The Great Northern Railroad Avalanche | A Roaring Cascade | 3

27:25The buildings outside the avalanche's path look completely normal, but any buildings that were in its path have vanished completely, scoured from the earth as if they never existed. It makes him grip his wife's hand harder, feeling lucky they escaped. At the bunkhouse, Sherlock sees half a dozen others gathered there, including an engineer named J.J. Mackey and another telegraph operator named William Flannery. Flannery sees Sherlock and waves him over. We need to report this to Superintendent O 'Neill, and we need doctors and supplies up here. The lines, they were down when I left. No messages were getting through.

28:07Flannery groans. Meanwhile, the engineer Mackie steps forward. I'll go to scenic hot springs myself. On foot? In this? What other choice do we have? Sherlock concedes this, but looks Mackie up and down. He's not dressed for the weather, so Sherlock removes his coat. At least take this. Good luck. You'll need it. Mackie accepts the coat, then nods and hurries off into the dark. As he leaves, Sherlock turns to Flannery. Has anyone found any survivors? Several men went down the slope to see. We should set up a makeshift hospital and the bunkhouse while we wait. Yes, good idea. My father was a doctor, so I'll take charge of arranging things here.

28:52You go get a bolt of cloth from the store at Baylitz Hotel. We'll need bandages. As Flannery hurries off, Sherlock turns to the others gathered, issuing instructions as he leads the way to the bunkhouse. Okay, let's make the men's ward to the left and women's to the right. There are far more men, so more beds there. And fill every pitcher with fresh water from the pump outside. Inside the bunkhouse, Sherlock, Alethea, and the others set up beds and other supplies. But they've only been working a few minutes when William Flannery returns, empty-handed. Sherlock frowns. Where's the cotton for the bandages?

29:28Old man Baylitz, he refused to let me in. He's standing on his porch with a gun. He says he's worried about looters. Hearing this makes Sherlock furious. Looters? How can anyone be so selfish in a time like this? We'll see about that. He feels his wife grab his hand. Don't, no, don't risk it. We can use some of our extra clothes for bandages. I'm getting that cotton. He tears free from her grip and hurries outside. He approaches the hotel and stomps up the front steps. Sure enough, W.R. Baylitz is there, sitting in a chair, a shotgun laid across his lap. Next to him, his wife Susan is stifling sobs.

30:10But Baylitz has a hard look on his face. He stands up sharply upon seeing Sherlock. And what do you want? We simply need a bolt of cotton for bandages. Victims will be arriving any minute now. Oh, is that right? Well, anyone who wants my merchandise is going to have to pay for it. I'm not sure you understand. Every newspaper in the state, no, in the country, will be covering this story. What do you think they're going to write about you? Sherlock sees something flicker across Baylitz's face. A bit of panic. Sherlock pushes on. No, I'll tell you what they'll write. That W.R. Baylitz is a greedy bastard that let people die to save a few bucks.

30:54What do you think that'll do for business here? And Sherlock steps forward. And I will fight you right now for that gun. I'm not afraid. But the truth is Sherlock is bluffing. He is afraid. And he doesn't know if he'd fight or not. But his words have an effect. Bailitz lets out a sigh of resignation. A moment later, his wife touches her husband's arm. He is right, dear. We do need to help. I'll go get some cloth. She disappears inside. Sherlock feels his legs trembling as Baylitz continues staring him down. But a moment later, he turns and heads indoors. Sherlock exhales in relief.

31:42Ida Starrett groans as she slowly regains consciousness. She's freezing cold and lying on her stomach in the snow. She feels a terrible weight pressing down on her back. Her head throbs and her face is buried into her elbow, and she can't move that arm. She has no idea how long she's been here. Her first thought is for her children. Where are they? Are they safe? But to find out, she's got to get herself free. There's some sort of lump beneath her stomach, and whatever is trapping her is causing excruciating pain in her back. She tries shifting around, but she can't. She reaches a free arm behind her and feels the bark of a tree.

32:30That's what's pinning her down. Panic starts to swell inside her. Has she broken her spine? To her relief, she can still wriggle her fingers and toes and she doesn't feel pain elsewhere that might indicate serious wounds or bleeding. However trapped, she won't die of her injuries. At least not immediately. First thing, she has to find her children. She yells as loud as she can, turning her face as far as she can upward. Lillian! Raymond! Frances! Can any of you hear me? But there's no answer. She tries again, and it's the same. Nothing. Should she keep screaming? Maybe there are rescuers nearby, but she doesn't want to waste energy if no one's there.

