The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1903-04-30
A DISASTROUS ROCK
SLIDE At FRANK,N. W.T..
A Timing Village and All Its Inhab-
itants Suddenly Wiped Out of Ex-
istenCe- -Ninety-Five People Killed

mile and many feet in width. and the
whole northern face Of Turtle Mountain
slipped from Its place.
The shock resultant upon the precfpita-
tion OF the millions OF tons OF rock into
the valley, while only actually demolish-
ing comparatively few of the houses.
shook the foundations OF a majority Of
the dwellings In the town. so that they
are unsafe to live In, and many hundreds
OF people will have TO live in the open or
under such temporary shelter as may be
procura BILE.
ALL WIRES DOWN.
The railroad track for distance OF
| two miles or more east OF the station -
! covered with from 10 TO 40 feet OF rock
and the telegraph wires are down. NJ
| communication Is being conducted os1r
! one wire running west and this one line Is
so blocked with private messages and in
/ quiries from The outside that II Is only
with the greatest difficulty that press
/ matter can be sent out.
| At dusksyesterday the rock was stfli be-
! ing thrown on the town from tho noun
\ tain and IL was impossible to venturs
I within half mile OF the mine workings.
/ IL is now certain that 1S men ara buried
/ In the workings. All hope for Them na1
| been abandoned The streets are crowded
/ with the relatives and friends of those
known to be entombed. The women are
behaving in a most heroic manner.
ERUPTIoNs FEARED.
1t is generally thought that the disrup-
| tion of Turtle Mountain was broughe
! about by a seismic disturbance. No lava
\ has been seen and. aside from the smoke
/ from the mountain. the atmosphere ID
1 clear There is however. no explanation
| for the continued upheaval OF rock- Inc
/ eruptive influence seems to centre at the
/ crown of the mountain. .
4 A rda aftATnOOn.
following conservative estimate OF tho Ioss
] OF life was made: -
| Men. women and children killed In their
beds as they slept. So; miners working
outside the mines instantly killed. A'
imprisoned in the mine, IL.
GoGERNMENT AID ASKED.
Ottawa. April 3o-sir wilfrtd Laurter.
received the following telegram from the
president OF the board of trade or FRANK.
N w. t:
iTerrible disaster here. The eruption
OF Turtle mountain devastated miles OF
territory One hundred killed
Must have government aid 20 clear
passage OF river which Is damned 100
feet high and danger TO life and prop
| erty for the food most imminent. Not
one day distant"
Sir Wilfred Laurer replied as follows:
VERY sorry to hear the sad news. I
|
| police at Macleod to give all the re-
! Ief possible. Please send further ue-
! tails"
] Vancouver s. c.. April so.-The latest
/ information from Frank Is somewhat
| more reassuring than earlier newus. IN
! that there now seems TO be less danger
| than was at first anticipated OF an ex-
! tenslve diaster. The threatened flood.
! which bid fair 10 duplicate the Johns
! town diaster, seems less probable.
| OF the men imprisoned In tho mine,
! whose death at first seemed certain, two
| died from suffocation. but the other Is
| worked their way out. There Is now
| plenty OF air in the mine, and the inside
| workings are intact.
special from Frank estofmates the
I total number of dead at 95. The latest
I theory - to the cause OF the d.aster ia
| that 4 was due 20 a rock Slide which car
! red the top of Turtle mountain down up-
| on the village below.
| Frank is few miles east OF Fcrnfe.
| b. c.. whore the terrible explosion oc-
| Cured n few months ago
| About two years ago, III. l.. Frank OF
! Montana began developing the coal neld.
| driving i'm a tunnel for about two uniles.
! About this tunnel the coal was stoppod
7 out FOR nearly 500 feet II Is supponed
here that the earthquake has crushed
In the walls OF this slope fmpr1soufnar
the mines. The out put of Franks mine
IL estimated at 500 10 1000 tons OF coal pep
day.
SOME OF THE VICTIMS.
! the Oregonian from Frank N w T.
| gives the names OF 55 victims OF yester-
Jay disaster at the Frank mines as fol-
Alexander Leits. a merchant, wife ana
! four sons.
| ahnFa- q.