East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1910-03-02

cars were crushed into kindling wood
and no one on the trains escaped in
jury. The slide filled the shelf upon
which the tracks at Wellington are
laid and rolled over the edge on down
the mountainside into the valley be-
low. The danger from slides is not
over. Warm weather in the noun
tains is melting the snow and fire.
quently an avalanche is heard thun-
dering down the mountains. Not far
from the scene of the disaster a slide
four miles long rushed down into the
canyon yesterday afternoon. The
snow is IS feet deep on the level and
in the canyons 1t is piled up in drifts
more than so feet deep.
Most Of the dead are believed to
have been passengers on the west
bound Spokane express, which has
been stalled In the mountains since
February "a. The other train was a
fast transcontinental mail 1t car
ried no passengers. The names of
the passengers on the stalled train
are not known here and wire trou-
BILE in the mountains has interrupt
ed communication with the scene of
the disaster The two trains were in
charge of Conductors Parzybock and
Pettitt, both of Everett. The fate of
the train crews is not known.
O'Neill Escapes Injury.
II is feared that A. Z. Longcoy. Su-
perintendent O'Neill's private secre-
tary. is among the dead. He was in
the private car which was buried and
the messages received here make no
mention of his escape. Superintend-
ent O'Neill, who has been directing
the work of fighting the snow block
ade for the last ten days was not in
the car when the slide occurred and
escaped injury.
The avalanche swept down the
mountainside shortly after 4 o'clock
in the morning. 1t was half mile
long and the snow, loose stones and
uprooted trees were piled several feet
deep. Most of the passengers in the
train We're asleep and received no
warning of the danger The trains
and locomotives were completely
buried in the debris from the noun
tainside and it was six hours after the
avalanche before the rescue parties
made up from workers sent to attack
the snowdrifts located them. Willing
hands at once proceeded to the task
of demoving the bodies of the dead.
Aid Leaves Everett.
An appeal was sent at once to Ev-
erett for help and train load of ply
sicians and rescuers was started for
the scene. Owing to previous slides
which have blocked the line and car
ried out sections of track the rescue
train can go only as far as Scenic.
Wellington is at the west portal of the
Cascade tunnel and Is one thousand
feet above Scenic and almost directly
over the little resort. If the rescuers
follow the tortuous windings of the
railroad as It climbs the mountain
side they will have to walk ten miles,
but they can by taking a mountain
trail cut off this distance to three
miles. A second rescue train con-
tanning a wrecking outfit and addi-
tional workers and undertakers left
Everett at s o'clock last night.
Power House Destroyed.
Reports received here say that the
Great Northern's power house, which
furnishes electric power to operate
trains through the Cascade tunnel, the
depot and water tanks were swept
away by the avalanche, and that the
railroad boarding house was badly
wrecked. A number of the dead and
injured are railroad men and residents
of Wellington.
The Spokane express has been stall.
ed at wellington since last Thursday
The passengers have been eating al
the railroad eating house and at near.
by cottages, but have returned to the
Pullmans to spend the night.
Two days ago. several of the pas
sengers, fearing a catastrophe of thi.
kind, asked Superintendent OINeil
to have the train moved back int
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