Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-04-30
Many People Killed by
Mountain Slide.
MINERS ENTOMBED
SOME OF THEM RESCUED LATER
ON.
Belief That the Remainder Of the
Mountain Will Eventually
Fall.

FRANK, N. W. T.. April 3O-The cause
of the disaster at Frank yesterday was a
huge landslide. There was no explosion
whatever. The avalanche was of such
large dimensions that the cloud of dust
was taken for smoke and the minor slips
were taken for inside explosions. The whole
east end of the mountain extending from
the tipple eastward has gone out. 1t was
AGO feet high, and slid across the entire
valley, blocking the track to the French
mine. This track is about forty feet higher
than the Canadian Pacific railway track,
and Is distant about three-ouarters of a
mile from the mine entrance. The slide
extends from point about 200 feet east of
Frank station to point one and a half
miles east. This track is covered with rock
ranging in size from a pebble to huge
blocks the size of a railroad car.
The Canadian Pacific railway Is arrang-
ing to cut a waterway through where the
river Is blocked up In order to avoid danger
of flood. The loss of life cannot be esti-
mated yet. Thirty miners were entombed.
OF this number, fifteen were rescued unin-
jured. Two men were suffocated. 1t is
believed the rest will be saved.
Entire Families Killed.
About ten houses in the east end of the
town were destroyed and entire families
wiped out. A. Leitch. his wife and four of
his children were killed and three escaped.
There is no reason why the whole of the
remaining side Of the mountain will not
come down. In which case there will be
absolutely nothing left of the country east
of Blairmore. Many small lodges Of rock
continue to come down from the mountain
and it is a hard matter to get men to work
for fear of a second catastrophe.
One of the rescued miners found his
house covered with rocks many feet deep
and his wife and six children dead.
1t has been proven that those in the mine
were safer than those outside of it. The
inside workings of the mine are intact and
no explosion or sign Of gas was felt by the
entombed men until late in the afternoon.
They worked their own way out through
thirty feet of rock, tfmber1ng as they went.
Plenty of air Is now going into the mines
and large gangs of men are at work, rush
ing through the rebuilding Of railway and
telegraph lines.
Partial List Of Casualties.
PORTLAND, Ore, April 3O.-A special to
the Oregonian from Frank. w. T.. gives the
names of fifty-five victims of yesterdays
disaster at the Frank mines as follows:
Alex. Let's, a merchant. wife and four
sons; c. Ackroyd, a miner. and his wife:
A Clark, iaborer wife and five children;
]. Sirota. driver; Andrew Garesack. trap
per: G. Williams, miner. wife and three
children; VIM. Warrington. miner. wife and
six children: John VanDuSen. carpenter,
wife and two children; B. Sumis F. SUMS,
B. Yeskin. w. Warrington. D. Boste. A.
Dawes, Thos. Lock and M. Martigan, all
miners; James Graham, laborer, and wife;
R. Watt, laborer; r. Rocket, laborer;
Thos. Delap, engineer; A. Tashigan. weigh
man: Jos. Brighton. ]. ]. Scott Frank
Vouchon, John McVelgh, ]. L. Leonard, all
employees of McVeigh. a railroad con-
tractor. The fatally injured: Mrs. John
Watkins, Lester Johnson. aged fourteen.