Richard M. Barnhart 1869-1910

BARNHART

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 9/10/2010 at 22:56:09

R. M. Barnhart Dead
Was Killed in a Railroad Accident at Everett, Wash.
Ice Slide Caught Train
Sending It 200 Feet to the Bottom of the Canyon – Buried Under Snow and Ice

R. M Barnhart, formerly of Estherville and well known to many in this city, heads the list of eighty-four dead in the great railroad disaster at Everett, Wash., on the morning of March 2nd when a passenger train was hurled to the bottom of the canyon 200 feet below by the sliding of snow and ice from the side of the mountain. At the bottom the train was covered with thirty feet of snow and ice and eighty-four killed outright and many more injured. A special from Seattle of March 2nd says:

“Sweeping down the steep mountain side on the west slope of the Cascades at dawn, an avalanche of snow overwhelmed two Great Northern trains, three locomotives, four huge electric motor engines and brought death to more than a score of persons, according to the meager reports that have drifted in from Wellington, a station near the scene of the disaster.

“Shortly before 2 o’clock Tuesday morning when everyone on the two trains sidetracked at Wellington was sleeping, ten acres of the mountainside that towered above the trains became detached and taking with snow, trees, earth and rocks, an avalanche plunged down into the canyon. The trains were picked up as if they were trifles and the whole mass was piled at the bottom of the ravine several hundred feet below.

“Most of the dead are believed to have been passengers on the westbound Great Northern express bound from Spokane to Seattle, which has been stalled in the mountains since last Thursday. They were asleep when the slide came.

“The other train was a trans-continental fast mail, which carried no passengers. Twenty bodies have been recovered, fifteen of twenty are injured, and twenty-five are missing. The fate of the train crews is not known.

“As soon as the word of the disaster reached Everett, the Great Northern division point 100 miles west, a rescue train with physicians and nurses started for the scene. This was followed by a second rescue train carrying undertakers, wrecking outfits and laborors. As sections of the railroad track have been carried away, farther down the mountains, the rescuers could only get with fifteen miles of Wellington and had to make the rest of the distance from Scenic, a station 1,000 feet below the tunell, by foot through the mountains. By taking a trail, they can cut the distance to three miles.

“The avalanche swept down the mountain side shortly after 4 o’clock in the morning. It was a half a mile long. Most of the passengers on the train were asleep and received no warning of the danger. The trains and locomotives were buried by the debris and it was six hours after the avalanche before the rescue parties made up from workers sent to attack the snow drift, located them.

“The Spokane express had been stalled at Wellington since last Thursday. The passengers have been eating at the railroad boarding house and at nearby cottages, but have returned to the Pullman cars at night. Two days ago several passengers, fearing a catastrophe of this kind, asked Superintendent O’Neall to have the train moved back into the Cascade tunnel where it would be protected. Mr. O’Neill is said to have declared that the train was perfectly safe on the siding at Wellington and ordered it left there.

“Reports of the number of passengers marooned on the train vary. The railroad company claims that there were only 30 people on the train, but men who tired of the delay, walked out over the snow to Snohomish, where they could get a train, say that more than 100 people were on board. Besides the passengers, several trainmen and laborers are supposed to be among the dead or injured.”

Estherville people will learn with regret the death of Mr. Barnhart. His boyhood days were spent here and afterwards was employed in the Estherville State Bank. He was the son of J. H. Barnhart, who recently went to Spokane to make his home. “Dick” graduated in law from the University at Ann Arbor, Mich., and at the time he was killed was city attorney of Spokane. He was considered one of the brightest lawyers in the west. Besides his father, two brothers, John Barnhart, of Cedar Rapids, Dr. T. C. Barnhart, of Spokane, and one sister, Mae Barnhart, are left to mourn his death. (Estherville Democrat, Estherville, IA, March 9, 1910)

R. M. Barnhart Killed
In the big snow slide near Wellington, Washington, last week Thursday, that swept away two entire passenger trains on the Great Northern railroad, R. M. Barnhart was found among the killed. Mr. Barnhart was raised in Estherville and lived here until about eight years ago, when he located in Spokane, Washington, and settled down to the practice of law. He was later elected states attorney and served in that capacity two terms. He was familiarly known here as “Dick” Barnhart and was an exemplary young man in every respect. He has a brother John, who is engineer on the Rock Island road, running out of Minneapolis. The rest of the family, his father, another brother and a sister are now in Spokane. (Vindicator and Republican, Estherville, IA, March 9, 1910)