The First Snow of Winter

by Fred Allen

  Peter found it much easier to make his way down the hill to the cars on snowshoes. He opened both the front and rear door of the Cadillac then carried Sara from the hut and laid her on the rear seat. He then returned to the hut and half carried and half dragged the lifeless body of Jacob Rosenburg back to the car and laid him on the front seat. He now scrambled down to the base of the bridge abutment where he had found the lifeless body of Sandy. He brushed off some of the snow that covered her, picked her up very gently, and carried her back to the station wagon. Holding her with one arm, he opened the tailgate and laid her on the floor in the compartment behind the second seat. There was no sound from the front seat as he closed the tailgate.

  As he opened the front door of the wagon, he realized that the engine was no longer running but the passenger compartment was filled with a heavy cloud of acrid exhaust fumes. Peter held the door open for a few minutes to allow most of the exhaust fumes to escape from the passenger compartment He looked at MarieLouise and the wide open sightless eyes told him she was dead. Once again, he was feeling terribly tired. He reached for the bottle of Chivas Regal and took several drinks. He noted that the bottle was nearly empty. He reached for the ignition key but withdrew his hand without turning the key and he lay back in the seat. He reached over and took Marie-Louise in his arms. Peter knew that now there was really nothing to do but wait.

  Chapter XI

  ROBERT AND WEE WILLIE

  First light came at about eight a.m. Robert had slept for a little while lying beside Wee Willie on the narrow bunk. It was just a little past first light when Robert looked outside and found that the weather had improved significantly. There was no sign of his father so Robert prepared to follow his part of their plan. He changed the baby noting that they were down to their last diaper, and gave the baby his last bottle from the travel bag. He took the skis, poles and a small toboggan from the shed and put Wee Willie, fastened in his car seat, onto the toboggan. He put the flare gun in one jacket pocket and the two flares in the other.

  He traveled slowly back towards the main highway stopping regularly to check on Wee Willie. Each time he checked the baby Wee Willie, was either sleeping or gurgling with happiness for the sleigh ride, his pink cheeks glowing in the cold air. It was nearly noon when Robert first heard the sound of a plane. He could barely see it in the distance and it seemed to be traveling away from their position. Remembering his father’s instructions, Robert decided not to fire the flare pistol until the plane came closer. About an hour later he saw the plane again and this time it was flying directly towards them. He quickly loaded the flare pistol and fired the flare into the path of the plane.

  The plane acknowledged the flare by wagging its wings and flew low over Robert’s head, turned, and made a circuit and flew back towards him again. The plane was not equipped with skis so Robert signaled with his ski poles pointing back down the road. Someone with a bullhorn called from the plane telling them to stay where they were; that they would be back. The plane then flew off in the direction that Robert had indicated.

  At Quebec Provincial Police Headquarters in Quebec City the Rescue Mission Liaison Staff were alerted with:

  “This is Charlie Alpha Two and we are about thirty miles south of the main highway and we have noted activity on County Road 15. We saw a signal flare and it appears to have been fired by a young boy on skis towing a small toboggan or sled. There seems to be a child on the sled. The boy signaled to us pointing south on the road. About ten miles south there is a steep hill and there seem to be two vehicles parked sideways on the bridge at the bottom of the hill. We will take a closer look but we are not equipped with skis and recommend that a properly equipped plane or helicopter be sent out to pick up the boy and the child, and take a closer look at those cars on the bridge.”

  Rescue Liaison answered that they did not have a helicopter available but a ski-equipped plane was being dispatched to pick up the boy and child and should be on the ground in about thirty minutes. In addition, there was a Bombardier snow machine under the command of the Detachment Commander from Levis, S/Sgt Therrien, at the rest area near where the county road met the main highway. A police car and two policemen from the Levis Detachment had been stranded in the Tourist Information Bureau at the rest area since the storm began. The policemen and the driver of the Bombardier will be ordered to move to the location of the vehicles on the bridge as quickly as possible.

  Charley Alpha Two reported that they saw no sign of life at the bridge and that they suspected there may be casualties. Charley Alpha Two recommended that a report be made to Cabinet Liaison under Incident File Nov/63.

  It was about mid-afternoon on Friday, November 15th when Michael Benoit, Cabinet Liaison Officer, was advised that Incident File Nov/63 might include another situation that would need further investigation..

  Chapter XII

  EPILOGUE-INCIDENT NOV/63

  My name is Michael Benoit and my title is Cabinet Liaison Officer to the Cabinet of the Province of Quebec. The title provides little in the way of an explanation of my duties but that just might be the intention of such a vague description of an appointment that might be expected to deal with a wide variety of sensitive projects.

  “Cabinet Liaison Officer” will do as an answer when people ask me to tell them my occupation . I have been in this role for nearly thirty years and my father before me held the same appointment for nearly twenty-five years when we include the time I spent learning on the job under his tutelage. My academic qualifications are in the law but I have never formally entered the practice of my chosen profession.

