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 enlarge | Author: Gary Krist
Publisher: Holt Paperbacks
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy New: $3.98
You Save: $11.02 (73%)
New (39) Used (17) from $1.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  26 reviews
Sales Rank: 61191
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 5.2 x 1.1
ISBN: 0805083294
Dewey Decimal Number: 979.777
EAN: 9780805083293
ASIN: 0805083294
Publication Date: January 22, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Ships immediately! Perfect and New! Has a publisher remainder mark. 2008 Paperback.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Highly Informative and Interesting Work December 5, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As a railfan, I found this book to be highly detailed on the inner workings of the GN RR, especially during what could only be described as a once-in-a-lifetime event. As one interested in history, I found it to be a masterful retelling of the events in a very readible format. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in either railroading or the history of the US Northwest.
Great historical perspective of a forgotten catastrophe... June 25, 2007
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Don't know why I was prompted to pick this book up...my husband is in a search and rescue group, so that was partly the reason. I read the info given on the back of the book, and having grown up in Northern CA and being a voracious reader, I thought I should have heard about this one transportation disaster. My father was born up in Washington, but somehow this one has faded from national consciousness.
What really struck me about this book is the straightforward writing of the author, Krist. He doesn't sensationalize, as some other books on disasters tend to do. He is honest and reflective, gives the reader all the information on both sides, and lets them draw their own conclusion. I especially enjoyed the information about the court trials and the aftermaths. We can dislike the typical corporate image that continues to run big companies (only now they are the pharmaceuticals who could care less...), but we also recognize that the men who dealt at the closest part of the railway with this disaster most probably did as good a job that could have been done. Unlike the Titanic, where there were some very dismaying behavior by many who were at the helm of the boat and the company, most of the rail workers, especially the superintendant who oversaw the whole week of work around this avalanche were hardworking and gallant, who did make a few mistakes but nothing overt.
By showing us how the courts handled this particular case, plus the information that came from the newspapers that did sensationalize this happening, Krist lets us see why we have come full circle to another place that if this case were tried today, it would have ended very differently for the company. Krist makes a good case for why the ending verdict was probably right (but probably would not have been reached in this era of lawsuits we are currently in). However, he also points out the impact that this case and other transportation disasters of that time had on labor and safety laws in this country. He draws a good diagram for the reader for why this trainwreck led to our current safety requirements and the change in attitudes of people towards corporations that were in control during that time period. Now we need to turn our eyes to the corporations that are currently out of control in ours...perhaps Krist would like to take some of them on?
Karen Sadler
A good story told well May 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is non-fiction at its finest. As the story unfolds, you almost wish you could get a warning to the poor passengers whose fate is all but inevitable. The author expertly weaves together the series of events that led to the disaster, providing insight into the decisions that were made from those in charge. As the snow continues to fall, adding layer on top of layer, the many characters in this story slowly become individuals with whom you can sympathize.
The story takes place in 1910 at the peak of the railroad era. The automobile and airplane are introduced as only bit players. All of the background information is perfectly balanced with the drama that unfolds atop the mountain.
There is no single mistake that led to the accident, but Superintendent James O'Neil is guilty of two mistakes that might have made a difference: His refusal to meet with the passengers and his refusal to negotiate with the laborers involved in snow removal.
This is a fast read made even more so by the author's clever use of cliff-hanging chapter endings. I highly recommend the book.
The White Cascade and our genealogy library May 13, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I ordered this book at the request of one of our genealogy society members. It came soon after I ordered it and I have not had time to read it myself because some of our patrons are waiting to read it. The woman who requested that I order it said it was the best of any of the books ever written about that disaster. We have several other books about the disaster as it happened in our area but it appears this one is the very best as it has been well researched and is well written, keeping the reader's interest to the very end. It is particularly interesting to genealogists searching this area.
A Wonderful book May 7, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This book had if all and I have purchased several as gifts. I wish it could have gone on forever. I learded more about the West, Ameican econimy what life was like back then, values and morays of the time and of course the history of the railroads. It was all brilliantly woven togther with the stories of the people involved. It was never dull very easy to read yet covered some very complex issues. It got you totally involved and it was as if you where there experiencing the cold, the danger, nature and the wonder of how it would all end.
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