The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's… (2007)

Long, detail-rich account of the 1910 avalanche that swept two trains off their tracks. I liked the follow up with the survivors. ( )

A few weeks after driving over Stevens Pass, my book club decided to read this book about a railroad disaster that took place there in 1910. I particularly appreciated how well researched and narrated this book is, but one of the best things about it is that Krist, the author, takes time to explore the aftermath and ultimate impact of the incident. ( )

A vivid look at the havoc wreaked by the deadliest avalanche in the United States. Living in King County, I had heard of the disaster, but not ever read anything in depth about it. Well worth reading. ( )

I read this book while travelling in the Pacific NW for the first time. It is well written, compelling, and detailed. I actually drove through the Stevens Pass area near where the disaster occured and felt even more connected to the story. One thing that was a bit strange is that the transition from avalanche to inquest/court case seemed to happen quickly. I don't know, was just expecting some more gory details. ( )

What can I say? For a railroad buff who is also fascinated by books about disasters, this was the perfect read. It's utterly amazing that I had never heard about this tragedy until I found this book.

In late February of 1910, an almost unprecedented late-winter snowstorm hit the US Pacific Northwest, causing massive disruption to transportation throughout the region, and utterly crippling the Great Northern Railroad in the vicinity of Stevens Pass, the railroad's Cascade Mountains summit crossing. Two Great Northern trains, the #25 Seattle Express (filled with passengers) and the #27 Express Mail, were eventually stranded on passing tracks at Wellington Station on the western side of the GN Cascade Tunnel. There they sat for days, while railroaders worked round-the-clock in abysmal conditions to clear the snow-drifted tracks so that the trains could move again.

The trains sat on a narrow ledge -- with a steep, snow-covered mountainside rising above them to one side, and a deep precipice falling to the other side . The treacherous and isolated terrain made evacuation of the trains by foot seem a less-than-viable option. As temperatures fluctuated and the precipitation continued falling, in varying mixtures of snow, ice, and rain, the snowpack on the slope above them became more and more unstable . . .

This is Gary Krist's first venture into non-fiction, and he brings the full storytelling skills of a novelist to this true story of a railroad under siege by Mother Nature. The narrative is well-paced, vividly (but not luridly) presented, never dry. Yet his research seems thoroughly done, too, with solid endnotes explaiing his sources and how he put the story together from the historical record.

I highly recommend this book, especially to lovers of railroad history. ( )