  My basic responsibility is to collect all information on incidents that might pose the threat of causing embarrassment to any department of the Government of Quebec. The dangers in dealing with such incidents should be obvious. The media is always watching for any signs of “news management” and the opposition in the Legislature is quick to pounce on anything that might be suspected of representing even the slightest suggestion of “cover-up” or “whitewash”.

  The greatest defence against accusations of managing the news or charges of cover-up is information. It is vital that all departments of government be fully informed as early as possible after the incident occurred.

  It is equally important to keep on top of each incident in all of its ramification throughout what the media refers to as the period during which the incident still has “legs”. For thirty years, it has been my office that has been informed immediately on the occurrence of any incident that had even the most remote possibility of political embarrassment. This has been my responsibility regardless of the party in power as was the case with my father before me. Such continuity will appear to be unique in the highly partisan politics of any province and particularly in the case of Quebec.

  There was a very simple explanation for the unique relationship both myself and my father before me enjoyed with the Provincial Government regardless of the party in power. My father and I both have a deep affection for our province and our loyalty has always been to the province we love. What continues to impress me is that in Quebec we Quebecers have always enjoyed the best to be offered by the predominantly English speaking North American Continent while retaining our language, our civil law and our distinct French Canadian culture which has drawn, as it wished, from the rich culture of France.

  Any detailed description of the full function of my office will, inevitably, make reference to public relations, and PR will always come down to relations with the media. The monitoring of press releases, and the careful briefing of spokespersons, has always been an area of primary concern for my office. We always draw upon our rapid accumulation of facts and figures relating to a particular incident when briefing those called upon to present press conferences, participate in radio or television talk shows or any other form of exposure to the media.

  I have always enjoyed an excellent working relationship with the
press although I have made every effort to keep direct personal exposure to a minimum. My reputation with the media has always been that of a reliable source of news and, what is more important to experienced members of the media, the background to the news. As I have already stated, I am constantly aware of the danger of attracting charges of either “managing the news” or “covering up”, but usually manage to accomplish my objectives through what experienced bridge players refer to as the selective use of the finesse or a pre-emptive bid. Despite my efforts, it is inevitable that there are occasions when my name is associated with the term “eminence gris”.

  On November 10th, 1963, my office had created an incident file under the title of Incident File/Nov/63 after receiving forecasts of the major storm forming out in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and which was moving slowly-at least at first-up the valley of the St. Lawrence River.

  History had taught us that these early winter storms could be very troublesome and we had developed a fairly standard sequence of action under such circumstances. This action included public warnings through all media outlets, keeping additional police on duty, alerting the snow removal and sanding equipment people and closing all roads when the strength of the storm reached a level that posed a threat to the traveling public. Specific warnings, followed by frequent updates, would go out to all forms of transportation, including both land and air. Road transport companies became very annoyed when they received what they regarded as inadequate warning of road closing, and did not hesitate to make threats to the Department of Highways for either late warnings or warnings that came too early and which resulted in taking vehicles off the road too soon.

  The entire process with regard to Incident File/Nov/63 was proceeding very smoothly. The storm came into the Riviera-du-Loup-Quebec City about twelve hours earlier than expected, but the travel warnings had gone out as early as possible and the roads had been closed when the strength and ferocity of the storm forced the Highway Department to temporarily take their snow removal equipment and sanders off the roads. The police appeared to have done an outstanding job in keeping travelers in safe havens and, until mid-afternoon on Friday, November 15th, everything seemed to be under control.

  This was the point at which Charley Alpha Two (Inspector Bertin) reported that he had sighted the boy on skis towing a child on a toboggan between fifteen and twenty miles south of the main highway on County Road 15.

  Inspector Bertin was the Quebec Police Officer who had been assigned to support my office and this accounted for his recommendation that I be informed when he spotted the boy and the child. It was quite possible that this observation would not be of any importance to the Incident File, but the additional information of the two vehicles on the bridge indicated that vehicles had got through the road blocks and that could mean casualties.

  The existence of casualties would certainly attract the interest of the media. My father always referred to it as the fatal attraction of death in a crude attempt at a sick pun.

  I instructed Inspector Bertin to return to the area in a ski-equipped plane or helicopter so he could get down to the bridge for a closer inspection. I told him to be sure to take along a photographer to take photographs of everything at the scene that should be included in the Incident File. He would have S/Sgt Therrien, the Levis Detachment Commander and the two policemen who had been stranded at the Tourist Information Bureau and they should take all the standard measurements required at any accident scene. I advised him that I would remain in my office and that he should inform me immediately further details became available.

  The Incident File would include copies of all reports and recordings of both radio and telephone conversations.

  Monday, Dec 2nd, 1963

  It is now seventeen days since Inspector Bertin alerted me on seeing the boy on the county road and that report led to a lengthy investigation. It had been a very hectic period in which literally hordes of reporters and other media representatives had descended upon the scene and I knew just how important it was to keep the media happy. This could only be achieved if members of the media were convinced that all information was available to them, even if some information was deleted because I felt it might be misleading if taken in isolation.

