White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1916-01-28
PASSENGER TRAIN
HIT BY SNOWS|DE
LARGE DEATH LIST REPORTED
FROM CASCADE DIVISION OF
GREAT NORTHERN.
TWO CARS DOWN MOUNTAIN
Train Was at standstiII While Track
Was Being cIeared-Three Of Bat
terman Family of Wenatchee
Were Killed.

Seattle-The death list in the wreck
of the Great Northern's westbound
Cascade limited train No. rs, two cars
of which were swept off the mountain
line by an avalanche near Corea sta
ton, in the Cascade mountains, early
Saturday, stood at six Sunday when
reports to the railroad company and
stories told by survivors were check
ed. Four bodies, which were recov-
cred, were brought to Seattle on the
relief train. Two passengers are miss
ing and are almost certain to have
lost their lives.
Survivors Experiences.
Peter Saver of Leavenworth, Wash,
was in the smoking car when the ava
lanche struck the train. At first he
thought there had been collision.
The car began to raise, and all the
passengers rushed to the front to get
out. He looked out of the window
and saw the chair car and dining car
tumble over. The dining car turned
rover once, slid many feet and then
burst into flames. All those escaping
injury rushed to extricate passengers
buried in the snow.
Miss Fern Murdoch, young school
teacher of Cashmere, Wash, had a
thrilling escape. She was in the end
of the chair cab and was thrown down
the mountain side so feet into snow
up to her neck.
Woman Pinned in Wreckage.
Mrs. Edward Batterman of Wenat-
chez, with her husband and three chill
dren, was on her way to Oregon to
attend the funeral of her mother She
of milk for her S-months-old baby
when the slide hit the chair car The
bottle broke, severely cutting her. She
was pinned fast in the car by debris
and it was 40 minutes after an opening
was cut into the car before she was
extricated. Her husband and baby
were found dead, the baby clasped in
it's fathers arms. Her 10-year-old son
is missing. The third child escaped
unhurt.
In the. offices of the Great North:
ern the following information was
given out regarding the fatality:
i The accident was at Corea, six miles
west Of the western portal of the Well
ington tunnel, where2 SO lives were
lost in a similar accident six years
ago; was A. miles west of Leaven-
worth, 80 miles east of Seattle and 230
from Spokane.
The train was No. rs, made UP in
Spokane and which left at 8:15 p. NJ,
Friday, for Seattle, Conductor M. H.
Harrigan of Seattle in charge. The
engine crew that drew the train out
of Spokane ended It's labors at Leav-
enworth, where it was succeeded by
a Cascade division crew.
/ Besides the engine and tender, the
train was made up of mail car, bag
gage car and smoker, then the day
coach and diner that were struck and
carried down the mountainside, and
last a sleeper and a combination sleep
Ter and observation car on the rear
1t is not certain that all of the pas
sengers in the chair car have been ac-
counted for. The Great Northern dis
pitched a special train with 100 addi-
tional laborers to dig in the snow in
search for more bodies Sunday.
Chairman Charles A. Reynolds of
the. state public service commission
went to Corea at the request of Gov
ernor Lister to conduct personal in
vestigation of the accident.
Known Dead.
Edward Batterman and baby, Wen
atchee, Wash.
l., w. c.. Carter, .905 Twenty third. ave-
nue., East Vancouver, B. G. =
Bert Kirkman, box $50, Sheridan,
Wyo.
! ;, The Missing.
i Ralph Batterman; 10-year.old son Of
Edward Batterman
/ Another passenger, whose name is
not known.
The Injured. ~
Five injured passengers were taken
to the hospital at Everett when the
relief train passed through there. They
Twere:
Mrs. Edward Batterman, Wenatchee,
suffering from bruises and shock
/ Mrs. Lloyd Smith, Spokane, bruises
and shock.
Ernest Smith, age ~, and Arthur
Smith, age 10, sons of Mrs. Smith,
bruises.
Mrs. Geo. Doust of Spokane, bruises
and shock.
Eight Perished, Is Report.
Persistent reports that Mrs. Fern
Wallace and baby, of Lyons, Wash,
were among the missing were con-
firmed Sunday by survivors. This
brought the number of missing to four
and with four known dead the total
number Of lives lost was brought to