The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-26
A Bluff Falls on a Gang of
Northern Pacific Workmen.
TWO KILLED, TWO MISSING.
Track Repairers Suddenly Hurled
Into Raging Green River.
rade's Arms-Northern Pacific Trains
Delayed-Puyallup River Rises Sud-
denly and Damages Tacoma Tide Flats

TACOMA, Nov. 25.-[Special. Two men
were killed and five injured by a landslide
on the Northern Pacific railroad near
Canton, small station between Eagle
Gorge and haywood. In addition two
men who were carried into the river have
not been accounted for.
The dead are:
AsDREw ANDERSON, aged 80: unmarried
CHARLES JOHNSON, aged 20; unmarried.
Those injured are:
JOHN MILLER, back injured.
JOHN AKELUND, lett arm badly broken.
HANS GRAHAM, wrist sprained.
JAMES DoRAN, back sprained.
WILLIAM ENGLISH, confusion of knee ankle
hip and abdomen; probably injured internally
None of the injured are married men.
The missing are:
CHRISTIAN ERICKSON.
J. POWELL.
The dead and wounded were brought
here tonight. The remains were not man
gled, the victims having been pushed into
Green river and drowned before they
could be rescued. 1t is probable that
Anderson was hit on the head with rock
and was unconscious when forced into the
water. Johnson, however, was pinioned
under a huge boulder In the river
bottom, and his companions saw his
hand thrust above the water. mutely
signaling for aid. One daring fellow
rushed into the river, which at that point
rushes rapidly over the rocks, and after a
heroic struggle raised the drowning mans
body up until his nose was about water,
His strength failing, Johnson's comrade
was forced to let the body sink down few
inches, and while he shouted for volun-
teers to aid in the rescue, Johnson ceased
to struggle, dying in his arms. The cloth
ing on the remains was soaked with water
Alter the dead and injured had been
collected, two men were still missing,
Chris Erickson and J. Powell. and it is
thought their bodies were washed down
the river and drowned. Possibly they may
have escaped death and crawled into the
woods or place of shelter. This theory
IS based upon the fact that Erick Larson,
who was flung nearly across the river by the
avalanche of earth and rocks, retained his
senses and swan the few remaining feet
to the opposite shore and then walked
three miles toward Eagle Gorge, where he
was picked up. His ankle is lacerated
and his head bruised and cut in horrible
manner, Notwithstanding which he
laughed at his injuries and joked at his
experience when brought to the hospital
here tonight with his five companions.
When the landslide occurred a gang of
men, nearly all Swedes from the Ellens-
burg division and residing east of Eagle
Gorge, were at work filling In where the
track had been washed out by the freshet
two weeks ago. Above them was bank
about forty-tve feet high. which gave way
and rushed down into the river, tearing
the rails from the ties and twisting
them into various shapes. The gang
of workmen was brushed before the
tumbling earth and rocks like flies, being
literally scattered in all directions EXCEPT
that from which the avalanche came The
track was covered for seyenty-five feet
from five to twelve feet deep. The mud
and water dashed across the river, striking
terror to the hearts of most of the work
men, fully half of whom ran as though pur-
sued by demons. This fact led to the re.
ports that dozen or more had been killed.
At dark several of the men
had failed to report, but 1t Is not feared
that they are dead. Railroad officials are
confident that there are no more bodies at
the bottom of the river where the accident
occurred.
The land slide occurred at $50 a. M, and
the Northern Pacific immediately
dispatched a relief train with the COM
pany's surgeon, Dr. r. f. Smith, aboard. At
Puyallup Dr. Clark, also a company sur
geon, and at Buckley DR.. Sheets Joined the
party. Owing to the washout at Crocker
there was half hours delay, but another
train was provided opposite the washout.
and carried them to Eagle Gorge at q sixty
mile-an-hour rate The dead and injured
had, however. already been placed on the
cars and were brought here at midnight.
The overland train which left this morn
ing was delayed at Crocker till o'clock
and then proceeded to Eagle Gorge, where
it will wait till tomorrow morning in order
TO pass through the district where the
landslide occurred in daylight The
tracks have been cleared and re-
paired. No landslide has ever
occurred at that point before, and the acci-
dent today was wholly unexpected. The
washout at Crocker was caused by the Car
bon river rising seven feet III three hours
ana undermining tracks. The chinook
wind and the warm rains caused the
freshet
Meager reports of terrible landslide and
loss of life at Eagle Gorge have been re-
ceived. Railroad officials are all very
reticent. Little can be learned from them.
but il seems that large force of laborers
were working on the side OF high bluff.
when blast was exploded Unexpectedly.
the result being a heavy landslide, bury
ing a large number of men.