  Perhaps I was guilty of news management or even censorship but my principal complaint about the media was that they never took the time to understand the big picture, and this could be understood when we recognized the continual pressure of deadlines.

  I was very thankful when the happenings in Dallas on Friday, Nov 22nd, attracted the attention of much of the national media and, thus, relieved some of the pressure here.

  I was reviewing the file and it appeared to be complete except for my final interview with Robert Marshall, which had been postponed at the request of his grandfather. I had already interviewed Walter Ross, at his request, on his return from the funeral in Fredericton. Robert was still grieving the loss of his sister and parents but his grandfather was very proud of the manner in which Robert conducted himself throughout the highly publicized events in Fredericton. But, now, as his grandfather observed, he just needed some time to grieve.

  Incident File/Nov/63 actually consisted of a number of folios. One folio contained the overview of the entire event with numerous references to the detailed information in the other folios, together with all the photographs and ground measurements that I had requested from Inspector Bertin.

  A second folio, in the case of natural catastrophies, contained all the meteorological data and this was usually the first line of defence when commercial interests and municipal and opposition politicians either claimed damages or sought to make political capital on the grounds of either provincial or federal negligence. Environmental agencies would always provide their detailed explanations, supported by highly technical charts and graphs that would at least inhibit, if not satisfy, the various queries from commercial and political sources. There was always the danger of being accused of trying to blunt the thrust of the opposition party by “dazzling them with footwork.” However, the immediate release of all the meteorological data gave their technical experts something to mull over and this gave us more time. Then, by the time they came to any conclusions, something else would probably attract their interest.

  A third folio contained the transcripts of all the radio and telephone transmissions, which started with Inspector Bertin’s original message. A fourth folio contained all the newspaper clippings from newspapers across the country in which articles relating to any aspect of the Incident, including casualties, had been published.

  A fifth folio contained a communications log in which all incoming calls to my office from members of the media, relatives and other interested parties looking for information on the tragedy were logged. A sixth folio contained transcripts of the recordings of all the interviews of the principals and investigating officers. This was the folio that would be completed with my interview of Robert.

  The final folio was the file containing all forensic information and this folio would contain all of the autopsy reports from the medical examiner, a lengthy report from the Riviere du Loupe coroner and any details on the two vehicles that might be of importance if questions were asked. In my review of the file I turned first to the folio containing Inspector Bertin’s report of his findings on Friday, Nov 15th.

  Inspector Bertin reported that a ski equipped plane had picked up the boy and the small child from County Road #15 and transported them to Quebec City Airport and from there they had been taken to a local hospital for checkups. Acting on information provided by the boy, the police had contacted the boys’ grandfather, Walter Ross, who was a resident of Quebec City and Mr. Ross had come to the hospital. When the checkup was complete, and both the boy and the baby were given clean bills of health, the grandfather had taken them to his home.

  In the meantime, Inspector Bertin had returned to the scene in a ski-equipped plane and lande
d beside the Laurier Sports Camp near the top of the hill. The Bombardier snow machine arrived at about the same time bringing the Levis QPP Detachment Commander, Staff-Sergeant Therrien and the two policemen who had been stranded at the Tourist Bureau. When they reached the two cars on the bridge they found that there had been five casualties. In the Cadillac were the bodies of an elderly couple and documents on the bodies identified them as Jacob and Sara Rosenburg of Fredericton, New Brunswick. In the green station wagon were the bodies of Major Peter Marshall, his wife Marie-Louise and the body of a girl in her late teens as yet unidentified. Inspector Bertin had a photographer with him and all the required photographs were taken including aerials after the plane took off to return to Quebec City.

  Bertin set up a command post in the Laurier Sports Camp for himself and the other four policemen and established radio communications with the QPP Detachment in Riviere-du-Loup. Bertin had advised the Detachment Commander of their location and asked him to advise the local Coroner and Medical Examiner. The snowplow had arrived at the bridge and the hill had been sanded. He requested that the Coroner and Medical Examiner come to the site as early as possible on Saturday morning with transportation to take the bodies back to Riviere-du-Loup for autopsies.

  The identification of the famous Canadian war hero, Major Peter Marshall, as one of the casualties, was bound to attract media attention and we agreed that at least until the Coroner and Medical Examiner had completed their work we would answer any media inquiries with the standard announcement that no identification of casualties would be released “pending notification of next-of-kin”.

  The Inspector told me he would fly back to Quebec City on Saturday morning and have the photographs developed immediately. We arranged to meet in my office late in the afternoon and he would bring copies of all the photographs and ground sketches.

  When he arrived at my office, we mounted the photographs and the ground sketches on the office display board, and the Inspector briefed me on the physical scene. When my orientation had been completed the Inspector gave me his oral report.