The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-03-04
BODIES 50 DEEPLY BURIED
L nder Ice and Snow that it viii be
Weeks Before Exact Number of
Avalanche Victims is Known

Everett. Wash. March At now ap
pears certain that the death toll Of the
avalanche that carried away two Great
Northern trains and seven steam and
electric locomotives viii total eighty
four. Few believe that any of the
sixty-seven listed as missing will be
found alive, as fifty hours has passed
since they were buried beneath tons Of
snow. ice and the twisted wreckage
that swept over the ledge ana dropped
| in heap at the bottom Of the can
yOn.
| The exact number of dead will not
| be known for weeks until the snow.
| now forty feet deep in the canyon, has
melted. Workmen digging in the snow
and wreckage report finding dismem
| bered bodies and several arms and
/ hands.
Conductor Purcell Of the Seattle ex-
press, who was taken out Of the wreck
uninjured, gave a graphic description
Of the catastrophe which overwhelmed
the two trains and the other railroad
equipment. Mr.. Purcell says terrific
storm was prevailing all during the
morning and when the avalanche
started the wind was blowing a gale
and the snow was drifting SO thick
that no one on the train could see thru
the windows. Practically everybody
was inside the cars and there was no
warning of the impending calamity
| The rush of snow, ice and earth came
| down the mOuntainside, catching the
trains broadside. They We're pushed to
! the edge of the cliff seemed TO hold
| their poise there for q brief moment
| and then crashed down the long slope.
The cars turned over and over in
:
the bottom Of the long descent some
200 feet from whore they were struck
, by the slide, some of them had been
/ twisted around trees and bent double
! Some Of the cars We're literally smash
ed to splinters. Others were not much
| damaged. The heavy Pullman cars
stood the crash best.
| In one Of the Pullman cars which
! has been dug out the bodies of seven
! people were found. four women and
three children. From this same car
two women and three children were
| taken out alive.
! The storm which has continued ever
since Sunday morning. is still raging.
| Many Of the wires are continually
breaking under the weight of the snow
and ice. The work Of rescue is hamp-
cred by the binding snow.
/ The rescue gang, numbering several
! hundred. are being worked in shifts.
which relieve each other frequently.
! Twenty of those rescued from the
wreck have been placed in the hospi-
| tai at Wellington. Some Of them are
perhaps fatally hurt while others are
merely bruised their escape from Sc
riOuS injury or death being remarka bic
| One Of tho injured. Ray Forsyth. gave
| Il graphic description of the occur
renee He said it seemed to him a. if
| the car in which he was seated had
been lifted bodily from the track and
| hurled down hill. He said it turned
iall of the occupants were dashed about
, like pebbles. The shrieks Of the in
iured and dying were the most hea TT
ircndng sounds he ever heard. When
the bottom Of the canyon was reached
the car was plunged into darkness be
cause Of striking a snow bank into
which it plunged to a depth of several
feet. He and another man managed to
crawl through window and pushed
their way through the yielding snow
until they reached the surface of the
bank. They We're the first to reach the
outside world. They set about releas-
ing others who We're less unfortunate
and succeeded in freeing several peO-
pie. part Of whom were women and
children.