33:20She decides to hold her breath and become as still as possible to listen for them. But instead of rescuers, she hears something unexpected. Breathing. That's Francis. She'd know his breathing anywhere, but his breasts sound shallow, almost strangled. And worst of all, it's coming from right below her. That lump she's lying on is her own child. She's crushing him. Starart feels panic flood her chest. She tries desperately to lift the tree off her back, or at least shift her weight off Francis, but it's futile. She can't move at all. She finally decides to do the only thing that she can, keep her breaths as shallow as possible, and pray to God that rescuers arrive before she smothers her own son.

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36:06Superintendent James O 'Neill yawns as he stirs awake on a cot in the hotel that's serving as his command center in scenic hot springs. He checks the clock nearby. 8 a.m. on Tuesday, March 1st, 1910. This debacle with the blizzard is officially one week old. He gets up and heads outside to check the weather. He plans to send a crew of shovelers toward Wellington today to finally clear all the tree trunks from the snow slide blocking the track. The rotary plows will be useless until those are removed. It's still drizzling, but the forecast calls for sun soon. And if the warmth holds, maybe his diggers can work through the night and have that slide cleared by tomorrow.

36:51For the first time in days, he feels optimistic. Then O 'Neill sees something ahead of him. Or rather, someone. There's a man staggering through the field toward the hotel. It's the same field that he tramped through after sliding down from the railroad track above, as did those two lawyers after him yesterday. The sight irritates O 'Neill. He wishes people would stop hiking down from Wellington. It's just simply too dangerous. He's especially annoyed to realize that it's one of his engineers, J.J. Mackey. But as Mackie approaches, O 'Neil senses something is wrong. Everyone else who staggered down to the hotel was energized, relieved, to finally escape the mountain.

37:35But Mackie looks grim and pale. O 'Neil hurries over to help Mackie inside. You don't look well. Is something the matter? What's going on? The town, it's... Oh, the snow, the snow. Those people. O 'Neal tries, but can't make sense of what Mackie's saying. JJ, come to your senses. What's the matter? Tell me. Mackie takes a deep breath. He explains that a giant avalanche hit Wellington around 1.45 a.m. last night. Half the town was wiped out. O 'Neal can barely believe his ears. Oh my god. And the trains? Gone, sir. Gone. Torn right off the tracks. O 'Neal feels faint. Gone? Mackie must be mistaken.

38:25But another look at the man convinces him. Inside the hotel, he orders a clerk to get Mackie a blanket and a coffee. Then O 'Neill hurries off to the telegraph office. The news has shifted his priorities. Wellington is still completely isolated, cut off from the outside world. Only now there are untold numbers of injured and dead. He has men here in scenic hot springs, but he's no longer focused on clearing the snow slide. Instead, he's got to get supplies up to the people in Wellington. Food and medicine especially. He's got to get doctors and nurses up there as well. There aren't any here, so he dictates a message to summon some from Everett or Seattle.

39:07It will take at least 24 hours for them to arrive. After sending the message, he curses himself for not having a medical team on hand earlier, just in case. But he pushes that feeling aside. He has to think now. He starts calculating how many men to send up and what all they can bring. With every passing hour, more of the injured up on the mountain will probably die.

39:39Telegraph operator Basil Sherlock grips a length of cotton cloth in his hand and pulls hard, ripping off a section for a bandage. He lays it on the table beside him, then proceeds to tear off another length. It's just after noon on Tuesday, March 1st. Sherlock is working in the bunkhouse that's now serving as a makeshift hospital. Volunteers are tending to around 20 patients, not nearly as many as Sherlock would like. The first survivors who were helped up the slope were in amazingly good shape, just bruises and sprains mostly. This heartened Sherlock. Maybe the casualties wouldn't be as bad as he feared?

40:19But before long, the trickle of incoming patients stopped. Sherlock sought out one of the railroad workers, who's been scaling the slope to help people below, and asked what's going on. The man was blunt. No more patients are coming up because everyone else they're pulling out is dead. Between the passengers on the train, the mail clerks, and the railroad workers, they've found dozens of bodies. The news shook Sherlock. He's tearing bandages as much to occupy his mind as anything. A moment later, the bunkhouse door flies open. Sherlock turns to see the hotel owner's wife, Susan Baylitz. There's a boy who needs help.

41:01He's at the hotel. Hurry. Sherlock snatches several bandages and races off, not even waiting for Susan. The rain has slowed to a drizzle outside, but Sherlock still feels the cold slush squishing beneath his feet. He slips twice on the way. Then he darts up the hotel stairs and into the lobby. Two steps inside, he stops in his tracks. The boy is lying on a table, covered in blood. He's around seven years old, and there's a jagged piece of wood, two and a half feet long, rising straight from his forehead. He must have been impaled in the tumble down the mountain. Sherlock's first thought is that no one could have survived such an injury.

