Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-03-04
"a DEAD NOW ESTIMATED
TOLL OF BIG AVALANCHE
Enormity of Washington Dis
aSter Grows as ReScuerS
! Work in Ruins
CBy Associated Press.j

avalanche. that carried away two Great
Northern trains and several steam cleo
trio locomotives will total 81.
Few believe that any OF the s. people
listed as missing will be found alive, for
il is now more than As hurs since the
victims were buried beneath the tons OF
snow and ice and wreckage that swept
over the ledge OF the high line and dash
cd to the bottom OF the canyon 200 feet
below.
The rescuers themselves are in a peril
Gus position, as the danger from snow
slides is not over. Warm winds, accom-
panied by frequent showers. are working
havoc with sle loose snow. which is IS
feet deep on tho leesl. Frequently ava
lanches are seen sho,ting down the steep
slopes.
RUMOR UNVERIFIED.
Rumors last night that one of these
slides had buried the relief parties can
not be confirmed. No news of such a dis
aster has been received at Skykomish.
the nearest telegraph office to Scenic.
Men who made the trip TO Scenic last
night and who talked with survivors
waiting the relief trains there. bring back
remarkable tales OF the heroism display
tunate as to escape uninjured from the
avalanche.
II. Purcell and Ira Clary. two conduc-
tors who extricated themselves from the
mass OF snow and wreckage, worked sew
eral hours endeavoring to release the less
fortunate victims. When the two men
crawled out Of the snow they were bare
footed. but by some chance they found
Purcelrs boots and socks. Clary put on
the socks and Purcell wore the boots. and
together they dug in the SHOWS searching
for the injured.
A fireman was held fast near one OF
the wrecked locomotives. The steam from
the engine had melted out a big cavern
beneath the snow. While trying to re-
lease the imprisoned fireman Purcell fell
into this cavern. The conductor nearly
lost his life. but Clary succeeded in pull
ing him out.
WOMEN CARE FOR HURT.
Mrs. Shelton, wife of the night tele-
graph operator at Wellington, and Mrs.
Bob Miles, wife of an engineer. were
aroused by the noise or the avalanche
| and worked diligently caring for the
| wounded until the doctors and nurses
came on the first relief train.
W. r. Ballet. who keeps the hotel at
Wellington, was besieged by a score az
| half-naked, bleeding men, who selss1 fs=
clothes SO that th-s ==asAs >sem IN oAn
=sTa II Fsscoe-
DR.. Oez. q Great Northesu physician.
who returned from Wellington last night
with three OF the survivors, Ray For
syth, r. NJ. LaVelle and Fireman S. A.
Bates. brought the first direct news of
the disaster. According to DR.. Cox, most
n n MI eli
Sixteen of them are now in a temporary
hospital at Wellington.
The avalanche appeared at /: As a. m in
stead OF a. m. as first reported. Men
who come from the wreck say that the
! FIRST intimation the passengers had of
| their danger was when the snow swept
down upon them, lifted the cars bodily
into the air and then dropped the tram
over the precipice. One survivor described
the sensation as similar to that when on
a storm-tossed ship at sea.
CHEHALLIS RIVER RISING.
ABERDEEN, Wash, March 3-The
| Chehallis river is rising rapidly and a
| Union Pacific bridge under construction
! has been washed out on Gray-Harbor
branch. Melting SHOWS and warm rains
have caused the Cowlitz river to rise to
nearly % feet above low water. The cur.
rent is forming new channels and is car
rying out many bridge booms and mucn
piling. II is feared some of the valuable
farms on the cowlitz bottom have been
reduced TO sand bars.
WOMEN IN CAR.
Ray Forsyth says there were FIVE wo-
men and seven children. i'm this car
Three women and two children escaped.
but the others are believed to have per-
ished.
storm was raging and the lightning
Jared necessarily at the time Of the ca
tastrophc. The mon who succeeded in
eNtricating themselves from the wreck
carried on relief work by the electrical
flashes. On the severed hand of a wo-
man found yesterday was a finger ring
bearing initials which indicate the trinket
was worn by Miss Katherine O'ReilIy, OF
Spokane, Wash, who is among the miss
ing.
The exact number of dead will not be
known for weeks, until the snow, which
is more than 40 feet deep in the canyon,
has melted. Workmen digging in the
snow and wreckage report the finding OF
dismembered bodies, severed arms and
hands. Frequently the first intimation
that they are digging near a body
comes when they uncover a large patch
OF blood red snow.
Undertakers' supplies and more men
were sent up on a train early today. The
bodies will be embalmed and kept at
Wellington until the railroad line is
opened. as It is impracticable to bring
them out on sledges.
When the snow which blocks the tracks
will be cleared away is unknown or I'M
| certain. A large force of men is at
lacking the drift on the west Simulta-
neously snow plows are being brought
from North Dakota to be used in the
opening of the line from the east
Awful Flood Condition
Reported in Northwest