Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1903-05-13
SAVED BY LATE TRAIN.
Travelling Man Gives Graphic Ac'
count of the Frank Disaster.

Edward Furniss. a travelling man.
vas a witness to the terrible landslide
at Frank. which destroyed so many
lives. and the explanation of which
is battling the biologists. Mr.. Fur
Miss gives the following graphic &C.
count of the disaster in the Spokane
Review. He was in a train approach
ing the town when the slide occur
red:
"Oh, | can't describe It," said Mr..
Furniss. IF our train had been on
time ii would have been crushed out
of existence. but we were late, and
the thing happened just as we APP
preached the town. IL was impossi-
BILE to form any opinion of what had
happened. We most Of us
asleep. A terrible grinding crash is
what | heard. but IL was like no crash
| had ever heard before. and | just
realize the poverty of the English
language when | even try to describe
the noise.
II have a distinct sensation that a
deathly cessation Of all sound for the
millionth part Of an agonizing sec
ond occurred just before the horror
II may have been that so awful was
the noise that its maelstrom of dir
absorbed all sound prior to it. Is II
has sucked up and overwhelmed al
that have followed ii in my ears. Al
tumbled out of their seats half daZed
There was no shrieking or cries o
women that | remember in the train
All seemed to be waiting for some
thing else TO happen. when the trail
drew up with a jerk. | thought thu
train was OF the track. and will
others, piled out to see.
"A constant. though distant, crash
ing filled the air. and We could Sc,
dust like a storm in the heavens
We found ourselves about two mile
from the town. and still have no idei
of the nature of the occurrence as W,
walked up the track a short way. w
were met by a lagman, who told Il
that there had been an earthquake
and We returned 10 the train, whicl
pulled ahead slowly. until IL was 500
brought To an abrupt stop by a MOI
ster boulder.
"A bunch of ten of us men. think
ing We were game for a Chamber owe
TO the town. again piled out when W
learned that by making the walk W
could W a several days wait. Tn
roar had become palmer from tn
rocks, which continued to fall. a W
left the train and stumbled onward
1t was getting lighter. although tn
dust still enthralled all in comparativ
darkness. We walked, ran and feI
forward, with our grips slung o
canes over our shoulders. and II wa
merely through good doging that som
of our party we're not killed by tn
still flying rocks.
"As | remember Frank, the tow
lag right under the northwest corne
of a cliff 1000 feet high. with a lin
against il. This row of houses wa
shaved as neatly from the ground a
a barber could shave a beard. and
huge pile of rock is now in its plac,
You must understand that for IN
most part IL was a clean slide by tn
side of the cliff and that after tum
ling for two long miles down the slop
so great was the force that the rocl
much of it. rolled up the companio
slope two miles away.
Added 10 the terror of dodgin
rocks on our walk was the constaT
fear of a second slice of the mountai
falling away. Our party came nea
getting religion in a bunch on ths
trip. and at one point | asked a frien
how he felt. I feel like hell he r.
piled, and IL was the epitome OF OF
sentiments at that time"