On this date in 1910, the deadliest avalanche in United States history swept away 96 lives on two Great Northern trains trapped by snow slides. The trains were brought through to Wellington, Washington just west of Stevens Pass then was eased onto a side track, normally used to allow trains to pass. The plan was to wait out the storm. It seemed like a safe place to park because there was never a slide there. A surviving train conductor sleeping in one of the mail train cars was thrown from the roof to the floor of the car several times as the train rolled down the slope before it disintegrated when the train slammed against a large tree. The body recovery effort took months. The dead were transported on toboggans down the west side of the Cascades to trains that carried them to Everett and Seattle.
No comments:
Post a Comment