The San Francisco call., 1910-03-06
32 PERISH IN
AVALANCHE ON
SELkIRk RANGE
SnOWslide Buries Workers on
Canadian Pacific While At
tempting TO Clear Track
Section Men Are Buried in a
Canyon Beneath Hundreds
of Tons of Debris

NAN'3l YER. B. C., March 5.-Ninety-
two mon. 81 of whom were JAPANESE
Ishare-s. who were engaged in clear
fre canadian Pacific track in Rog-
ers pass al the summit OF the Selxirls
-r=e. We're entombed by an avalanche
soon after midnight this morning and
sre probably dead.
The work Of recovering the dead and
opening the track is greatly impeded
by blizzard that is blowing through
. pass.
There was also another big slide of
snow and rock this morning a mile
east of the spot where The men were
oferW helmed. Tt DESTROYED A portion
'L snowshed and buried the track for
'9' Yards TO depth of so feet There
we're no victims in the last avalanche.
az passenger trains on the line are
saie- Today 5 eastbound express left
mere at 3-l5 o'clock. as usual. Until
the tracks have been cleared nassep-
ser lrarnc, east and west bound will
ne handled Via the Arrow Lakes Nell
Non ana the Crows Nest pass railway
me entombed men were a working
crew engaged with number of 9th
ers in clearing away small slide
"nlch had come down early in the
evening They were spread out over
the slide and working a rotary engine
over lt when larger slide came down
and carried them to their death in the
canyon below. At first il was believed
mat all the hundred men engaged
were killed, but during the early morn
ing II was found that many had es-
capped.
Last night was one of the worst that
was ever experienced in the railway
section or the Canadian Rockies. There
was heavy storm of rain and sleet
ana sometimes snow. and weather con-
oiuons were altogether at their worst
The hrst slide occurred at 40 o'clock
yesterday afternoon in the narrow
valley OF Bear creek, fianked on either
side by precipitous mountains COW
cred with a depth OF snow varying
from 20 10 50 feet. The slide did not
come from a very nigh elevation and
was composed mostly of snow. 1t had
length of 500 feet and a depth of
so feet.
Rain and sleet were falling when
rotary engine. aided by a small army
~ section men, started to clear the
tracks half an hour later. Although
there We're premonitions of danger. in
dicated by the crash and boom Of ava
Isnches on adjacent peaks. the men, 4
Injured 10 such risks, stuck steadily TO
the task.
As the hours advanced rain and sleet
continued in Increasing volume. Pre-
@isely at 1890 o'clock this morning. 1
when half the first slide had been re-
moved. the second avalanche descend /
ed II started on the side Of the can 1
Eon opposite the point where the first /
slide occurred. Thousands of feet
above q few rolling bunches of snow, I
growing in volume and momentum. |
started on a pathway Of destruction.
- In a few seconds, with a noise like a 4
q D in l.
son. The avalanche leaped from shelf to /
shelf, UproOting and carrying with ii a I
tangled mass Of ice. trees and bOulders. I
The avalanche piled on top Of the /
I-st slide, burying the tracks for a 1
II stance of quarter Of a mile TO a I
depth Of 50 feet Hundreds Of thou /
sands Of tons of other debris in the |
1--a Ike OF the avalanche bounded off the !
huge heap and half filled the valley !
'of Bear creek, hundreds Of feet below. /
The news Of the disaster was flashed /
hy a lone telegraph operator at d way
side station d mile distant
g.. As soon as the news reached Revel 1
stoke the frebell was sounded and /
. i-hin half an hour a relief train con-
.Feving physicians and nurses and 200 /
ymen and other citizens was /
speeding east 10 Rogers pass. The /
scene Of the accident was reached at 6 4
O'Clock this morning, when the task
of digging in the tangled mass of de-
hris in the hope of finding few sur
xivors was commenced with vigor.
calgary made an equally prompt re-
SDonsc II also sent d special relief !
train with 125 workmen, as well as
nurses and doctors.
six hundred men are now digging
on the track to clear it Of snow and
debris
Railway officials expect that at least
4S hours will elapse before the line can
be cleared The work will be attended
with great danger, as other slides may
descend ~ any moment. No. IS express
rrain. bound east from Vancouver, had
lust reached Glacier when the accident
occurred. No. 81 express, westbound, is
now being held 25 miles east Of Rogers
pass
TWO MORE BAD SLIDES
Additional bodies recovered were
those or A. PottruM. engineer of the
work train. and 4. Mahon, brakeman.
Another slide occurred on the banks
of tile kicking Horse river. near Pal
User. today. IT buried the track for
length Of 500 feet to a depth of 25
feet As soon as this slide is removed
= westbound passenger train stalled 25
miles east Of Rogers Pass viii be
hauled back TO Calgary and the pas
seugers and mails shipped through to
the coast via Medicine Hat and the
Crows Nest Pass railway.
Another slide is reported from Three
Valley. a small point west of Revel-
stoke The slide is 500 feet long and
10 feet deep.
Railroad Issues Notice