The Tragedy on the Chehalis River
A work train plunges into a flooded ravine, claiming the life of an engineer as the waters of the Newaukum River rise to historic levels.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A work train was wrecked on the Chehalis-South Bend branch of the Northern Pacific this morning, and the engineer, A. S. Moore, was killed. Yesterday, continuous rains caused serious landslides and washed out the track about halfway between here and South Bend. Early this morning, the train was sent out to help clear the line. About a mile and a half from Chehalis, one side of the track gave way. The engine and pile driver went into the ditch, which was fifteen feet deep and full of water. Fireman F. M. Howe jumped and was uninjured, but the engineer had no time to escape and went down with his engine. The Newaukum River, higher than it has been in years, was running eighteen inches deep across the track. The engine was completely covered, and the pile driver rested on top of it. Despite a large force of men working all day, it was impossible to recover the body. Superintendent McCabe has wired for a diver, and the wreckage will remain until the water recedes.
“The engine was completely covered with water, and the pile driver was on top of it.”
Rail infrastructure in the Pacific Northwest has always struggled against the region's intense winter rain cycles. Today, the Chehalis basin remains one of the most flood-prone regions in Washington, illustrating the ongoing challenge of maintaining transit corridors through volatile floodplains.
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