INDEX

Entries in italics refer to illustrations.

A

Abbott, fireman, 56–57

airplane, 237

Alvin station, 62, 142, 241

Anderson, Lucius, 46, 87, 93, 105, 155, 157, 165, 179, 193, 205

Anderson, Mrs. George P., 186, 214

Andrews, Charles, 127, 160, 166, 168, 171–73, 188–89

Armbruster, Kurt, 120

Armstrong, J. D., 207, 214, 216, 222–24

A-16 (O’Neill’s business car), 18, 60, 72, 151, 187

Atterbury, W. W., 243

automobile, 237

avalanches (snowslides). See also Wellington Disaster

causes of death in, 170–71

causes of Wellington, 159–61, 249–51

history of, in Cascades, 89–90

loose-snow or canyon, vs. slope or slab, 250

physics of snowslide and likelihood of, 97–98

science of, and ability to anticipate, 249–51

survival of victims after, 178

threat of, after disaster, 188

winter of 1915–16, 241

Avery, W. V “Mississippi,” 59–60, 87, 189

B

Bailets, Susan, 168–69, 224, 227

Bailets, W R., 70, 81–82, 88, 91, 106, 153, 167–68, 188, 211–12

Bailets Hotel, 70–73, 82, 150

Bailey, Carrie R, 12

Baker, Ray Stannard, 16

Barlow, Samuel Bancroft, 37

Barnhart, R. ML, 129, 150, 171, 223

Bates, Samuel A., 171, 193

Beals, Edward A., 249–50

Beck family, 4–5, 23, 104–5, 206

Benier, Joseph, 205

Bennington, Earl, 185

Berne station, 188, 240

slide at, 192, 197

Bethel, R. H., 129, 152, 184, 194

Bjerenson, John, 47, 86, 214

Blackburn, Arthur, 18, 28, 62, 71, 89, 131, 137–38, 152–53, 158, 168, 178, 187, 202, 210, 213, 246, 250–51

