The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-12
Mountain Falls Upon Shanties
on Skeena River.
cANNERY VILLAGE SWEPT AWAY.
One White Woman and Two Score
Indians Buried by an Avalanche.
A Portland Cigar-Box Factory Burned
Fatal Accident at yancouver-The
Charges Against Engineer Nevins Dis
missed-PortlandS Suicide Explained.

NANAINo, B. G., July f1.-TSpecial. The
steamer Princess Louise arrived early this
morning from Skeena and way ports, and
brought news of terrible landslide on
the banks of the Skeena river at the North
Paclhc cannery, resulting in the death of
one woman and about forty Indians.
Charles Hoverga, passenger on the
steamer and an eyewitness of the disaster,
gives the following narrowing details:
At quarter TO 6 O'Clock on the morning of
the 9TH inst, those working at and residing near
the North Pacific cannery at the Skeena river
heard loud, rushing noise in the direction of
the high, steep mountain at the back of the
cannery In moment an avalanche of rocks,
earth and trees was upon the doomed settle
ment, carrying everything before it into the
slough close to the cannery. The oc-
cupans of one of the houses had
time to get outside of the building, but before
they could get out of the way O. the avalanche
like rush OF debris, they were caught and carried
along at a fearful velocity In all nine houses,
with their occupants, were destroyed, including
the mess-house and res denee of the foreman of
the eannery In the mess-room at the time of
the catastrophe was the Swedish wife of
the foreman, and she was carried along
with the mass of earth. l am not
sure of the name of the foreman.
formerly in charge of the British Columbia can
merry, but since the syndicate bought out these
eanneries he has been in charge of the North
Pacific. The Indians claim that in the de-
stroyed houses were about forty Indians of the
Port Simpson, Sitka, Matlakahtla and Nitnat
tribes, all of whom are surely killed.
Up to the time left, two days after the slide,
thirteen bodies OF the Indians had been recov-
cred and taken tn Port Essington for burial
The body of the foreman wife had not been re-
covered, but there was not the slightest hope for
any living thing within the range of the terri
Bile slide OF boulders, rocks, trees and earth.
The slide just missed the cannery building by
abouttwo feet, some of the loose earth actually
scraping the corner of the building. In the can
merry building were the foreman and about sixty
Indians getting ready to receive the boats
which were expected as 1t was the slack time
of the tide at the time. Had the slide struck the
eannery or occurred half an hour before, when
all the people would have been in the house,
the death roll would have reached 100 persons
II had been raining in torrents
incessantly ior the previous four
days, and it 10 thought that the
accumulation of water in the ravInes on the
mountain sides broke away. carrying death and
destruction in its course The destruction was
fearful, and the slough is nearly filed with the
debris that came tearing down from the noun
tains- The Indians are greatly excited over the
disaster and were bittarly mourning for their
dead. The boats and their crews were fortu-
nate enough to be out of reach of the slide.