The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-05-13
MOUNTAIN IS BLOWN APART
Disaster Visits a Mining Town in q
Canadian Province.
SCORES OF. PERSONS KILLED

Various Theories on tho Cause Of tho Ex'
plosion-Whole Top Of the Mountain
Slides Into valIey-victims Crushed
to Death In Their Beds While Asleep
Threatened by Flood.
Vancouver. B. C.-Probably ninety.
five persons are dead as q result Of q
mysterious explosion which tore of
the top Of Turtle Mountain, overlook.
ing the little town of Frank, in the Pro.
vince Of Alberta. Great masses Of rock
were hurled down into the valley Of the
Old Mans Creek, sweeping away the
works at the coal mines on the side Of
the mountain and demolishing houses
in the town below. Many of the inhab.
itants were killed in their beds. the men
at the mine works were all killed. and
fifteen Of the seventeen men in the
mine escaped only by cutting their way
out through debris which choked an
opening leading from the main shaft.
There was danger that food would
add to the disaster. The rock formed
great dam, behind which the waters Of
the creek piled up, and If they should
be let loose 1t was not doubted that the
entire town would be swept away.
Frank is town of about 1000 inhab.
itants on the line of the branch Of the
Canadian Pacific Railway over Crows
Nest Pass. 1t lies at the entrance to
the canyon. and the French Canadian
Coal Company has been operating the
coal deposits in Turtle Mountain for
about eighteen months.
A dispatch received from Frank
stated that at 40 o'clock q. m. the
town was shaken with terrific force
and was shocked by loud reports and
detonations. Houses threatened to top.
pie over in the rocking motion. In
stantly the whole town was afoot, and
soon the shouting Of men. who were
running to and fro, mingled with walls
of injured and dying. showed that a CO.
tastrophe OF magnitude had taken
place.
For time nothing was seen but
dense clouds of black smoke. with balls
Of fire dartIng here and there across
the disturbed section. AS soon as the
first smoke cleared away it was seen
that the whole side and top of the
mountain Immediately at the back Of
the town had been blown off.
An immense upheaval Of about one
mile by two miles long had taken place.
and what before was long swamp
was suddenly transformed into huge
mountain Of rock. The direction Of the
eruption from the mountain was north
and northeasterly and in limestone al
together, as this section of the country
is all limestone. The side of the noun
tain on which the mine was working Is
now nothing but loose falling rock.
AS to the cause or nature Of the ex-
plosion many theories are advanced,
some asserting it was due to gas. others
that it was slaKing Of limestone, and
still others declaring it was O regular
volcanic eruption. The immense stretch
of country torn up by the upheaval
would seem to lend color to the idea
that there was an upheaval for mile
or so, but no explosion till the top Of
the mountain was blown up.
The company's mines and plant are
totally destroyed, and the new electric
light plant being installed is also gone.
A mile or so of the Canadian Pacific
tracks is also torn up, and the rails
are twisted and bent in all sorts of
fantastic shapes. The road could never
be built up from there again.
Nearly every cottage In the district
is now vacant. the occupants going to
Blairmore. small town seven miles
distant. Rescue parties have been or
ganized, and systematic method of
search and rescue Is being vigorously
carried on. but very little hope Is held
out for any Of the missing.