Blomeke, Antony, 127

Boles, Albert, 143, 185

Boles, Edward W., 143, 185, 202

brakemen, role of, 79–80

British Columbia avalanche, 4, 250

Brockman, John (brother of victim), 205–6

Brockman, John (victim), 205–6, 208, 215

Brooklyn Standard Union, 30

Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen, 247

Brown, E. L., 50, 67, 192–93, 199

Brown, F. V, 214, 216, 222–24, 227–28

Bryce, James, 76

Budd, Ralph, 242

Bull Moose Party, 222

Burke, Thomas, 43

Burke avalanche, 4

Burlington Railroad, 116, 119

Butterworth and Sons, 183, 194, 205

C

California, 36

Campbell, J. B., 243

Carnegie, Andrew, 40

“Cascade cement,” 50, 109–10

Cascade Division

effort to get back into operation after disaster, 191–93, 198–99

growth of Northwest and, 16–17

hierarchy of, 78

O’Neill and, 78, 244

program to fortify line announced, 17

shut down by O’Neill, 52–53, 59

switchbacks and, 54–55

telegraphers and, 59–60

types of men working for, 2–3

weather reports and, 7–8

Cascade Mountains

adversity of nature and weather in, 8–9

forbidding terrain of, 35–37

railroad planned and built over, 38–43

trains slowed by severe weather in, 30–33, 61

Cascade Tunnel, 18. See also New Cascade Tunnel

as alternative to passing track, 102, 137

history and ventilation problems of, 54–58

trains “drift” through to Wellington, 69, 71

Cascade Tunnel Station, 46–56, 62–69, 109, 188

beanery, 47, 64, 67, 70

beanery slide, 3–4, 86–88, 92, 94, 96, 214

Chantrell, H. D., 150, 191

Chelan County coroner, 214

Chester, L. F., 226

Chicago, Milwaukee, and Puget Sound (Milwaukee Road) Railway, 61

Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway, 30

chief dispatcher, role of, 78

Churchill, brakeman, 132

Civil War, 38

Clark, Ed, 166

Clary, Ira, 97, 126, 158, 163–65, 179, 193, 224, 232, 246

Cleveland, Grover, 123

coal supply problems, 60–61, 70, 91–92, 95–99, 103, 108–9, 111, 113, 128

coroner’s report and, 215–16

replenished after disaster, 192–93

switchmen’s strike and, 121, 203–4

Topping trial and, 226

Cody, Colonel, 136

Cohen, Solomon, 107, 112, 127, 171, 188, 194

Columbia River, 36, 42

conductor, role of, 78–79

Corea slide (1916), 241, 247

coroner’s inquest, 87–88, 109–10, 207–16, 219, 221–22, 226, 232, 250

Courtenay, William, 232

Covington, Frank, 185–86

Covington, Luther, 185–86, 206

Covington, Melmoth, Jr., 23–24

Covington, Melmoth, Sr., 186

Covington, Sarah Jane, 23–24, 48, 64–65, 71, 85–86, 93, 125–26, 129, 138–39, 148–50, 153, 157, 185, 206, 214

D

Dalles, The, 36

Davis, George, 65, 127, 153, 157, 186, 195, 206

Davis, Jefferson, 37, 38

Davis, Thelma, 65–66, 105, 127, 153, 157, 170, 206, 235

“Death Mountain,” 55

Debs, Eugene, 222

Devery, J. C., 18, 27, 136, 192

Dodge, Grenville, 78

Dorety, Frederick, 207–8, 210, 212–14, 216, 222–34

Dow Jones Industrial Average, 76

Dowling, J. J., 70, 91–92, 100–101, 103, 131, 145–47, 158, 174–75, 177–78, 192–93, 208, 234

Drury station, 188, 214

Duncan, Earl, 111, 158, 163–64

Durr, Mr. and Mrs., 24

E

Eeden, Frederik van, 93

electrical locomotives (“motors”), 57, 178

electrical storms, 159–60

Elerker, Harry, 47, 64, 86, 214

Eltinge, Charles S., 93–94, 150, 185, 223

Emerson, G. H., 124, 192

engineer, role of, 79

Everett Daily Herald, 7, 17, 85, 98, 125, 157, 181–82

Everett (town), 8, 13–16, 61, 91

F

Fast Mail (train No. 27)

avalanche hits, 157–65, 178

bodies recovered, 195

crew of, 146

at CTS, 48–51, 67

high priority of, 30–31, 33, 49

survivors on, 169, 171

Topping trial and, 225–26

at Wellington, 4, 52, 54, 70, 74, 86, 128

Fast Mail trains, demise of, 237

Finn, Joe, 158

fireman

role of, 79

strike rumors, 121

Fisher, Katherine, 185

Flannery, William, 59, 82, 160, 166–68, 170

Ford, Henry, 237

foreign workers, rumors of looting by, 187–88

Forest Service, 249, 250

Forsyth, R. L., 162, 165–66, 179, 193

Freud, Sigmund, 79

Funderburk, Floyd Stanley, 110

G

Garland, Hamlin, 35

Garrison, T. R., 185

Gaynor station, 108–9, 126, 146, 192

Gilded Age, 119

Gilman, L. C., 240–41

Gleason, E. C., 182

Godby, J. L., 179

Golden Age of Steam, 76–77

Gould, Jay, 40

government regulation, 118–20, 222, 236–37

Granger Laws, 118

Gray, Anna, 5, 23, 87, 106, 138, 148, 157, 170–71, 180, 196, 198, 206–7, 224

Gray, John, 5, 23, 66, 157, 170–71, 196, 207, 224

Gray, Varden, 5, 23, 148, 157, 170–71, 180, 196, 206–7, 247

Great Northern Railway (GN)

