Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-03-05
WERE CLEARING AWAY SLIDE
Were Working Rotary Engine
Over II When Larger
Slide Came.
All Passenger Trains Are safe, bat
Travel May be- Delayed
For Day or Two.

Vancouver March Sin "a snowslidc
early this morning between Rogers
Pass station and Glacier. on the line
90 the Canadian Pacific. ia the Rocky
mountains. so men were killed. All
tho victims were workmcn for the rail-
way company and more than half OF
them were japanese
The men were @ working crew en-
gagged bon clearing away a small slide
which had come down early In the
evening They were working "a rotary
engine over IT. when larger slide came
down and carried them 20 their death
in the canyon below.
At first it was believed that an %
the hundred men engaged were killed.
but during the early morning e was
found that many had escaped and the
death list is now placed in the vicinity
OF Co.
An passenger trains on the line are
safe. though il win probably be day
or two before they are able 10 pass the
place where the slide occurred.
Last night was one of the worst that
has ever been experienced in the rail-
road situation Of tho Canadian Pacific
There was q heavy storm ot rain and
sleot, and sometimes snow. and weather
conditions were altogether at their
worst
a storm also occurred iu the Arrow
Lakes. Communication with the east
is down. a long section % telegraph
lire was carried away by the slide.
The accident occurred near . snaw-
shed one mile west of Rogers Pas,
ana at the actual summit of 90. Sell
kinks. Scventy-hyc per cent os The
dead were white men, the remainder
japanese. Conductor Buckley md En-
ginccr Phillips Of the work train head
ed by @ rotary snowplow were killed
A. soon al the news reached ReyeI-
stoke relief train conveyns uhysi-
clans and nurses and over 200 railway
men and other citizens was speeding
east GO Rogers Pass The scene OF the
accident was reached az O'Clock this
morning. when the task Of digging To-
the tangled mass of debris in the hope
of finding e. few survivors. was COM
mcnced with vigor.
Calgary made an equally prompt re-
Spouse. 1t also sent special train
with $50 workmon as well as nurses
and doctors. The special arrived al
Rogers Pass at 10 o'clock this morning.
Acting .Supt. Fitzpatrick OF the Pacific
division OF the Canadian Pacific rail-
way left Vancouver today for the scene
OF the accident.
The first slide occurred al $40 yes
torday afternoon In the narrow valley
OF Bear creek, thanked on either side
by precipitous mountains covered
with a depth OF snow varying from
20 20 so feet The slide did not come
from a very high elevation and was
composed mostly OF snow. II had
length OF 800 feet and depth Of SO
feet While men were working 90 clear
the tracks at 1880 this morning. half
OF the FIRST slide having been removed.
the second avalanche descended. II
started on the side OF the canyon OPP
posite the point where the first slide
occurred Thousands OF feet above 70
few rolling masses OF snow. growing i'm
volume and momentum. started on "a
pathway o. destruction.
In few seconds. with noise Ike a
thousand thunderbolts crashing in uni
SON. the avalanche leaped from shelf
TO shelf. carrying with IL a tangled
mass OF ice. trees and boulders. There
was no escape for the unfortunate
workers
The avalanche piled ON top ~ the
hrst slide. buryug the tracks 'r a
distance of a quarter of "a mile a..4 ,o
o. depth OF 90 feet Hundreds off, thou
sands OF tons of other debris u the
wake of the avalanche bounded on the
huge heap and half hllcd the valley OF
Bear creek. hundreds OF feet below
The latest careful estimate confirms
the previous report chat SO men were
killed by the avalanche