The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1913-01-17
The Fall of Snow This Winter Has k-
Cpeded All Records in the His
tory of the Road
RAILROAD MEN ENDURE HARDSHIPS
Companys Officials Favorable to Long
TunneI-Present Route Would
be Shortened Is Miles

Never before, or since the Great
Northern put their road through to the
coast, some twenty years ago. have
they experienced as much trouble in
the Cascade mountains as they have
this winter. The fall OF snow has been
heavier than in previous years, and in
fact nearly everything that could hap
pen, that would make life miserable
for railroad officials has happened in
the past three weeks. First it was
snow slides, then more snow slides.
which were followed by the blowing up
of a rotary, snufing out the lives OF
three men, and then came the caving
in of about 400 feet of snow sheds,
the least thought Of thing that might
occur. However, it proved to be the
wooden sheds erected years ago. The
concrete sheds built two years ago re-
sisted the heavy avalanches of snow in
a most satisfactory manner, showing no
weakness when the slides passed over.
Loss Of Life Thus Far is Eight Men
While the loss of life thus far has
been eight men, three Of whom died
from injuries received from the blowing
up of the rotary, and six buried in the
slide of about ten days ago, it is not
unlikely that this list will increase be-
fore the winter is over. Had condi-
tions existed this year as they did in
1910, at the time Of the Wellington
slide, before the erection of the con-
crete snow sheds, there would in all
likelihood have been a repetition OF
the same occurrence, and a train load
of human freight swept down the
mountain side.
In spite of the best efforts Of gangs
of Japanese and half dozen or more
of snow plows the company's officials
have been unable to keep the track
open any length Of time for the past
three weeks and railroad men say that
the real trouble has only begun. Snow
continues to fall almost every night at
the tunnel and at present there is over
twenty feet on the level. Unlike the
lower regions where hardly breath OF
air stirs during the winter months, the
wind blows gale at the summit. One
spot in particular near Tye, known as
Windy Point, the high winds have fre-
quently in the past two weeks caused
the railroad workers to abandon their
work and seek shelter. The snow has
already reached such depth that it is
next to impossible for the rotaries to
throw it far enough that it will not roll
back onto the track.
Dangers Many In vicinity of Tunnel
The gangs OF Japanese and Italians
who have been employed in the vi
cinity Of the tunnel are very reluctant
to work in places where there is dan
ger of slides, and for this reason the
work is progressing much slower than
it would under ordinary circumstances.
1t does not take much Of an imag-
NATIVE mind to picture the hardships
being endured and the chances that
are taken by engineers, fremen and
others in this perilous locality and it is
not an unusual sight, when the report
Of an accident comes down from the
tunnel, where some railroad man has
been killed or MANNED to see an anx-
ions mother or wife waiting at the
telegraph Office to see whether it was
her husband or son who was the un-
fortunate one. Those called out to
mil the shrottle or shovel the coal are
fully aware OF the dangers connected
with their hazardous occupation, but
thus far, few have failed to respond to
,ha crv for helm when the call book