A visitor to Death Valley National Park stepped forward and took responsibility for toppling a 113-year-old salt tram tower last month, claiming it happened during a moment of desperation and there was no intent to harm the historic structure, park officials announced. .
“We are grateful to the dozens of people who reached out to the park with information and for all the statements of support we received from people who care about this place and its cultural resources,” said Acting Superintendent. Elizabeth Ibáñez in written statement. “While we certainly would prefer this harm had not occurred, we are glad that the person who did this finally took responsibility for his actions and came forward.”
The confession comes three days after park officials asked the public for help about the damaged tower that was part of the Saline Valley Salt Tram, a 13-mile cable car built in 1911. Officials said someone tore it down between 1 and on April 24 when they attached a winch to the tower to pull their vehicle out of the mud after going off the main road.
“The individual responsible for stopping the salt tram called the tip line provided in a previous press release, stating that this was done during a moment of desperation while he was deeply stuck in the mud, and that it was not his intention to cause harm.” to the historic structure,” the statement said.
Park officials did not identify the person, but an 11-minute dash camera video reported by Outside magazine may have shown those responsible for tearing down the tower.
An edited version of the video was posted on the magazine's website. That version of the video, which lasts about two minutes, begins with a man stopping next to a woman wearing a pink bikini, jean shorts and a trucker hat. The woman tells the driver that she needs a winch.
“We are going too far into the mud and there is nothing to press the winch on,” he is heard saying.
The video then shows a white truck with a caravan submerged in the mud and at the edge of the screen you can see the tram tower, which appears to already be lying on its side. The video also shows the woman standing next to a man wearing a flannel shirt and jean shorts after an attempt to remove the vehicle failed. Finally, a second line is needed to get the truck out, but the video ends before it can show the results of that attempt.
It's unclear whether the couple or any of the people seen in the video caused the tower to collapse, but the magazine included a photo of the man in the flannel shirt removing a winch from the toppled tower.
A spokesperson did not respond to questions from The Times about whether the person who took responsibility was in that video.
The National Park Service said a resource management team will assess damage to the salt tram tower and develop restoration plans. He also asked the public to be patient and not attempt to restore the tower themselves.
The incident, officials said, was a reminder of why it is important to carry a satellite communication device when traveling to areas where cell phone service is limited.
“As Death Valley's famous summer temperatures continue to rise, park rangers encourage people to stay on paved roads during this time of year as more help is available.”
