Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1910-03-03

sAheaAhs WhSfe ~ disappeared from
sight.
Latest reports indicate that the
avalanche swept down the mountain
i above Wellington at 1:45 q. M. In
stead Of 4:s0. This is the statement
Of the survivors and it Is borne out By
the findings Of watches stopped at
that hour.
| Toss Cars Like Feathers.
| SEATTLE, March s.-survivors Of
| the avalanche which swept two pas
senger trains into the canyon at Wei
lington on the Great Northern, who
reached Scenic Hot Springs give
Kivid descriptions of the horror. When
the snow slide slipped from the noun
tainside and swept the passenger
trains, four huge electrical motors,
three locomotives and rotary snow
ploW. the water tank, part OF the
coal shed and the motor shed over
the brink they say it was IKE riding
in a storm-tossed chip.
There was an electrical storm rag
ing at the time Of the avalanche.
lightning flashes were vivid and
tearing wind was bowling down the
canyon. Suddenly there was a dun
road, and the sleeping men and wom-
en- felt the passenger coaches lifted
and borne along. When the coaches
reached the steep declicity they were
rolled nearly 1000 feet and buried
under 40 feet OF snow.
Charles Andrews. an engineer,
whose home Is at Leavenworth, es-
capped from the doomed coaches is
minutes before the avalanche de-
scended because, he declared, he had
received an occult warning. And
rews was awakened from a sound
sleep at / o'clock in the morning by
a dream voice, which told him to
arise. He lay in his bunk for few
minutes, unable to go back to sleep
or to understand the strange feeling
of impending disaster. Moved by
power which appeared to Andrews
to come from source other than
physical, he arose and dressed. He
walked to the clubhouse, where
other men were sleeping, and sat
down alone
Fifteen minutes after he had left
the train there was the mighty sound
of the swiftly-moving snow and
crash Of timber. He ran to the door
and watched the white death move
maiestically across the track. Moved
by the horror Of what he had seen
and with the strange scream voice
fresh In his memory, Andrews gave
thanks more reverently than he had
ever done before.
Thought IL END OF World.
Ira Clary and H. Purcell. eonduc-
tors in charge Of rotary trains. were
among those who were swept into
the canyon with the wrecked coach
es. Purcell Is a veteran Of the
Spanish war and he and
Clary are close friends. They slept
in the third-class car on the fast
mail No. q.
Il thought the end of the world
had come, said Clary. "The car in
which l was asleep appeared to be
picked up and tossed about like a
feather. Then it began to roll over
and was thrown from the top to
the bottom and from the bottom to
the top FIVE or six times.
"It seemed to me that had been
thrown about for 20 minutes before
there was crash that sounded above
the road of the sliding snow. The mail
car struck big tree which stood in
our path and popped open like an
egg shell. When l realized anything
felt sensation of suffocation and
found that was buried six feet
under the snow. 4 dug my way out
and within short time was above
the wreck.
81 heard Purcell calling and
knew his voice. / asked him, Is
that Purcell?' and he replied. 1T sure
is BY the flashes of lightning / saw
his hand sticking out of the snow
and it took me 20 minutes to get
him out. / was barefooted in the
snow and was dressed only in shirt
and trousers. When gave the last
pull on Purcell his boots fell on top
or him. Purcell put on the boots and
put on his socks.
ct was raining dismally and the
trees all about us were cracking and
screeching. We could hear people
calling for help and we began to do
what we could. We got Charlie
Smart out unhurt and did what we