A Landslide Buries the Great Northern’s Steam Shovel at the Falls
A sudden slide knocks the big iron machine out of commission; a wrecker from Hillyard hauls it free for repairs.
The steam shovel, operated by the Great Northern on the east end of the fill at the falls, was badly wrecked on Sunday. A landslide struck the big iron machine squarely on the side and put it out of commission. The steam wrecker from Hillyard was called out and pulled the machine out of the dirt which covered it. The shovel was taken to Hillyard for repairs. When rebuilt it will be used on the west end, near Newport, until the clay bank at the other end of the fill has dried out sufficiently to allow its use there.
“A landslide struck the big iron machine squarely on the side and put it out of commission.”
Railway construction in 1908 was heavy, dangerous work, and a single landslide could sideline a costly steam shovel for weeks. The story rhymes with today’s debates over infrastructure maintenance and the vulnerability of big machines—and workers—to sudden ground failure.
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