Omaha daily bee., 1903-05-01
MOUNTAIN STILL FALLING
Bouldes Continue to Crash Into Canadian
Mining Town.
VALLEY RISES OVER TWO HUNDRED FEET
= pk Residents Flee I'm Terror,
~ 'uE Doctors TO Continue Hunt
ead and Police 10 stay
bers' RRvRses.

FRANK. N. w. T., April 30.-It is def
nitely known that ifty-slx people lost their |
lives in Wednesdays rock slide from Turtle |
mountain. Many of the bodies will never
be found, as some cabins are buried under |
$50 feet of rock and although organized
efforts we're made last evening and today
Only nineteen have so far been recovered
most of them being mangled almost beyond
recognition.
valley Rises Hundreds of Feet.
The whole east end Of the noun
tain. extending from the tipple east
ward, has gone out. 1t was 4,4O0 feet high
and slid across the entire valley, blocking
the track to the French mine.
This track is about forty feet higher than
the Canadian Pacific railway track and its
distance is about three-quarters of a mile
from the mine entrance. The slide extends
from a point about 200 feet east o. Frank
station to a point one and half miles
west. The country in between being COW
cred with rock ranging in size from peb-
BILE to high rocks the size of a railroad car.
The Slide carried away the entire operat-
Ing plant Of the French Canadian Coal
company and seven houses, also owned by
the company, we're smashed into kindling,
while ten others situated in the valley east
of town were also demolished and the peo-
pie in them killed as they slept.
The direct monetary damage will exceed
$780, 900 upon which the mining company
will lose about 100000.
Pieces of rock, often weighing hundreds
of tons, are still falling from the strangely
altered top of Turtle mountain, conse-
quently it is extremely dangerous to sp-
proach the mountain to make an investi-
4,NA h., 80 h.,
phe.
Picturesque Spot ObIiterated.
The scene Of this awful catastrophe was
originally one Of the most picturesque val
leys in Canada. Through the center ran
the Old Man river, which has its source on
the eastern slope of the Crows Nest pass
The total width was little over a mile
and a sheer wall Of rock rose $500 feet
above the level of the town.
Old Man river followed the side Of Turtle
mountain, close up against the foot of
which Frank was built. The mountain wall
was SO tall and precipitous that even in the
longest day in midsummer the sun set in
Frank at 8 in the afternoon and after that
twilight ensued.
The slide came down a vertical wall of
rock and crossed the valley. distance of
over a mile. and piled up the foothills on
the opposite side of the valley to height
far above that of the highest building in
the town. Where once existed cozy homes.
fertile farms and stock ranches there is
now nothing but huge chaotic piles of
deb IS from the mountain, which has all the
appearance of a volcanic eruption
The land, which was once of great value
and was rapidly increasing in price on
account of the known presence of natural
gas as we'll as coal deposits, is now buried
many feet deep with waste matter and is
practically vaiueless for agriculture or any
| other purpose.
| As there is no geological expert in the
town 1t is impossible to ascertain exactly
the true character of the force exerted, but
judging from the evidences now brought in
by many who have been scouting around
the outskirts many are inclined to believe
! that II was a huge mountain slide caused
/ by an earthquake or a subterranean ex-
plosion of gas.
Turtle mountain is composed largely OF
limestone rock. A theory advanced by
many of the mining men of the town is that
the limestone cliff had been undermined by
| some subterranean branch of the Old Man
river which had been silently working for
years.
| Residents Flee I'm Panic.
But two houses were used last night and
they not by their owners, but by physicians
less timid, who decided to remain and take
| chances. Many OF the people went to
Blairmore, two miles to the west, to remain
until the danger is over
All business was suspended yesterday the
few persons who remained in town devotinR
themselves to the work Of searching for the
dead. Poor results, however. attended
their efforts, as only nineteen bodies have
been found.
In response to an appeal from the local
Board OF Trade the Dominion government
has sent William r. Pearce to act in its
behalf. Mr.. Pearce conferred with the citi-
zens this morning and decided to clear away
the obstruction from the river so as to
avoid the threatened flood.
Accompanying the government agent was
q force of mounted police to police the dis
triet something that was becoming much
needed, as thieves had commenced to OPP
crate.
An idea OF the immense difficulties caused
by the slide may be had from the estimates
that It will require 1000 men working sew
eral months before a permanent railroad
can be built to replace the two miles de-
stroyed.
Some of the victims.
PORTLAND. Ore. April SO.-A special to
the Oregonian from Frank, N. w. T., gives
the names OF hfty-fve victims of yester-
days disaster at the Frank mines as fol-
lows:
ALEX LEITCH. a merchant. wife and
four children
c. ACKRoYD, miner and his wife.
A. CLARK. laborer, wife and FIVE chill
dren.
]. SIROTA, driver.
ANDREW GARESACK. trapper
G. WILLIAMS. miner, wife and three
children.
WILLIAM WARRINGTON. miner. wife
and six children.
JOHN VAN DUzEN. carpenter. wife and
two children.
b. SUMS.
F. SUMS.
b. YESKID,
F. WARRINGTON.
ID. FOSTER.
A. DAWES, miner.
THOMAS LOCK. miner.
NJ MADRIGAN. miner
JAMES FRAHAM, laborer. and wife.
ROBERT WATT, laborer.
r. ROCHELLE. laborer.
THOMAS DELAPA. engineer.
A. TAsGIAN. weighman.
JOSEPH BRIGHTON.
J. j. SCOTT.
FRANK voUcHoN,