Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-30
DISASTER RESEMBLES VOLCANIC AcTIoI
Hill Continues for Hours Hurting BOulderf
High in Air.
DAMNED RIVER THREATENS TOWN
stones Block Stream, Spread Waters
and Then Form Sole Protection
Survivors Have from De-
vastatinG Flood.

hare about 40 this morning and the Whole
valley below the town was shaken immeol-
ately after with what appeared to be vol
canic eruption from the top OF IurVle
mountain. which overlooks the town.
Thousands Of tons Of rock we're thrown
down, covering the mine entrance tne mine
buildings being buried hundreds OF teet
deem. All the men employed about the
mine outside we're instantly killed and
twenty miners are imprisoned In the mime
with little hope OF rescue. The loss OF Ilte
is estimated at over 100, mostly women
and children. A Mr.. Leitch, his wife ana
four children are among the dead Ihe
mountain is still throwing up rock
For many hours no one could explain the
disaster except on the theory thAI
miracle had occurred and volcano sud
denly broken loose In the Canadian Rockies.
Toward night, however. 1t became appar-
ent that the entire trouble was the result
of a landslide. The clouds OF smoke the
terror stricken people claimed to nave seen
dwindled down to drifting dust and the
continued rain Of rock merely the atter-
nath Of the original slide
Old Mans river, which flows through the
center OF the town, is damned up with the
fallen rock to the height Of nearly 100 feet.
The waters are spreading for miles and
the entire valley above the town Is Hooded
big body Of water Is pressing on the
dam. the only protection Frank now has.
should the impromptu dam break the en-
tire village would be swept away.
Turtle Mountain TOtters.
VANCOUVER, B. c., April 29.--By an un-
expected and unprecedented disaster the lit
tie town of Frank, Alberta, has been
plunged into mourning. There are at least
tharA Aataila increase
the number Of Victims. The majority OF
the killed are women and children. AS the
night shift was preparing to come from
work this morning a disturbance occurred
on the top Of Turtle mountain which over
looks the town. There was a tremendous
upheayaI, which. sawoke all sleepsrs, who
believed that ths end OF the world had
come. The entire side Of the mountain was
removed by the disturbance and millions
Of tons Of rock scattered like chan over
the town. The mine building and mine en-
trance were buried under pile of debris
hundreds Of feet deep. Nine houses In the
village are buried under the rock, the roofs
being crushed In like eggshells and every
one inside the houses perlshed.
All the men working at the mine on out
side Jobs were instantly killed. 1t is sup
posed that 100 men were thus killed, al
though the exact number is not known, for
the records of the once and payroll are
buried under the broken rock
The seventeen men working in the shaft
at the time we're all imprisoned and 1t
seemed certain they were doomed, for the
entrance was blocked by immense piles OF
broken rocks. The miners within, how
ever, found an exit where there was less
trock, and after cutting through thirty feet
of debris all but two emerged uninjured.
- hnx IN And
his house destroyed and his wife and six
children dead. There is now plenty Of air
in the mine and the inside workings are
intact.
The people in the town are panicstricken
as the mountain is still scattering rock
/and no one knows how soon the disaster
may be duplicated. The uninjured inhab-
Aitants are divided between a desire to stay
and bury the dead and an impulse to seek
place Of safety before they are over
whelmed by a great calamity.
The nrst announcement was that there
had been a volcanic eruption, but this is
generally discredited. the formation and
history OF the country being opposed to
the volcanic theory. Indirect reports from
Fernie, however, say that lava and ashes
from the alleged outbreak are choking up
old Mans river, which runs through Frank
Frank is a new town of about 1000 In
hsbitants and lies in the valley Of the river
at the entrance Of Crows Nest pass. The
coal company has been operating for. eigh-
teen months. The mines are gaseous.
FIssure opens in Earth.
BUFFALO, N. Y, April 2s.-An onacia
dispatch from the Canadian Pacific railroad
says: ''The latest report from Frank, vii
Macleod, says: A volcanic eruption oc
l. a
opened up for three-quarters Of a mile an,
millions Of tons Of rock slid on TurtI
mountain. which oVerhangs the little town
ut 10 estimated that the loss OF life (
about seventy residents, and in addition
about nifty miners are entombed In tn
mine. The Canadian Pacific at once ar
ranged for trains to convey doctors, nurse
and hospital stores. both from the east an
the west, TO Frank.
'The Crows Nest branch railway is tenn
porariy blocked. but the railway company
who have sent large EanAs OF men there
expect to get It cleared soon"
DIscredits Earthquake story.
VICTORIA, B. O., April 2s.-Mr. Bayne
Reed. superintendent of the meteorologics
survey here, has taken q seismograpl
which diseloses not the slightest trace OF
seismatie disturbance, The reports Of
volcanic eruption or earthquake at Franl
I ~ w. T., are utterly discredited by him.
SPOKANE, April ga private dic--.s
from Frank. N, w. T., states that terr
bic earthquake has occurred there. wipir
out mine and killing seventy people.
Frank is a few miles from FerDie, b. c
where the terrible explosion occurred tV
months ago.
Two years ago H. L Frank of MOntar
began developing the coal fields. driving
tunnel for about two miles. Above tn
ktunnel the coal was sloped out for near
MOO feet. II is supposed here that Il
Earthquake has crushed In the walls
this stope, imprisoning the miners. II
output OF Franks mine is estimated at fro
500 to 1000 tons Of ee1 per dAT.