WHAT THE DEADLIEST AVALANCHE IN US HISTORY 96 DIED WAS REALLY LIKE -1910 march 1

 

WHAT THE DEADLIEST AVALANCHE 

IN US HISTORY 96 DIED WAS REALLY 

LIKE -1910 march 1

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BY MICHAEL STAGNO/JULY 1, 2021 9:48 AM EST

In March of 1910, a nine-day blizzard blanketed the Cascades mountain range in Washington, causing an avalanche that claimed the lives of dozens of train passengers stuck on the tracks near Stevens Pass. It remains the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history.

The storm produced as much as a foot of snow in the mountainous area each hour at some points during the storm, resulting in an accumulation of over 132 inches, equal to 11 feet. Two trains that normally traveled through the area had been forced to stop temporarily. As the temperatures climbed, much of the snow melted, leading to a devastating avalanche that pummeled everything below it at speeds north of 80 miles per hour. The force of the avalanche derailed two of the trains and sent helpless passengers flying, many of whom were crushed under the weight of heavy and dense snow or fell to their deaths when the trains were thrown into a 150-foot-deep gorge (via History).

Among the 100-plus passengers, 23 lucky souls emerged from the trains alive. Meanwhile, the weather was so dangerous that season that it put a damper on recovery efforts, and the final body was not found until almost the end of July, 21 weeks after the incident (via NBC King 5). 

THE TRAGEDY OF THE STEVENS PASS AVALANCHE

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The avalanche occurred near the town of Wellington, which was on the mainline of the Great Northern Railway. Despite the devastating ending to a seemingly routine trip across the Cascades, the situation could hardly have been anticipated. The Great Northern Railroad's trainmaster, William Harrington, along with his crew, were known for plowing snow on a steady routine, which kept the trains on schedule.

The conditions, however, proved far too difficult for the normally adept team — which endured numerous work stoppages and train delays. While forcing the trains to wait out the storm, Harrington's crew took on the snow, but because of the poor wages, eventually walked off the job, forcing the trains to maintain course and ultimately, setting the stage for the coming disaster.

Fortunately, some good did come from the incident. After the tragedy, the state built concrete snowsheds over the exposed areas of track to protect trains from the danger of avalanches. Washington also built an almost eight-mile-long tunnel through the lower mountains, which offered a safer journey through a critical part of the route.

Read More: https://www.grunge.com/451456/what-the-deadliest-avalanche-in-us-history-was-really-like/?utm_campaign=clip

CHICAGO FIRE THE DEADLIEST FIRE EVER IN AMERICAN HISTORY ON 1871 OCTOBER 8

CHICAGO FIRE THE DEADLIEST FIRE 

EVER IN AMERICAN HISTORY

ON 1871 OCTOBER 8

The Chicago Fire of 1871, also called the Great Chicago Fire, burned from October 8 to October 10, 1871, and destroyed thousands of buildings, killed an estimated 300 people and caused an estimated $200 million in damages. Legend has it that a cow kicked over a lantern in a barn and started the fire,

 but other theories hold that humans or even a meteor might have been responsible for the event that left an area of about four miles long and almost a mile wide of the Windy City, including its business district, in ruins. Following the blaze, reconstruction efforts began quickly and spurred great economic development and population growth

CHICAGO FIRE: OCTOBER 1871

In October 1871, dry weather and an abundance of wooden buildings, streets and sidewalks made Chicago vulnerable to fire. The Great Chicago Fire began on the night of October 8, in or around a barn located on the property of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary at 137 DeKoven Street on the city’s southwest side. 

Legend holds that the blaze started when the family’s cow knocked over a lighted lantern; however, Catherine O’Leary denied this charge, and the true cause of the fire has never been determined. What is known is that the fire quickly grew out of control and moved rapidly north and east toward the city center.

The same day the Great Chicago Fire began, a fire broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in which more than 1,000 people perished.

The fire burned wildly throughout the following day, finally coming under control on October 10, when rain gave a needed boost to firefighting efforts. The Great Chicago Fire left an estimated 300 people dead and 100,000 others homeless. More than 17,000 structures were destroyed and damages were estimated at $200 million.

The disaster prompted an outbreak of looting and lawlessness. Companies of soldiers were summoned to Chicago and martial law was declared on October 11, ending three days of chaos. Martial law was lifted 








several weeks later.

CHICAGO FIRE: AFTERMATH

The month after the fire, Joseph Medill (1823-99) was elected mayor after promising to institute stricter building and fire codes, a pledge that may have helped him win the office. His victory might also be attributable to the fact that most of the city’s voting records were destroyed in the fire, so it was next to impossible to keep people from voting more than once.

Despite the fire’s devastation, much of Chicago’s physical infrastructure, including its transportation systems, remained intact. Reconstruction efforts began quickly and spurred great economic development and population growth, as architects laid the foundation for a modern city featuring the world’s first skyscrapers. At the time of the fire, Chicago’s population was approximately 324,000; within nine years, there were some 500,000 Chicagoans. By 1890, the city was a major economic and transportation hub with an estimated population of more than 1 million people. (In America, only New York City had a larger population at the time.) In 1893, Chicago hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition, a tourist attraction visited by some 27.5 million people.