Olympia Depot Demolished By Runaway Train

It was 51 years ago today that 12 of 15 boxcars full of plywood began their crew-less  runaway journey from just south of Tumwater, Washington to the city of Olympia where they crashed into the Union Pacific Railroad depot, killing one man and injuring about twenty others.

I was eight years old at the time when the Great Olympia Train Wreck happened on March 13, 1959.  Even at that tender age, I remember the shock of learning that the Union Pacific Railroad depot I had visited many times was now just a shambles and we would never be going there again.

We Paid To Potty In Those Days

Mom and I (and probably my brother Dave too) would stop in the railroad depot when we were in downtown Olympia and I remember that the waiting room seemed very open and immense.  It may not have been so large, but rather that I was small.  Mostly likely, our purpose for being there was to use the ‘public facilities’.  Of course, this was the era when society still had to contend with “pay” toilet stalls.  You inserted your dime and hoped the investment paid off with a clean toilet.  The implication was not always the reality though.  Thank goodness those days are over!

Chance Turns Into A Miracle

It was just a miracle that more people weren’t killed or injured in this accident.  The one fatality, Kenneth Dilley, was tragic, but by some twist of fate no automobiles were hit at the numerous railroad crossings between Tumwater and Olympia.  And, a red light that stopped cars on 4th Avenue and Adams turned that moment of chance into a miracle for those inside their vehicles.

Sources:

Personal knowledge of Carol Yates Wilkerson 13 March 2010

The Great Olympia Train Wreck – The Daily Olympian, Saturday March 13, 1999 (saved newspaper article in Yates family archives).

A runaway train derails in downtown Olympia, killing one, on March 13, 1959.  HistoryLink.org Essay 7929   (photo included)

Just a footnote: As a genealogist, I take more notice of surnames than maybe most people.  The name of the telegraph operator that was killed was Kenneth Dilley.  My sister-in-law Kathy has Dilley’s in her Needham family tree;  another name that caught my eye was Gene DeSpain, City of Olympia Engineer in 1959.  My husband Jim’s is descended from the DeSpain family in Des Moines County, Iowa.

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Deborah Kerr, one of my favorite actresses has died today at age 86. Last week I was trying to find a copy of the movie The King and I (50th Anniversary Edition) so that my friend and I could watch it (I love musicals), but I decided against the $26 version. Now I wish I hadn’t. It is one of the movies that by just hearing the name I can ‘hear’ the dialog. And, I was already a fan of hers for her work in An Affair To Remember (50th Anniversary Edition). It was so nice to see a tribute to the movie in Sleepless in Seattle (10th Anniversary Edition) too. I am off to go buy the The King and I now.

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COG -77^th Edition – Disasters

My father-in-law, Loren Wilkerson, was in the Navy during World War II and near the end of the war he was on the CVE (carrier vessel escort) Cape Esperance as they made their way to Leyte Gulf for the battle that would eventually take place there.

On their way to the eventual battle, the Cape Esperance encountered one of the worst typhoons in naval history.  Named typhoon Cobra, it wreaked havoc and caused many deaths for the US Naval vessels caught in its path. If you are interested in reading more about this storm, I recommend the book Typhoon, The Other Enemy by Robert Calhoun. My husband read the book and sent it to his dad. (I didn’t get to read it before that happened, so I just ordered a copy of the book for our library today.) Even though Robert Calhoun was onboard a different ship, his experiences were essentially the same as Loren’s.

Admiral Nimitiz letter to the Pacific Fleet dated 13 Feb 1945 gives an accounting of the ships involved and the damages they suffered. Not only were ships lost, but the Aircraft Losses from Typhoon Cobra 1944 were extensive. The total of the lives lost was at least 800. At one point, Loren said the ship’s captain wanted to abandon the Cape Esperance, but the men didn’t want to do that, and they fought to save the ship instead.

It’s my goal to document Loren’s history, either in the Navy, or as a civilian, so that his descendants will know stories of his life. On July 24^th of 2008 the city of Low Moor, Iowa honored their WWII veterans and my article Low Moor, Iowa Honors WWII Vets is a more extensive recounting of his experience during typhoon Cobra.

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I have just added a new product section to Café Pentimento at Café Press and it is called GREGarious. No, not after the plugin, but as a little play on words and first names. I didn’t make it for our son (even though his name is Greg), just for guys named Greg. Visit my other shops too:

Love and Smooches Shop,

Two Cats in the Bath Shop,

or the Fibromyalgia, it just hurts! Shop

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The Emory family of Centreville, Maryland must be in shock to find that their packrat ancestors kept 400 years of documents. Everything from slave records to more mundane receipts. It makes my paltry collection pale by comparison, but I think our records and documents have stood up pretty well considering.

I’m trying to estimate just what is my oldest original document, and it might be a land record for Jim Yates from 1907 in Howell County, Missouri.  Notice, I said original record. I have copies of many records, including the pay voucher for Richard Osgathorpe for his Revolutionary War service.

My most prized record though, is a hand-written 1872 original letter by my 5th Great Grandfather, John Holmes. John must have been a genealogist at heart because his letter, a reply to a nephew in Mississippi who had informed him of his (John’s) older brother Thomas’ death the year before in that state is filled with names, dates, locations of his children living and dead.

What is your oldest record of original documentation? 1600’s, 1700’s, or earlier?

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