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Show Volume XII THE Issue I OGDEN VALLEY NEWS Page 9 May 1, 2005 The Crash of the Pacific Limited looked out and behind us in the direction of 2"4 On December 31, 1944, Orion C. Marriott and his wife Charlotte Griffin Marriott were in the last car of the Pullman sleeper of the first train #21 that 1 ayy th n fe y - #21 where I saw Rich. Rich had been called for the wrecker to relief train which arrived at the scene—that’s how he happened to be there. Rich remarked how lucky we were to have escaped alive as well as J. E. Stone, Master Mechanic of the S.P. at Ogden whom I used to work under in Ogden as well as oo Welch, who I knew a7 while traveling from Ogden west over the Great Salt Lake. The Marriotts were employees of the Southern Pacific Company. e retired after 40 and who was on 2" years as a credit clerk, and she as an office manager. Orion wrote his mother Mary Fararley Marriott (Mrs.‘S. C harles A. Marr ‘ott), who lived in Ogden, Mr. & Mrs.Orion Marriott Gfler the ifs as ic train crash. Charlotte and Orion were returning to won ki inSan Fr ancisco after C hristmas vacation IS fi seas in1 Oaeint Madeleine Marriott Harrop, Orions sister; Richard (Rich) J. Griffin and Ruth Nelson Griffin, Charlottes brother and friends and fellow S.P. workers who moved with Orion and Charlotte when the railroad transferred that division to California, are mentioned in the letter. r burns on Millbrae, Calif. January 3, 1945 Dear Mother: We received Madeleine’s letter this morning and were very glad t 0 a ae ve 1 folks ‘were not unduly you did not get word of iit ‘het Richard’s wife phoned. I appreciate the gentle manner in which Ruth assured Mother that we were all right. After Madeleine left us at te (Union) ven we went 1 41 Jo 40% 1 at th Ie te of her fingers on her right hand anil acut on her big toe of her right foot. I jumped from the upper berth to the floor and in doing so inured both legs and ankles, and I cut, scratched, i bruised my right leg. My right ankle is in bad sh: After we got out of theberth, we v entered a compartment next to us where the man who a the same had broken the window out, and we were able to rest awhile and get some much needed fresh air. Then Charlotte slipped back to our bunk ae gotmy ¢coat and vest, shoes, her coat and o1 f t from the steam and it wasoe intensely vold from the cold air coming in. Then we moved to a car ahead and a lady ina compartment asked us in. She and her boy were injured. Her four-year-old girl was uninjured. She and her boy were removed to one two Army hospital cars quite some distance ahead which were dead-headed back to San Francisco. It was very fortunate that these two cars were on the train to provide quarters for the ini Aid I went back to our upper 9 and tried to get the rest of our clothes. It took me half an hour and while I was doing this what I saw was a nightmare. I happened to look in the berth next to us in lower 7 and there was a man covered with blood, his _ cut but still alive, yet too far gone to save. His body was steaming in the cold ai ‘es we had dressed to the best of ourability we got out and looked our car over which had been rammed by the locomotive. We were amazed to think that we were alive after such a crash and rightfully so. As far as we know, we were two of the six who came out of this car alive and we were mighty thankful indeed. We looked back of #21’s engine and saw mail and baggage cars sprawled over the three sets of tracks in most any position imaginable, including two which had left the road bed and were in the mud and water off from the fill. All of #21’s 20 cars had piled up in some manner or another except three cars. Just as daylight came, there were several planes which came over and photographed the disaster. We left the scene of the wreck about seven hours after it took place and arrived at San Francisco at 3:15 p.m. Monday. Everything was alright at home. Then we called on Alice and Earl (Moore), the: about us. It appears that everyone in Millbrae of the rails. Dirt was pouring in on us most likely e ‘om ry ome bed. An instant later, all hell broke was screaming, yelling and calls for he “amid t the wild confusion came steam from the brokensteam pipes in our car as aresult of the engine burrowing under our sleeper together with gas and smoke from the locomotive. iecar got so hot that 1 hardly stand it, I shought that it was on fire. The smoke and gas were terrific. We tried to get out and couldn’t. Charlotte tried to switch the eo on in our berth, but there were no lights. The Pullman curtains were securely buttoned and we couldn’t see to unbutton them. We tried desperately to get out without success. We were trapped. panicky. I realized it was either now or never. I knew that we couldn’t last much longer so in one rate effort I managed to rip the curtain and d knows that we were in the wreck as well as everyone at the general office ane where we work. I went to the hospital on Tuesday morning and had a dozen x-rays taken of both feet. After I left the hospital, | went back to work during the afternoon, but I really didn’t do any work for no one would let me. They all wanted to know about the wreck. Most people say that we were very lucky, others that our number wasn’t up, and others that it just wasn’t our time, but we firmly believe that God brought us through safely for which we are very grateful. We were very pleased to know that Dad is feeling a little better and we sincerely hope that you are feeling well Mother. Cheerio to all. With much love, Orion and Charlotte Of Further Interest Orion and Charlotte owned the properties at 303 and311 Ogden Canyon Road. Orion’s brother Milton M. Marriott built the house and garage that are located at 311 Ogden Canyon. This home was lived in for nine years by Orion’s sister Madeleine Marriott Harrop and her husband W. ‘Vern Harrop. Katherine Thomas Brady, Orion’s cousin, and her husband Samuel V. Brady and family lived at one time at 309. That house no longer sits on that roperty. Charles A. Marriott and Mary’s sister Ida Farley Ferrin (Mrs. Chariton P. Ferrin) lived in one of the houses in that section of Ogden Canyon. This historical information and letter were submitted by Orion and Charlottes nephews Lowell Marriott Harrop and Jerry Harrop. Historical Photo d dvi Then two soldiers carried me to the medical car and the Army and Navy medics, who were dead-heading back, dressed and bound my injuries and sprains. Then they threw a blanket over me for I was cold and shivering. I walked back to join Charlotte on my own power and she wrapped me with more blankets as I was still awfully cold and full of shock and there I remained until daylight. hen I walked forward in the car which we were in until I reached the vestibule window and unt over twelve hours from the time of the wreck. a The train left Ogden as far as we know at 5:00 a.m. and we were sound asleep in upper 9 which as a Pullman tourist sleeper and the last car on the ist train#21. At5:30.a.m. the crash came. We were awakened from a deep sleep from the crash of the 2nd train #21’s locomotive into our car. 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