The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1903-05-07

man. we'll known throughout the min
inv district of Northern Montana and
British Columbia, has arrived here, d.
rectly from the scene of the terrible
catastrophe at Frank. Mr.. Laidlaw
brings the first authentic news OF the
causes of the terrible catastrophe in
which ut least eighty persons lost their
lives. He was within stones throw
of the scene of the Gigantic slide when
it took place, am completely sets at
rest all speculative theories as to its
causes.
There was no volcanic eruption or
earthquake other than the vibration
which followed rather than preceded
the disturbance. Turtle Mountain, at
the foot of which the town of Frank is
situated, unable to bear up under the
combined influences of natural trans
formation and honey -combed interior,
COLLAPSED and it's whole ponderous bulk
was preciptated on the sleeping inhab-
itants below
Describes Catastrophe.
Mr.. Laidlaw arrived at Frank on the
evening of the slide. He describes the
catastrophe in the following interview:
"The first l knew of anything was
when l heard a great noise. The I'm
perial hotei shook some. but not suffi-
GENTLY to alarm the guests. A moment
later it was circulated that an earth
quake had occurred and that the whole
mountain had gone. got up then and
looked out of the window. Franks
whole landscape was changed. The
slide came within 200 feet of the main
business street which is lined with no.
tells, stores and the company lodging
houses. 1t came within twenty feet OF
p. Burns & Co.'s stables, and within
seventyfve feet of the company's bunk
house, fully 200 yards from the base OF
the mountain. The freight west was
Just clearing Frank, and the caboose
was caught in the mud Had the regu
lar passenger been on time it would
have been standing in the track of the
slide.
tThe Glide buried between fifteen
and twenty houses completely. To add
to the horror of the situation several
houses not wholly buried caught fire
and were burned. Turtle mountain is
a perpendicular peak which rises to a
height of 1000 feet at an angle Of %
degrees, directly over the town. The
mountain is composed of lime rock.
The main mine tunnel taps the vein
eighty feet above the Crows Nest or
Old Man river. There were five or six
levels above the main tunnel, drifting
on an almost vertical vein, between
twelve and twenty feet wide. The ver-
tical formation of the hill, together
with the action of the water and snow
on the face of the mountain, aided by
the continuous blasting in the mine
pro oably loosened the face of the noun
tain. The action of the water on the
almost pure lime rock formation doubt
less contributed to the slide
No Gas Explosion.
cit is certain that there was no gas
explosion, else an opening would have
been blown in the face of the noun
tain. In fact, the mine. all reports to
the contrary notwithstanding has been
particularly free from gas
The slide covers tie earth for a dis
lance of mile and half east and An
equal distance north and south. Boul-
ders as large as two story dwelling
were dislodged and came crashing down
the mountain with deafening roar.
The slide is from ten to seventy feet
deep. Sixty feet of rock and dirt are
deposited on the lot used as ball
ground by the miners. TIE greatest
loss of life was among the families liv-
ing at the base of the hill. The dissolv-
ing mountain came down without warn
ing on the sleeping Inhabitants of the
little mining camp, and they were i'm
prisoned in their very beds. Those who
were not killed outright met terrible
fate from suffocation and by having
their lives gradually crushed out under
the great mass above them. 1t will be
DAYS before &C omplete list of the dead
can be prepared.
Force of the Slide.
An idea of the enormous force of the
slide can be gained when it is known
that the mass completely covered sew
eral small peaks, running down into
the valley and no the adjoining noun
tain side.
A peculiar fact in connection with
the, disaster is that Immediately after
the mountain came down the ther-
mometer dropped from 80 above to 5
dgrees below zero.
The greatest monetary damage will
fall upon the Canadian Pacific railroad.
The track is covered with practically a
solid bed OF rock for a distance of near
ly two miles. This will have to be