Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1903-05-07

An AWFUL DISASTER
A Town in Southwestern Alberta
Overwhelmed by Rock.
ALSO THREATENED WITH A FLOOD.
Old Mans River Damned Up with the
Rock Shot Dat from Turtle Noun
tain-More Than = Hun
dred Lives Lost

tain--More Than Hun
drsd Lives Lost
Vancouver, B. c., April 30.--Over-
whelmed by countless tons OF rock
yesterday morning, shortly after four
o'clock, and with probably 112 OF IT,
inhabitants killed almost instantly,
the little mining town Of Frank, In
southwestern Alberta, 10 threatened
with complete destruction by flood.
Old Mans river, which flows through
the center Of the town, ID damned
mn with the fallen rock to the
height Of nearly 100 feet. The wa
ters of the river are damned up for
miles and the entire valley above the
town Is flooded. A big body OF wa
ter Is pressing with force upon the
dam--the only protection the town
of Frank now has-unless the river
finds another channel Should the
| impromptu dam break the entire VII
lage would be swept away.
A dispatch from Frank says:
A tremendously loud reverberae
ton shook the whole valley OF the
Old Mans river yesterday morning
at 4:1o o'clock and scarcely half the
inhabitants Of this town awakened
to q realization of the impending
danger when from the top OF Turtle
mountain, overlooking the settle
ment. there were hurled millions o.
| tons Of rock. The Frank mines, oper-
| ated by the French-C Canadian Coal
company, across the river from the
town, were seen to DO buried under
hundreds Of feet Of rock just as the
morning light was breaking. Inside
Of five minutes from the first thun-
derous shock and before half OF the
town realized what had happened, Q
small force Of men had started TO
the relief Of the miners, despite the
treat risk they ran Of being buried
under the rocks which were still be-
inp precipitated from the lofty noun
tain top. The volunteer relief force
was unable to get immediately to
the mine, but managed to got near
! enough 70 determine that not man
AZ the workings had escaped deatn'
Many had been fearfully inangiep'
The disaster was Inerciful to those
men who were employed above
Ground in that they must have been
Killed instantly, while those men In
the workings Of the mine may yer
be alive If they have air to breathe
The disaster was not confined 10 tne
vicinity Of the mine alone, for many
Of the dwelling houses in the town
Of Frank were demolished by the
falling rock. Some Of the occupants
. Of these houses escaped death, but
many others were instantly killed
"a 4 conservatively estimated thai
the loss Of life will exceed 100 and
the latest returns place the number
Of dead at 112.
Tia shock resultant upon the pre-.
c,nitation OF the millions OF tons OF
rock into the valley, while only &C.
finally demolishing comparatively
few Of the houses, 30 shook tne
foundations of the majority OF tne
jdwellinrs, in the town that they are
unsafe to live in and many hundreds
~ neople viii have to live In tns
omen or wader such temporary shei
ter as may be procurable.
The railroad track for Q dis.anc'
Of two miles or more east OF IN \
station Is covered with from zen 4
n 40 feet Of rock and the teiegraP'
!, vires to the east are down. " CON- na
m,Snicatien ID being conducted ~:
one wire running westward and TIM
oIS line ii 90 blocked with private
messages and Inquiries from the out.
side tilak ii is only With the greatest
dificuity fhGS press matter can Be
sent out.
II is Generosity thought here that
the disruption II Turtle mountain
was brought ab0iE BY a seismic dis
turbance, although there are people
I who claim that the 6fieih Of Che up
lieavsl was volcanic. :,
A later dispatch said mat most. q
the men imprisoned in Che mine,
whose death at first seemed certain,
got alive late In the AFTERNOON.
There were II men in the mine Two
died from sufocation, but the 0sher
is worked their way out. The resct
ing party above ground despaired o.
saving the entombed miners, for the
.,,&-.no. Gas hloeked nv immense