Subj : Today in History - 1910
To   : All
From : Dave Drum
Date : Wed Mar 01 2023 05:25:00

01 March 1910 - TRAINS BURIED BY AVALANCHE: Two trains are swept into a
canyon by an avalanche in Wellington, Washington, on March 1, 1910,
killing 96 people. Due to the remote location of the disaster and the
risk of further avalanches, efforts to rescue survivors and find the
bodies of the dead were not completed until several days later.

The Great Northern Railroad’s westbound Spokane Express left for
Seattle, Washington, from Spokane on February 23. On February 26, a
blizzard in Washington caused high snow drifts in the Cascade Mountains
that blocked the rail lines. Despite many workers attempting to clear
the tracks, the train was still stuck in Wellington, a small village in
King County just past the Stevens Pass, nearly a week later. The area’s
telegraph lines had come down in the storm, and there was little
passengers or train personnel could do but wait out the storm.

The Wellington train station was located near the base of Windy
Mountain, but had no protective cover. On February 28, weather
conditions changed, with temperatures dropping and thunderstorms
battering the area. In Idaho, several miners died in an avalanche, and
flooding imperiled residents of low-lying areas. At 4:20 a.m. the
following morning, with approximately 50 passengers and 75 employees of
Great Northern Railroad sleeping in the Spokane Express, an avalanche of
snow crashed down Windy Mountain, prompted by a combination of rain,
lighting and thunder.

Charles Andrews, a rail worker and resident of Wellington who witnessed
the disaster, described the scene: White Death moving down the
mountainside above the trains. Relentlessly it advanced, exploding,
roaring, rumbling, grinding and snapping. The Spokane Express and a mail
train were both thrown from the tracks down a nearby gorge 150 feet
deep. The Wellington station was wiped away, though the town’s hotel and
store were untouched.

At the bottom of the gorge, the trains were covered by 40 to 70 feet of
snow and debris. Because the telegraph lines were down, the people of
Wellington were unable to call for immediate assistance. Despite the
risk of further avalanches, many people pitched in to try to dig out
survivors; it was not until the night of March 2 that assistance from
outside Wellington was able to reach the site. By that time, 23 people
had been pulled out alive, most with serious injuries. It took over a
week to recover the bodies of all 96 victims of the avalanche, which
then had to be moved by toboggan to the rail lines for further
transport.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: C&O Railroad Jelly Omelette
 Categories: Five, Eggs, Dairy
      Yield: 1 Serving
 
      3 lg Eggs
      1 tb Milk
      2 tb Jelly
           +=OR=+
      2 tb Jam
           Butter
 
  A recipe from the dining cars of the Chesapeake & Ohio
  Railroad from the 1950's "Use the jam or jelly of your
  choice!"
  
  ***Do not salt eggs before or during cooking. Salt
  can cause the eggs to become tough tough during cooking,
  so for best results salt eggs (if desired) only after
  cooking.
  
  Mix eggs & milk with a fork until blended.
  
  In a non-stick omelette pan melt 1 tablespoon butter over
  medium-high heat, when butter stops foaming pour in eggs,
  swirling around pan to distribute evenly.
  
  Cook, lifting sides of omelette to let uncooked egg flow
  underneath, until almost set (about 1 minute), spread jelly
  or jam of choice over half of omelet.
  
  Fold plain side of omelette over jelly and cook for an
  additional 20 seconds.
  
  Serve at once.
  
  Salt & pepper to taste.
  
  From: http://www.food.com
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives
 
MMMMM

.... It's a lot cheaper to borrow money than to marry for it.
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