41:43The boy must be dead. But then the little fellow stirs and starts coughing. Sherlock hurries forward. Peering closer, Sherlock realizes that he was mistaken. The shard of wood has not gone through the boy's skull. It's merely lodged in his forehead. But it's still a nasty wound. By this point, Susan Baylitz has caught up to him. Sherlock wheels around to face her. Go to the store and get me a fresh razor. Then grab the pot of water you keep boiling for coffee. Susan runs off. Sherlock plans to cut the piece out. Otherwise, the wound will get infected and the boy will surely die. He saw his father perform a surgery like this once.

42:26He hopes he remembers what to do. While he waits for the razor, Sherlock takes the boy's hand. Son, hey, you're going to be okay. Can you hear me? Good. What's your name? Raymond. Star at... Raymond, hey, I'm Basil. You're going to be fine. Squeeze my hand. The boy's fingers tighten around his, but only faintly. Sherlock has to hurry. When Susan returns, Sherlock plunges the razor into the steaming water to sterilize it. Then he turns to Raymond. Okay, Raymond, I need you to listen to me. This might hurt, but you need to keep still. This is important. But as soon as Sherlock begins to cut, the boy wails and screams.

43:13Sherlock turns to Susan. Hold his head. Raymond continues moaning as Sherlock resumes cutting. but Susan is a strong woman and grips him firmly. Sherlock's hands are soon slick with blood but at last the spear comes free. He tosses it aside then bandages the boy's head and examines his work. All right, well, that's the best I can do. Let's get him to the bunkhouse. He's safer where we can keep an eye on him. He scoops up Raymond. As he carries the boy's small body to the bunkhouse he looks down and sees the child's terrified eyes. Sherlock hopes this boy's family survived, and he's not all alone.

44:03Ida Starrett blinks awake as she hears someone shouting above her. Her head throbs with pain, and the voices are so faint that she's not sure they're real. But after a few seconds, she's certain they are. Hello? Hello? Anyone down there? Starret answers as loudly as she can. It's hard to speak with the giant tree pinning her down. Here! Down here! Her voice is creaky, and she starts to cough in ragged bursts. But to her relief, she hears digging start in earnest above her. She can't believe someone found her. She has no idea what time it is, but she's pretty sure she's been drifting in and out of consciousness for hours.

44:47Her thoughts turn immediately to her baby Francis, still trapped beneath her. She can't hear his breathing anymore. But she's praying for a miracle, that somehow he's still okay. And she still needs to find Lillian and Raymond. Above her, the men call out. I'm squeezing someone's hand. Is this you? No, not me. God damn it. The men curse, shift over, and start digging again. They're close now. One shouts down to her. Can you see any sunlight yet? No! They repeat the question several more times over the next few minutes. How about now? Do you see it? Finally, it sounds like there's a shovel right near her head.

45:31When the snow lifts, there's a sudden trickle of light. I see it now! I see it! A moment later, someone grips her hand, and she starts sobbing in relief. But she's not free yet. The men clear the snow around her to find the tree pinning her down. They try to lift it, but it's too heavy, and she screams in pain. They stop, and she hears them talking. Looks like we'll have to cut it. Grab the sauce. The next 20 minutes are excruciate. The motion of their sawing rolls the tree back and forth on her body. She's a lump of dough. One rescuer holds her hand and tells her to be strong. She's crying, but she doesn't know how much longer she can stand this.

46:16At last they're free. A team of them strains to lift the trunk up a foot so another man can pull her out. They finally get her free. But before they drop the log back down, Starrett screams. No, stop! My baby! My baby's down there! We'll come back for him, okay? You're freezing. We need to get you warm or you're not going to make it. No, no, no, no, no, please, please! You have to get him! Get him! Miss, I'm sorry. We have to focus on the living. No, no, no. Starret starts to say that Francis is alive. He has to be. But her words catch in her throat. She knows how long it's been since she felt Francis breathing.

46:57His tiny body smothered under hers. Even more susceptible to the cold than she was. She knows the truth. She can feel it. The death that's been chasing her has struck again. She just hopes her other children have survived.

