On June 5, 1976, Norma Reynolds and her son Brad, with three other friends, went fishing on the Teton River, just below the enormous new Teton Dam. They launched their rubber raft a quarter of a mile below the dam, and lazily floated downstream catching a half-dozen trout on the way. Finally the bends in the river carried them out of sight of the dam.
It was a beautiful day. But Norma didn’t realize that the gigantic dam, high as a 30-story building, had sprung a leak. Already one side of the dam was rapidly eroding away, and realizing the danger of the dam’s breaking, the construction crew had the radio station broadcast a warning to people living downstream.
Meanwhile Norma and her crew of four floated peacefully down the river, not having heard the warning and knowing nothing of their danger. They could see the water had changed from clear to a murky brown, but they disregarded this one danger sign. How many there are who do not listen to the warning messages of the gospel. They disregard the warning “signs of the times!” God tells us in His word that “He has appointed a day in the which He will judge the world in righteousness,” (Acts 17:3131Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)) and all are warned to “flee from the wrath to come.”
At his gasoline station nearby Norma’s husband, Ross, learned from a customer of the radio warning. “My family’s on that river!” he burst out. In desperation Ross went in search of his family. Taking a gun he hastened to the cliff above the river and his eyes searched the scene below. Sure enough, there they were, a quarter of a mile away, out of shouting distance. Ross fired his gun and waved his arms, jumping up and down.
There was no response. He fired again.
Down below Brad heard a shot. Looking around and up at the cliff, Norma exclaimed, “That’s Dad! Something’s wrong!”
The river had changed to a cocoa brown and the current was swifter.
“Let’s get out of here,” said Ken; and together he and Brad worked the raft toward a bank three feet high. Back of that was the canyon wall which could be climbed.
The river was rising faster now, and the water was only six inches from the top of the bank. Jumping out of the raft, they thought they were safe. But what was that strange crashing noise they heard! Looking upstream they saw a 40-foot high wall of raging water tumbling and crashing toward them at 20 miles an hour. The dam had broken.
They all scrambled for their lives up the canyon wall, climbing rocky outcrops and slippery spots, barely staying out of reach of the furious, surging water.
They were Just in Time! Had they waited any longer after hearing Ross’s warning, they would have been just too late!
ML-02/26/1978