ability of, to prevent disaster, 249–51

aftermath of disaster for employees and victims and, 245–47

coal supply and, 92

coroner’s inquest and, 207–16

death of Hill and, 241–42

disaster and, 4–5, 115–16, 176

high rates and low wages of, 122–23

Hill and building of, 40–42

labor and, 202–4

Leavenworth as division point of, 32–33

losses of, as result of storm, 191–93

mail contracts and, 30, 49

New Cascade Tunnel built by, 240–44, 247–48

O’Neill’s background in, 9–10, 17

O’Neill’s promotions in, after disaster, 244

Pacific Extension built, 41–43

payments by, to victims and families, 209, 218, 222–23

press and, 181–82, 202–4

rescue and relief effort and, 91, 131, 182

size of, 116

snowsheds and rotary snowplows of, 26

Stevens Pass and, after disaster, 220

storm and effort to clear tracks, 28

strike of 1893, 123

switchmen’s strike and, 121–22

Topping trial and, 218–20, 222–36

trust busting and, 119

Wellington built by, 75–76

Gruber, J. M., 122–24, 146, 192, 197–99

H

Hamblen, Herbert, 81

Harley, Bob, 82

Harriman, E. H., 119, 120

Harrington, children, 98–99

Harrington, Lillian, 98

Harrington, William “Snow King,” 18, 63, 68, 71, 90, 92, 95–99, 101, 103, 108, 126, 146, 168–69, 179, 192–94, 208–9, 224, 232–33, 246–47

Hartley, Roland H., 243

Hay, Marion, 219

Hensel, Alfred B., 32, 48–50, 106, 149, 157–60, 164–65, 179–80, 195, 198, 218–19, 224–26, 235, 246

Hepburn Act (1906), 118

Highways of Progress (Hill), 204

Hill, James J.

background and personality of, 40–41, 68–69

battles progressivism, 221–22, 236

builds GN over Cascades to Seattle, 40–43, 54, 55, 57

Cascade Division after disaster and, 198, 220

death of, 241–42

foresees decline of railroads, 237

labor and, 110, 121–24, 204, 221

mail business and, 49

O’Neill and, 52–53, 184, 190–91, 229

passenger service and, 84

public hostility to, 116–21

Topping lawsuit and, 219–20, 235–36

Wellington Disaster watched by, 115–16, 124, 190–91

Hill, Louis W, 115, 220, 237

Hill, Louis W, Jr., 243

Hill, Mary, 242

Hill, Samuel, 219

“Hill’s Folly,” 41, 43

Hofstadter, Richard, 120

Holbrook, Stewart, 117

Homonylo, Nyke, 7

Hoover, Herbert, 243

Horn, Milton, 65, 129, 133

Howells, William Dean, 26

Humphries, John E., 225–27, 233–34

I

Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), 118, 243

J

James, Arthur Curtiss, 243

Jesseph, Lewis C., 20–22, 23, 26, 45–47, 64, 65, 86, 93–94, 106, 113, 128–29, 133–36, 139, 144, 210, 247

Johnson, Carl, 136–37

Johnson, Fred, 214

K

Kalispell Division, 91, 146, 192

Kerlee, J. L. “Curly,” 164

L

labor activism, 2, 202–4

Latsch, Libby 23, 92–93, 127, 129, 142, 154, 191

Laville, R. M., 139–40, 152, 165, 179, 193, 210, 247

Lawrence, J. C., 219–20, 251

Leavenworth (town), 18, 30, 32–34, 44, 60, 75, 96, 121

slide of 1915–16, 241

Lee, Annabelle, 183, 218

Lemman, Ada, 66, 87, 106, 112, 138, 184, 206

Lemman, Edgar, 66, 112, 126, 184

Lewis, F. R., 205

Lewis and Clark expedition, 16

Lewiston, Idaho, 48–49

Liberti, J., 206

Life, 119

Lincoln, Abraham, 38, 39

Lindsay, Ed, 91

Livesay, Harold, 77, 78

Longcoy, Earl, 18, 94, 101–2, 105–7, 151–52, 178, 187, 196–97, 200

Lost Marias Pass, 42

Loveberry, George, 54, 127–29, 133, 181, 210, 224, 234

Lundin, A. H., 208–9

M

Mackey, J. J., 97, 109, 168, 170, 174–75, 177, 178, 184, 208–9

Manifest Destiny, 36

Mann-Elkins Act (1910), 118

Martin, Albro, 120

master mechanic, role of, 78

Matthews, Bert, 154, 157, 205

May, Mrs. William, 54, 180, 185, 198, 245

May William, 54, 186, 195–96

Mayo brothers, 241

McClellan, George B., 38–39, 78

McDonald, Archibald “Mac,” 1, 6, 154

McFadgen, employee, 224

McGirl, Mrs. See Sharp, Nellie

McKinley, William, 119

McNamee, Graham, 242

McNeny, James, 66, 139, 142, 151, 171, 184

Meath, John Robert “Bob,” 83, 100, 232

Merritt, John, 22, 23, 46–47, 65, 86, 93–94, 106, 113, 128–29, 132–36, 139, 146, 181, 210, 223, 247

