Nice reporting by the Seattle Times on the United States’ worst-ever avalanche disaster, which killed 96 people.
Exactly 100 years ago, on March 1, 1910, a train mid-way through a mountain pass got stuck in the snow. Really stuck. For nearly a week. At one point, it was snowing a foot an hour. All the snowclearing equipment couldn’t keep up. Men hired to shovel the snow just gave up, quit and walked away.
Some people managed to hike back to the nearest town. Others stayed on the train, which had burned through most of its fuel coal trying to keep crew and passengers warm.
That’s when the avalanche struck.
Here’s a news video about it, but give the article a read, too.
Grant Hamilton
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