47:25Ida Starrett winces as the sled she's tied to jerks. A jolt of pain shoots up her back. The sled is being dragged up the slope toward Wellington. him, and every time the men pulling it heave the rope, the pain is excruciating. But she doesn't even care. She barely cares what happens to her at all. It's been just over an hour since Starrett was pulled from the snow. She spent the whole time praying her two other children, Raymond and Lillian, survived. After the death of her husband last month, and now the death of her youngest, the The thought of losing Raymond and Lillian is too devastating to comprehend.

48:09At last, after hours, the rescuers finally drag her makeshift stretcher to the plateau of Wellington. Three men untie her. Starret grabs one's arm. Excuse me, have you seen my children? A girl, nine, and a boy who's seven. Are they here? The man swallows hard. I don't know about the boy, ma 'am, but they pulled a little girl around that age from the snow. She didn't make it. As he describes what the girl looked like, Starrett's throat squeezes tight. That's Lillian. She can't even bring herself to ask about Raymond. She can't handle any more bad news. She feels her brain shut down, as if her mind is no longer attached to her body.

49:01They take her inside the bunkhouse and into a room lined with cots. Other women fill them, bandaged and packed in with blankets. Everything sounds fuzzy, like her ears are filled with cotton. She's vaguely aware of being placed on a cot. Warm water bottles getting tucked under her arms. She has no idea how long she's been laying there when she hears a voice. Mom? Mom! It sounds like her little boy. She shifts her head. She can barely see, but through her blurry vision, she sees Raymond sitting next to her. He's got a bloody bandage around his head, but thank God he's alive. As he throws his arms around her, she wants to squeeze him and never let go.

49:54But she doesn't have the energy to move at all. She feels weighed down by grief for Francis and for Lillian. She just hopes Raymond can feel her love anyway. She closes her eyes, still feeling the weight of his small body against hers. At least one of her children survived.

50:25The tragedy at Wellington killed 96 people, including four children, making it the deadliest avalanche in American history. To get the survivors off the mountain, Great Northern Railway had to dynamite the snow off the tracks. Ida Starrett was the last person pulled out of the snow alive. She and her surviving child Raymond moved in with her mother in British Columbia. She eventually remarried, opening a grocery store and then a chicken farm near Seattle. She refused to talk about the tragedy for decades afterwards. Conductor Joseph Pettit also died in the avalanche. His widow and five children received$1 ,000 in compensation from the railroad.

51:10In the days after the tragedy, newspapers portrayed Superintendent James O 'Neill as a hero for fighting to get the tracks open. But soon, disgruntled survivors like paper salesman Henry White began grumbling about him in interviews. They questioned why O 'Neill initially sent trains up the mountain in a blizzard, and why he refused to evacuate passengers on foot later. O 'Neill came under special criticism for not reaching a deal with the shovelers, which made the company look more concerned with saving money than saving lives. Public outcry grew strong enough that county officials held an inquest on March 18th to determine if the railroad acted negligently.

51:52A jury ruled that while the avalanche was an act of God, the railroad still deserved blame for not coming to terms with the shovelers, for not stocking enough emergency coal ahead of time, and for leaving the trains parked under an especially steep slope. However, O 'Neill did not suffer professionally for his role in the Stevens Pass disaster. To the contrary, he received promotions in later years, and eventually took command of Great Northern's entire operation west of North Dakota. The year following the avalanche, Great Northern added 26 snowsheds across the Cascade Range to shield its tracks from slides.

52:31Great Northern also changed the name of Wellington to Tai E so people wouldn't associate the spot with the disaster. Nevertheless, snow slides and avalanches continued to plague the line. The company eventually built 43 extra miles of track, at a cost of$25 million, to route trains through the mountains at lower elevations, with less annual snowfall. That cost included building what was then the longest tunnel in the Western Hemisphere, at nearly 8 miles.

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53:25This is the final episode of our three-part series, The Great Northern Railroad Avalanche. A quick note about our scenes. In most cases, we can't exactly know what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the books The White Cascade by Gary Crist and Northwest Disaster by Ruby L. Holt. Produced by Audible, I'm your host, Mike Corey. Sam Keen wrote this episode. Our editor is Steve Fennessy. Sound design by Joe Richardson. Engineered by Sergio Enriquez. Original theme music, Scott Velasquez and 2K for Freeze on Sync. Fact checking by Alyssa Jung Perry.

54:07Produced by Emily Frost Managing Producer Desi Blaylock Senior Producers Andy Herman and Austin Rackless Executive Producer for Audible Jenny Lauer Beckman Head of Creative Development at Audible Kate Naven Head of Audible Originals North America Marshall Louis Chief Content Officer Rachel Giazza Copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC Sound Recording Copyright 2026 by Audible Originals LLC

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