Merritt (town), 92, 95–96, 98, 108–9, 192

Mexican War, 36–37

Miles, Bob, 166, 168

Miles, Mrs., 179–80

Monthly Weather Review, 249

Moore, Bill J., 1–3, 6, 195, 247

Moore, Miles C., 15

Morgan, J. Pierpont, 40, 119, 120, 190

Munger, Thornton T., 250

Mussel Slough tragedy of 1880, 117

N

Nelson, George, 194

New Cascade Tunnel, 240–44, 247–48

New York Times, 242

Nippon station, 176, 182

Norris, Frank, 117–18

North Bank road, 31–32

Northern Pacific Railroad bill, 39

“Northern Pacific Railroad Exploration and Survey, The” (Whitney route), 37

Northern Pacific Railway, 31–32, 39, 41, 48–49, 52, 61, 91, 116, 119, 130, 192

Northern Securities case, 119–20

Northwestern Sales Company, 92

O

Octopus, The (Norris), 117–18

Ohio and Mississippi Railroad, 78

Old Glory slope, 195, 199

O’Malley, Thomas, 251

O’Neill, Berenice C. McKnight (Jim’s wife), 11–13, 15, 18, 89, 155, 199–200, 229, 244–45

O’Neill, James Henry “Jim”

actions of, immediately after disaster, 187–91

aftermath of disaster for, 239, 247–48

arrives at scene of disaster, 183–84

authority of, and railroad hierarchy 78

avalanche of March 13 and, 199

background and personality of, 9–13, 15

beanery slide and, 88–92

bodies evacuated after disaster and, 194–95

coal supply and, 60–61, 91–92, 97–98

coroner’s inquest and, 208, 209–16

dangers of Cascade Tunnel ventilation and, 57

death of, 245

decision of, not to detour trains, 29–33

decision of, not to move train into tunnel, 138

decision of, to hold trains at stations, 52–53, 59

disaster death toll and, 190–91

efforts of, to clear snow and work on rotary plows, 60, 62–63, 67–71, 100–101, 108–11, 145–48

eve of disaster, 155–56

eve of storm, 18–19

fails to foresee danger of slide, 250–51

Fast Mail and, 50–53

Hensel lawsuit vs., 218

hikes to Scenic for emergency supplies and to consider evacuation, 126, 129, 131–32, 135–36

informed of disaster, 168, 170, 174–76

informs superiors of disaster, 181, 184

life of, after disaster, 229, 244–47

passengers complaints and, 88, 93–95, 101–3, 105–6, 111–13, 146–47, 151–52, 202

press and, 189, 201–2

responsibility of, for keeping trains running, 7–9, 11, 16–18

returns home after disaster, 199–200

safety record of, 17

Sherlock resignation and, 196–97

snow shovelers and, 101–3, 105–6, 130–31

snowslide of 1907 and, 90

switchmen’s strike and, 122, 124

technological limitations and, 238–39

telegraph and, 59–60, 83, 89

Topping trial and, 224–25, 227–35

train delays early in storm and, 51

at Wellington command post early in storm, 27–29

wires SOS to company HQ, 146

work ethic of, 68–69

O’Neill, James Henry, Jr. (Jim’s son), 18, 229

O’Neill, Jean (Jim’s daughter), 245

O’Neill, Peggy Jane (Jim’s daughter), 11, 18, 199–200, 244

Oregon Country, 36

Oregon Trail, 35

O’Reilly, Catherine, 66, 129, 150, 167, 171, 195

Oriental Limited (train No. 1), 22, 29, 32, 199

P

Pacific Extension, 41–43

Pacific Northwest, settlement of, and railroads, 36–41

Pacific Railroad bill (1862), 38

Painter, Mrs. Blanche, 33–34

Panama Canal, 42, 243

Panic of 1873, 41

Pascoe, Andy, 182–83

Perley, E. W., 211

Pettit, Joseph L., 33, 47, 54, 66, 71–73, 79, 86–87, 93–94, 105–6, 112–13, 126, 137, 139–40, 142–44, 147–51, 154–55, 178, 187, 206, 209, 211, 223

