The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-03-02
Northern Pacific Trains Are Buriedand Passengers KiN-
 ed By the Impact
MORE THAN SCORE OF
 PEOPLE LOSE LIVES
Telegraph Wires Are n And Only Meager News Or, -he Disaster Has Been Received-Trains Hurry
 to the Rescue

Seattle, Wash. March 1.-Sweeping down the steep mountansde on the west slope of the Cascades at dawn this morn ing an avalanche of snow overwhelmed two Great Northern trains, three locomo- tives, four huge electric motor engines and ground to death more than score of persons, according to meagre reports that have drifted in from Wellington, a station near the scene of the disaster.
 Most of the dead are believed to have been passengers on the westbound Great Northern express, bound from Spokane to Seattle, which has been stalled in the mountains since last Thursday. They i. were asleep when the slide came. \ The other train was the transcontinental fast mail. which carried no passengers. Twenty bodies have been recovered 15 or 20 persons are injured and 25 are miss Ing.
 The two trains were in charge of Con ductors Parseybook and Petit, both of Everett The fate of the train crews is unknown
 The private car of Superintendent O'Neill of the western division of the Great Northern was attached to the ex- press and was buried with the rest of the train.
 It is feared C. A. Longcoy, private sec- retary to Superintendent O'Neil is among the dead. O'NeNl, who has been directing the fight against the snow blockade for the last ten days, was not in the car at the time and escaped injury.
 The trains were overwhelmed near the west portal of the Cascade tunnel.
 All telegraph wires are down to within 15 miles of the slide and it has been im- possible to obtain the names of the dead and injured
 As soon as word of the disaster reached Everett. the Great Northern division point 100 miles west, rescue train with physicians and nurses started for the scene. This was followed by a second train carrying undertakers, wrecking out fits and laborers which left Everett at s o'clock tonight. AS sections of the railroad tracks have been carried away further down the mountainsde, the res- cuers could only get within 15 miles of Wellington and had to make the rest of the distance from Scenic, station ZOO feet below the tunnel, by foot through the mountains.
 By making trail they can cut this distance to three miles.
 The avalanche swept down the noun tainside shortly after o'clock this morn- ing It was half a mile long. The train and locomotives were buried by the de- bris. and 1t was six hours after the avalanche before the rescue parties made up from workers sent to attack the snow drifts, located them.
 Reports received here tonight say that the Great Northern power house, which furnishes electric power to operate trains through the Cascade tunnel, and for the depot and water tank, was swet away by the avalanche. and that the railroad boarding house was badly wrecked. A number of the dead and injured are rail- road men and are residents of Wellington. The Spokane express has been stalled at Wellington since last Thursday.
 Reports of the number of passengers marooned on the train vary. The railroad company claims that there were only 30 people. but men who tired of the delay and walked out over the snow to Sky Homish where they could get train, say that more than 60 people were on board. Besides the passengers several trainmen and laborers are supposed to be among
 
 Trains Thrown POO Feet
 Everett Wash, March 1.-Twenty-three oersons are known to be dead 25 are miss ing and a score are injured as a result of the avalanche which swept down the mountanside above Wellington at the west portray of the Cascade tunnel early this morning.
 The avalanche brushed two Great Northern trains, one the westbound Spo- kane express and the other an overland mall train, off the narrow ledge of the High line, hurling them to the bottom of {he canyon 200 feet below.
 4From reports received at the headQuar- &ers of the Great Northern company here kHs evident the greatest loss of life was among the passengers on the Spokane 4ocaI The wrecked trains lie piled on top Of each other 200 feet below the siding on Which they stood when the avalanche Swept over them.
 z The cars were crushed into kindlng &wood and no one in the train escaped in Sury. The slide filled the shelf upon Which the tracks at Wellington are laid hnd rolled over the edge into the valley. D'he danger from slides is not yet over. Warm weather in the mountains Is melt ing the snow and frequently an avalanche 10 heard laundering down the mountain side. Not far from the scene of the dis .a t- into the canyon this afternoon. The snow iS IS feet on the level and in the canyons 1t Is piled up in drifts more than 50 feet in depth-
 Death Toll Is Very Heavy
 Spokane, Wash, March 1.-In this min ing district 19 lives are known to have been crushed out beneath ice and snow that swept down the mountainsides upon ho viilanes of Mace and RlIrke
 So far % men, women and children have been saved from the Mace slide and the rescuers are working desperately to sue cor those who may be found alive else- where. At Burke five are known to be dead and two badly injured, but the list is not thought to be complete.
 At Carbonate Hill. where the third slide
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