The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-05-01
WERE Sc VICTIMS
THAT NUMBER KNOWN TO BE
DEAD AT FRANK.
TEN SQUARE MILES SWEPT
ny THE MIGHTY ROCKS FROM THE
MOUNTAIN.

Besides Killing Many Persons, the
slide Destroyed $1,oOO,OOO Worth
of PrOperty-Appearan of One OF
the Most Picturesque Spots in
Canada Entirely AItered-ROcks
Are Still Falling and Cause of the
Disaster Cannot Yet Be Investi-
gated.
Frank, N. w. T., April 30.-It is
definitely known that fifty-six people
lost their lives here before daybreak
Wednesday by the sliding of the rocky
top of Turtle mountain down upon
the sleeping village of Frank.
Beside killing fifty-six people, the
slide destroyed the plant of the Ca
nadian-American Coal and Coke Com
many, did a vast amount of damage to
the mine, and completely devastated
about ten square miles of the finest
and most picturesque section of Crows
Nest pass.
MANY of the bodies of the dead will
never be found. Some cabins are
buried under $50 feet of rock. Although
organized efforts were made last night
and to-day to search for bodies, only
nineteen have so far been recovered.
Most of the corpses were mangled al
most beyond recognition.
Swept All in It's Path.
In the downward rush of the debris
and other material that was thrown
I'D by the upheaval the entire operat-
ing plant of the Reconsideration Coal
Company was carried away. The build
ings demolished included the tipple'
boiler house, engine house, electric light
plant. railway scales, repair shops and
a row of coke ovens. Seven houses
also owned by the company were
smashed into kindling wood, six OF
them being entirely obliterated and
their occupants killed, while ten other
houses, which were situated in the val
lev east of the town, were also demol-
ished. The people living in these
houses we're also instantly killed as
they slept.
The direct monetary damage will ex-
coed a million and half dollars. Inc
actual loss to the mine company PROB
ably will not exceed 100000. The Ca
madam Pacific Railway Company loss
is heavy through blocking of its tracks
1t Was Picturesque.
The scene of this catastrophe was
originally one of the most picturesque
valleys in Canada. A sheer wall OF
rock rose to a hight of $500 feet above
the level of the town. The Old. Man
river followed the side of Turtle noun
tain, close up against the foot of which
the town of Frank was built. The
mountain wall was. before this catas-
trophe. SO tan and precipitous that
even in the longest day in midsummer
the sun set in the town of Frank at
o'clock in the afternoon, and after that
a twilight ensued.
The material from the slide came
down in almost a vertical wall of rock
and crossed the valley distance of
more than a mile and went part way up
the foot hills on the opposite side of
the valley to a hight far above the
highest building in the town.
Rocks Are StIII Descending.
Pieces of rock are still falling from
the strangely altered top of Turtle
mountain. These rocks in many cases
are huge masses, weighing hundreds OF
tons, and as they fall crashing down
with a noise like thunder, they start
other fragments of rock in the path OF
the slide. which rush onward. bearing
destruction. For that reason it is ex-
tremely dangerous to approach the VI
cinity of Turtle mountain to make in
vestigations into the exact cause of the
catastrophe.