Pettit, Joseph L., Jr., 247

Pettit, Mrs. Joseph L., 206, 223, 247

Pettit, Paul, 247

Phillips, Carrie, 196

Phillips, Ross, 126, 153–54, 162, 165, 179, 195–96, 218

Pierce, Franklin, 37

Plettl, Felix, 160, 166

Poison, John, 194

presidential election

of 1852, 37

of 1912, 222

press

coroner’s inquest and, 208–10, 214–15, 216

early reporting on disaster, 181–82, 187–89, 201–2

Topping trial and, 227

Progressive Era, 61, 76, 93, 120, 221–22, 237

Pueblo accident (1904), 190

Puget Sound, 8, 39

Pullman Company, 21

strike, 123

Purcell, Homer, 50, 51, 60–62, 69–70, 158, 163–65, 169, 179, 193, 232

R

radio communication, 238, 242–43

railroads

American West and, 15–16

casualty rates for workers on, 80

challenged by litigation, regulation, and competition, 236–38

culture and hierarchy of, 77–84

government regulation of, 118

Hill and control of, 116

Pacific Northwest and, 37–43

public hostility to, 116–18

sociology of Golden Age of Steam and, 76–77

as symbol of American mastery 5

as 24-hour, 7-days a week affair, 27

Railway Mail Service (RMS), 49, 238, 246

Randall, W E., 174

Rea, Edward, 133

Ritter, Frank, 65

roadmaster, role of, 78

robber barons, 117–18

Roberts, Robert, 188

Rockefeller, John D., 119

Rocky Mountains, 35, 42, 91

Rogers, A. B., 42

Rogers, John, 66, 95, 112–13, 129, 138–39, 141–44, 171, 181, 184, 202, 210, 224, 234, 238–39, 247

Rogers Pass avalanche, 4, 250

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 245

Roosevelt, Theodore, 118–20, 218, 222, 236–37

rotary snowplows, 18, 29, 31, 34, 47, 50–51, 57–63, 70–71, 89–91, 95–102, 108–9, 130, 145–48, 158, 192–93, 198

double, 57–58, 60, 62–63, 67, 69–70, 101–2, 109–10, 126, 158, 193

Rule G, 82, 247

S

Safety Door Company, 24

Salisbury, G. N., 7

Saunders, coroner, 214

Scenic Hot Springs, 28, 43, 51, 62, 69–70, 73, 89, 100–101, 103, 152, 175–76, 182, 240

passengers hike to, 132–34, 141–44

Schumann-Heink, Ernestine, 243

Schwantes, Carlos, 43

Schwartz, Robert, 127–28, 150, 250

Scribner’s, 11

Seattle, 4, 8, 16, 39–43

Seattle Argus, 202, 212, 214

Seattle Express (train No. 25), 29. See also Wellington Disaster

amenities of, 21–22

avalanche hits, 157–58, 161–63, 178

climbs into high Cascades, 43–44

O’Neill decides not to move to tunnel, 137–40

O’Neill fails to get passengers to safety, 146–48

passengers’ anxiety and meetings after beanery slide, 85–88, 92–95, 101–8, 112–14, 125–40, 148–55, 213

passengers board, 21–27

passengers hike out, 107, 128–29, 132–36, 139–44

released to continue at Leavenworth, 32–34

rotary snowplows and, on way to Cascade Tunnel Station, 29–32

snowed in at Cascade Tunnel Station, 46–55, 57–58

stuck in Wellington, 4, 65–67, 70–74

survivors on, after avalanche, 165–66, 169–73

switchmen’s strike and, 123–24

Topping trial and, 226

Seattle Mail and Herald, 57

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 61, 188–89

Seattle Star, 191, 193, 196, 202

Seattle Times, 4, 53, 75, 181, 189–90, 201, 208–10, 232, 240

Seattle Union Record, 121, 123, 201, 203

Sharp, Nellie (Mrs. McGirl), 23, 25–26, 129, 154, 167, 185, 206, 235

Sherlock, Alathea, 158, 168–69, 179–80, 183, 246

Sherlock, Basil, 59, 80–81, 83, 136–38, 158, 168–69, 179–80, 196–97, 222, 238, 246–47

