The Washington times., 1910-03-04
PASSENGERS ALIVE
IN BURIED CARS
Courier Brings Message of
Hope From Scene of Wei
lington Disaster.
Ccontir1ed from First PaEe1

pitlfully slo owing 10 the nature OF
the suue, L '1ormOus mass Of earth,
trees. Vcge tIOn. and snow being
packed sphGly 10 a depth exceeding
continually interferes with the work Of
TIE labOrerS ana volunteers who have
Eocked mere from every part OF the
Weeks of Work Ahead.
The whole marks the worst tragedy In
the history CT railroadiug in the North
west, and Il viii he many weeks before
normal conditions can be restored.
ne scene about the mouth OF the tun-
mel Is awe-inspiring- The great bare
mountain towers to a height OF 2G0O
feet one week ago II was covered with
snow above Which only the tree tops
were visible.
Today II IS swept bare OF ali ,-ora-
Jailon- Great burrows mar the bIsrI,
lace or the loafn as II they had been
made by gigantic plOws. Gaping holes
as large as an average building show
where monster trees were torn our bv
the rOOF and sent sWirllnE down INTO
the abyss Boulders are left In Fan
tdstc heaps where they dropped out OF
the avalanche.
Down in the canyon into which the
trains were carried are acres OF SNOW,
dotted on the surface with logs, stumps.
trees, pieces of broken railroad eGr1ID-
ment. like wreckage in a stiu white
lake
On its surface may be seen men car
rylng long rods which from time 10 time
they use as probes endeavOring 10 To-
cate the solid wreckaEe. Away across
the canyon, the snow Is piled up 400
teet. where II broke against the noun
tain side
Weighed 10000 Tons
Railroad men who have grown gray
fighting the snow in the mountains esti-
mate that there was half a million tons
IN the slide when II reached the stalled
trains. This vast mass, running az n
great rate OF speed, hit the two heavy
trains and the massed rotary pIovvs and
carried them. like light reeds, down into
the canyon.
The bodies that have been taken out
or TIE mass were ali close 10 the sur
lace; IoilnE IN the snow at the base
OF Jle sude, the men work slowly and
carefully Whenever anything solid Is
located with the divining rods a force
OF shoVelers is hurried 10 tbs spot
Ihey dlg rapidly as possible, but the
work is discOUraging, as the snow falls
back almost as soon as Il Is removed
Usually II is a piece OF baggage or a bit
OF broken car that Is uncovered, and
ne general belief is now that most OF
the missing bodies are so far below the
surface that it viii be a long time before
they can be reached
~@N - @NA 4 AAAAAAoAGa
All hope for those IN the PuUmans has
been abandoned. It was at first thought
that some might yet be alive. owing TO
the substantial construction of the cars.
but as the digging proceeds II. becomes
more and more apparent. that even the
giant steel mail cars could hardly be
powerful enough to withstand the pres
sure, and that they must have triyyen
WaN before Il lila 81 ~ y,g
From SkykOmish. sixteen miles from
the scene OF the disaster, a constant
stream OF relatives Of the dead is
making its way to the workers.
Raliroad men. stationed along the track,
Try -Valnly To drive them back But
they waited too long without word, and
they are not to be denied willing as
they are to risk their lives to find out
dehnitely II those they loved are indeed
dead.
The scenes about the little hotel AZ
the mouth Of the tunnel are heart
breaking. Here wait those who know
they have relatives in the debris and
here they say they will remain until the
bodies are found.
A piufuI tragedy IS that of Mrs. Star
rett, who sits, dry-eyed, just inside OF
the hotel, waiting and hoping against
hope. a var ago her husband, an en-
Sineer on the Great Northern, was
killed on the road only A short distance
from here. She, her father, mother, her
son, Raymond. and her two little girls
were passengers on the Inflated Spo-
kane-Seattle express
Waits, Watches, and Hopes.
When the slide came, just one year to-
the day after her husbands death, she
and Raymond were saved in some unex-
planned manner. But father, mother
and the two girls are buried in the white
tomb below. and she waits. and watches. :
and hopes
The body of Conductor Pettitt of
Everett, was taken out today He is
one of the heroes Of the disaster. Fear
ing that a slide would come he headed
a party Of passengers that struggled
through the snow from his imprisoned
train 10 Scenic. When he reached that
point he was warned that IL might cost
him his life to try to get back He
Spurned the advice.
His duty was with his train and
he went back to get more passengers |
and bring them out. He forced his way
back 10 the train only 10 meet death
with the passengers in his care.
The only persons not residents OF
tire Northwest who were killed ara
Bert Matthews, OF Cincinnati: Edward /
Boles, of Noberly, Ontario, and L. w. |
Topping Of Ashland Ohio.