The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1903-05-01

worst disaster that has ever be-
fallen any community in Western
Canada, possibly in the entire domin-
ion. What was either land or rock
slide OF such gigantic magnitude as
to be utterly inconceivable to the
mind Of any whose eye has not be-
held it, or slide induced by seismic
upheaval killed Sc people, DESTROYED
the plant of the Canadian American
Coal 4 Coke company did vast
amount of damage to the mine and
completely devastated about ~
square miles of the finest and most
picturesque section of the Crow
Nest Pass.
me disaster came at Ais o'clock
this morning. when residents of the
town were awakened by a deafening
tumult and a shaking of buildings
which, it seemed. would rattle them
into complete desolation.
or the inhabitants, numbering al
most 1000, not one Processes to have
reached the outside of his domicile
IN time to see any part of what took
plac", but when day dawned it was
seen that the whole side of Turtle
mountain had fallen away, and that
the country extending from the east
rrn edge Of town for two miles down
the pass, and entirely across the
pass a distance of two miles or more
from the mountain, lay buried be-
meath rock and debris of various
kinds for a depth varying from % to
100 feet.
In its sweep, the great slide, if
slide it was-or upheaval, if that be
the more proper Characterization
mollshed and carried away the entire
operating plant of the coal company
the triple boiler and engine house.
electric light plant. railway scales
shops and a row of coke ovens; de-
strOying seven houses owned by the
coal company, burying six of these
with most of their occupants, and
likewise burying ten other habita-
tioho oituoICu III Liz NdlNy east I'll
town. together with every soul within
them.
Helena, Mont, April 29-H. t..
Frank, the founder of the district,
had just completed negotiations for
the sale of the property to a French
syndicate, and was en- route to Paris
at the time of the explosion BY
the terms of the sale. Frank was to
receive S1.O00,0O0 in cash and retain
'49-100 interest in the mines. A
local trust company today started on
the execution of the deal.
Under the laws of France, regis
tered certificates of stock are not
used, but all certificates of stock are
payment to bearer, the certificates
being used by a trustee against a
deposit of the original share certifi-
cate. The local company commenced
the issuance of these certificates to-
DAY.
The company is capitalized at 500
600 shares, in certificates of five
shares each, and is termed the Cana
uldI-AultIlCdu SOdl ~ LUKE COUI'
rany. The properties are extremely
valuable, including the richest fields
in the great coal belt region in Can
ada. where they are located. South
OF Frank are number of other coal
mines, including the famous Crows
Nest mine. owned by Canadian CAPT
ia, and James j. Hill Of the Great
Northern. Frank has population
Of about 1000 persons.
The officers of the Frank Coal Min
ing company are: President, Fl. L..
Frank of Butte: vice president and
general manager, w. Gebo, formerly
of Gebo, Carbon county: secretary,
George f. Wiltse of Montana.
Vancouver B. c., April 30.-The
following report has been received
here from William Pearce, inspector
of surveys, sent to Frank by the de-
Iartment Of the interior, and consti-
tutes the latest official news from
Frank. Now that the excitement
is passed there is no doubt in the
mind of any one that the disaster
was caused by huge landslide and
that there was an eruption or explo-
sion. There are 83 known dead, of
whom Is were women and Is child
rem. There is no further danger
from floods through the damming of
the river. The rock slide is about
1000 feet long, extending from the
top of Turtle mountain westerly.
The slide extends across the valley
for one and a-quarter miles from the
base of turtle mountain. The deb
ris is spread out in fan shaped
mass SO that at the extreme end OF
the slide the mass Of rock is nearly
two miles wide. There is no trace
OF the river for one mile, but the
water is now going through the rock
as fast as it is coming down. 1t is
thought there will not be a repetition
of the slide although rocks and dust
continue to fall from the mountains.