American Disasters
The Wellington Washington Avalanche of March 1, 1910.
Also know as the Great Northern Railway disaster and Americas deadliest avalanche.
After days of traveling west and passing through the 2.6 mile Cascade Tunnel, the GNR passenger train was trapped by snow at the tiny town of Wellington Washington in the Cascade Mountians. For 6 days the passengers survived on the train while railmen worked dauntlessly through continuous avalanches to clear the tracks ahead towards the next town. Fearful of the snow looming over them on the mountain above, the passengers were assured that they were safest where they were. The weather was sever and eventually an avalanche swept the GNR passenger train and a mail train off the tracks towards the river below, resulting in 96 deaths and 23 surviving injured.