The Great Northern Railroad Avalanche | A Roaring Cascade | 3
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Widow Ida Starrett cradles her baby boy Francis in her arms, bouncing him to the beat of the music. Her two other children, nine-year-old Lillian and seven-year-old Raymond, are stomping on the floor trying to dance a jig. For the first time in weeks, Starrett laughs out loud. It's 9 p.m. on Monday, February 28th, 1910, on the ballroom floor of the Baylitz Hotel in Wellington, Washington. Starrett and dozens of other passengers on the Seattle Express train have been stranded here in the Cascade Range of Washington State for five days.
Why were passengers stranded in Wellington, and how did they plan to escape?
There's also a mail train stranded here, plus a few hundred railroad employees. After the sudden death of her husband a few weeks ago, this has been the most miserable stretch of Starrett's life. She lives in constant fear that an avalanche is going to sweep them all off this narrow cliffside. But things are finally looking up. A few hours ago, one passenger, a paper salesman named Henry White, stormed into the Great Northern Railway's depot and confronted Arthur Blackburn, the railroad's number two man in Wellington. White presented Blackburn with a petition signed by 34 passengers, demanding that the railroad assign workers to help them hike down the mountain to safety. Some passengers and workers have already made the five-mile hike to Scenic Hot Springs, a town that sits at a lower elevation and is shielded from the terrible blizzard flurries.
At first, Blackburn refused, but White was relentless. Finally, Blackburn agreed to provide a handful of workers to escort passengers to Scenic. They will leave tomorrow morning, March 1st. The passengers were ecstatic at the news. People hugged and cried. Someone suggested they all head over to Bailet's Hotel to celebrate. Drinks are now flowing freely, and the hotel owner even roasted a chicken for them all. Then a phonograph appeared, and the dancing started. Watching all this is bittersweet for Starrett, because she and her kids are staying behind. Raymond and Lillian are too small to make the trick, but White has assured her that he'll do everything he can to shame the railroad into returning for them as soon as possible.
So she's tried to put aside her worry and give in to the general joy tonight. And she's glad she did. She'd almost forgotten what it's like to feel lighthearted. Even little Frances is laughing and squealing in delight. She asks a fellow passenger to hold Frances and takes a moment to step outside for some fresh air. Earlier this evening, a rare winter thunderstorm swept through, drenching everything in rain. Now, the showers have paused. Starrett drinks in the wintry scene before her. Wellington is perched on a narrow shelf, the mountain looming above it. She looks up and takes in the view. Every tree is sagging with the weight of the wet snow. Just hold on a few more days, she thinks, until she and her children are finally off this damn mountain.
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A record snowstorm in late February 1910 left two trains and dozens of passengers and railroad employees stranded in the remote mountain town of Wellington in Washington State's Cascade Range. Railroad crews labored to clear the tracks, but the snow was relentless. And the harsh conditions and low pay led many workers to quit in frustration. Some passengers, fed up with waiting for help, made their way on foot down the mountain. But others didn't want to risk it, counting on rescuers from nearby towns to reach them. But as temperatures rose and the snow gave way to rain, the snowpack became more and more unstable, jeopardizing everyone who remained behind. This is Episode 3, A Roaring Cascade.
Telegraph
operator Basil Sherlock struggles with his umbrella in the wind, trying to keep it from flipping inside out.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:09
2
Why were passengers stranded in Wellington, and how did they plan to escape?
1:09–8:17
3
How did rain and warming temperatures make the snowpack more dangerous?
8:17–15:58
4
How did the 1910 Wellington avalanche strike the stranded trains?
15:58–22:03
5
How did railroad workers survive the avalanche and rescue one another?
22:03–27:23
6
How did Wellington survivors organize emergency rescue and medical care?
27:23–31:26
7
How was Ida Starrett trapped beneath a tree after the avalanche?
31:26–42:06
8
How did rescuers free Ida Starrett, and which of her children survived?
42:06–54:19
Speakers
4 identifiedMore from Against The Odds
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