully half a mile.
"Byron BARTHOLF had intended accompanying FULFORD for the purpose of relocating certain mining claims but as he had no snowshoes FULFORD went on alone, making slow progress on web shoes and leaving a deep trail. BARTHOLF started next morning, following this trail until suddenly lost in the debris of the snowslide. He continued to th rendezvous, FULFORD's former home at Baryta, hoping that FULFORD had passed before the slide, but had no evidences of his having been thereabouts, retraced his way, struggling at times on hands and knees in the soft snow up the slope, reaching camp long after midnight exhausted.
"Parties began the search New Year's morning and have continued uninterruptedly. Iron rods were obtained and used for probing the snow but with no success, the remains having been found at last by accident, some clothing showing above the snow. The chances were very few because of the magnitude of the snowmass. The exertion has been almost incredible especially in bringing the body into camp upon a toboggan.
"Fulford was in the prime of life, 35 years old, full of vigor and strength, beyond the average of magnificent physique, daring and venturesome. He was a prime mover in the affairs of Eagle county and this mining section, the district being named after him. A few weeks ago he had his life insured for $30,000. The body had been under the snow evidently since 4 o'clock of the afternoon of December 31st at which time there was a slight snowfall. A small hole had been melted by the heat of his body, and the position and condition of his clothing show that he must have been whirled along with such violence that he could not have survived long after the accident. Neither hat nor snowshoes were found. One hand was bare and tightly clenched while the other was thrown over the face."
Leadville Daily and Evening Chronicle page 4 - January 6, 1892
FULFORD FOUND. Remains of the Unfortunate Deputy Are Recovered.
Coroner FIELDING was notified Wednesday morning to send a coffin to Eagle, Colo., for the remains of Art FULFORD, who was caught in a snowslide in Bowman gulch, in Lake county near Brush creek. A full account of the accident was published in this journal at the time of its occurrence. A large party were engaged in the search all day Monday, but no trace was found of the missing man. Long prods were thrust into the mass of snow at numerous places and trenches were dug across the gulch in the slide. Tuesday morning the search was renewed and towards evening the efforts of the rescuing party were rewarded y the finding of the body buried under almost fifteen feet of snow and frozen still. The spot where the body was found was some distance below the place where his trail ended, and was almost at the center of the slide. The body was but slightly bruised and death was probably caused from suffocation.
Deputy Sheriff G. C. FAIRBAIRN, of Eagle county, brought the information to this city and made the following statement concerning the matter to a reporter for this journal, Wednesday morning:
"Art FULFORD started for the West Lake district to locate some claims, from Nolan last Thursday morning. He was to have been accompanied by a man named BARTHOLF, but as the latter's snow shoes had not been finished, he started on alone and promised to wait for BARTHOLF at his cabin, which is situated within a hundred feet of the place where the snowslide occurred. Had "When BARTHOLF arrived at the slide a short time later, and was unable to find FULFORD, he came to the conclusion that he had been killed and hurried back to camp with the alarm,arriving there at midnight. Early the following morning a party of thirty men started out and spent the entire day in the area, but as they had taken no tools or implements to get at the interior of the slide, they were unsuccessful and gave up the search at nightfall. The search was renewed the following day. Long trenches were shoveled out at various places across the gulch in the body of the slide, but no trace of the body could be found, although one of the troughs was within two feet of FULFORD's body. After a large number of trenches had been excavated from the snow, and no trace of Fulford's body had been discovered, the searchers began to think that if his body was in the slide it would have to remain there until spring.
"Tuesday afternoon one of the search party was walking through one of the trenches and noticed a spot in the snow about as large as a tin plate, which seemed to be whiter than the snow around it. The spot was on the side of the trench nearest to the bottom of the slide, and was but a few inches from the bottom of the e excavation. Becoming curious, he kicked the spot and his foot came in contact with some hart object. Stooping down and peering into the hole made by his foot, he discovered the dead body of FULFORD and saw that he had kicked the latter in the face. He gave the alarm and in a short time the compact mass of snow surrounding the body was cleared away.
"But one bruise was discernible on the body and that was on the left leg, so death must have resulted from suffocation. The body was in a sitting position, facing the lower end of the slide and from the appearance, death probably followed within ten minutes after he was struck by the slide. The coat in the back was torn to shreds and the skin on the back was very red in spots, probably where it was first frost bitten. The body was taken to Eagle and a coffin will be taken over from this city."
