The avalanche at Cascade tunnel

Our readers will recall the paper presented by Dr. Cary T. Hutchinson at the Institute meeting in New York on November 12, 1909, which appeared in the November Proceedings, on the electric system of the Great Northern Railway at Cascade Tunnel. It may not be generally known that the avalanche which occurred at Wellington, at the western end of the tunnel, on March 1, caused considerable damage to the equipment of the system. All four of the electric locomotives, with two trains, three steam locomotives, and a rotary snow-plow, were swept away by the slide. Some idea of its force may be gained from the fact that the weight of each of the electric locomotives is 230,000 lb. A portion of the overhead catenary construction was also swept away. The extent of the damage to the electric locomotives has not yet been determined. If much of the apparatus has to be rewound, it may be six months before the electric service can be resumed, as the locomotives will probably have to be sent to Seattle or some other city for repair.