Sherman Anti-Trust Act, 119

Similkameen sleeper, 21

Skykomish station, 3, 8, 60–61, 70, 89, 136, 181

Smart, Charlie, 164

Smith, Adolph, 193

Snoqualmie Pass, 38–39, 42

snowsheds, 202

built after disaster, 238

no. 2, 102, 133

no. 2.2, 126, 146

no 3.3, 51, 60, 70–71, 88, 100–101, 104–6, 109–11

snow shovelers, 50–52, 60, 101, 110, 147, 193, 215, 216, 226

walk off job, 106–7, 130–31, 147

Snyder, James C., 187, 204

Socialist Party, 222

Southern Pacific Railroad, 117

Spokane, 16, 22–23

Spokane, Portland & Seattle Railway (SP&S), 31

Spokane Indians, 22

Spokane Inland Herald, 20

Spokane Spokesman-Review, 203

Stampede Pass, 39, 42, 61

Standard Oil, 76

Starrett, Francis, 4, 54, 157, 179

Starrett, Ida May, 4, 23, 54, 87, 106, 149, 154, 157, 171–73, 179–80, 196, 198, 218, 245–46

Starrett, Lillian, 4, 157

Starrett, Raymond, 4, 104–5, 157, 167, 169, 171, 180, 196, 198, 218, 245–47

station agents, role of, 78

Stevens, Isaac Ingalls, 37–38

Stevens, John F., 42, 44, 204, 243

Stevens Pass, 18, 26, 40, 42–44, 46–50, 54–55, 75–76, 80–83, 98, 121, 220, 222, 241

Stewart, weather observer, 20

stock market

crash of 1929, 243

panic of 1901, 119

Stockwell, A. W., 183, 196

Sullivan, Mark, 16

Sweeney, Edward, 177, 232

switchbacks, 103

switchmen

job and casualties of, 80

Press Committee, 203–4, 221

strike, 17, 60, 121–24, 147, 203–4, 221

T

Tacoma, 8

Taft, William Howard, 120–21

Tanguy, Warren S., 56, 88

Tegtmeier, Duncan, 167, 195, 197

Tegtmeier, Irving, 146, 148, 155, 167, 208, 232

telegraphers, 59–60

telegraph problems, 65, 83, 89, 92, 131, 136–37, 142, 144, 175–76, 238

temperature fluctuation, 28, 98

Thomson, James M., 125, 185

Titanic (ship), 238

Todhunter, Leonora, 183

Topping, Bill (Ned’s son), 24, 53, 223, 225

Topping, Edward W “Ned,” 24–25, 45, 47, 53, 58, 60, 63, 65, 67, 72, 74, 86–87, 93, 95, 104, 114, 150, 154, 157, 186, 195, 204–5, 225

Topping, Florence, 24, 53

Topping, Roger, 205

Topping, Ruth, 24–25

Topping, William V B. (Ned’s father), 205, 225, 234

Topping vs. The Great Northern Railway Company, 218–20, 222–36, 250

Towslee, George W., 203

trainmaster, role of, 78

train No. 1. See Oriental Limited

train No. 2, 29, 225

train No. 4, 18, 90

train No. 25. See Seattle Express

train No. 26, 29

train No. 27. See Fast Mail

train No. 44, 29, 51

transcontinental railroad, 37–39, 75

trusts and holding companies, 119

Tucker, Orville, 61

Tucker, Louis, 14

Tumwater Canyon, 17, 69

Turner, G. W., 61, 91–92, 108, 137

Tweedie, Mrs. Herbert, 25

Tye, Wellington renamed, 220, 238

Tye Creek, 72, 74

U

Underwood, J.J., 189–90, 201–2

Union Pacific Railroad, 49, 78

U.S. Congress, 37

U.S. Post Office Department, 30, 49, 116, 238

U.S. Steel, 76, 119

U.S. Supreme Court, 120

V

Vail, J. R., 66, 150

Vance, James E., 8

Vogel, Walter, 146, 211, 232, 251

W

Walden (community), 93

Walker, Lewis, 18, 187, 200

War Department, 37

Washington State, development of, 16, 37, 39, 43

Washington State Railroad Commission, 208, 220

Washington State Supreme Court, 65, 234–36, 249

Watrous, W. C., 108, 184

Watson, Leona, 242

Wellington (town)

abandoned, 248

coal supply at, 60–61, 121–22

dangers in tunnel and, 57

efforts to clear snow at, 50, 62, 69–70

lifestyle among railroaders in, 81–84

maps of, xiv

name changed to Tye, 220

night of avalanche and, 158–59

O’Neill at command post and decisions at, 27–29, 32

passengers stuck in, 73, 106

Pettit telegrams to tell passengers to hike, 144

remote location of, 73, 75–76

snowsheds built after disaster to secure crossing, 220

switchmen’s strike and, 121–22

Wellington Disaster

aftermath for victims and employees, 244–48

attempts to release trains before, 4–5

avalanche hits, 157–73

bodies recovered after, 1–2, 171–72, 184–91, 194–96, 203–7

coroner’s inquest and, 194, 204, 207–16, 219, 221, 226, 232

danger of, and warning signs before, 3–4, 17, 85–90, 132

dangers in Cascade Tunnel and, 57

deadliest avalanche in US. history, 5–6, 176, 190–91

debate over ability to prevent, 249–51

injured passengers evacuated, 193–94, 197–98

labor problems and, 121, 202–4

military campaign compared with, 18–19

new snow shelters and tunnel built after, 2, 220, 240–44, 247–48

O’Neill and rescue effort after, 174–76, 183–84, 187–91

O’Neill’s efforts in days preceding, to battle storm, 18–19, 30–32

passing track vs. alternative places for trains and, 102–3, 106

press and, 181–82, 187–91, 202–3

questions about negligence of Great Northern and, 6, 202–3

railroad industry changes after, 84, 237–39

rescue and relief efforts after, 166–68, 170–73, 177–80, 182–84, 197–98

Sherlock hears avalanche, 136–37

Sherlock quits after, 196–97

storm of February-March 1910 and, 52, 61–63, 88, 90–91, 107–8, 159–60, 250

survivors cared for in makeshift hospital after, 168–73, 179–80, 183–84, 195–96

telegraphers and, 59–60

Topping trial and, 194, 217–20, 222–36

trainmen affected by, 2–3

trains stuck at Cascade Tunnel Station and released, 45–50

trains stuck at Stevens Pass before, 51–53, 57–58

Wellington renamed after, 220

Wenatchee (town), 16, 26

Wentzel, John, 161, 170, 181

Wertz, H. L., 143

White, Henry H, 26, 47, 72, 85–86, 92–95, 105–7, 127, 148–55, 157, 161–63, 165, 179, 193–94, 202, 234, 247

coroner’s inquest and, 209, 212–14

Topping trial and, 224–25, 227, 232–33, 235

White, M. O., 59, 158, 163, 167, 232

Whitney, Asa, 37, 41

Wickham, “Big Jerry,” 132, 134–36, 147

Wiebe, Robert H., 117, 222

Williams, Fred, 225–27, 229–33

Wilson, W. M., 203

Wilson, Woodrow, 222

Windy Mountain, 72, 73, 160–61, 183–84

Windy Point, 17, 51, 90, 100–101

avalanche of March 13 at, 199

Winnipeg sleeper, 21, 24, 26, 46–47 157

hit by avalanche, 161–62, 178

survivors, 165–66, 178

wireless communications, 238

Wright, J. C., 32, 54, 109–10, 209

Y

yardmasters, role of, 78