The Challis messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1912-current, 1924-11-26

great mass pitched downward with ire
mendous velocity until it reached the
quarry. Then the upper part shot
forward horizontally straight across
the valley and up the opposite hill
slope.
Rock Torrent Through Valley.
A cloud of dust accompanied il and
great wind was flung before it..
Trees were blown about like matches
and houses lifted through the air like
feathers and broken up as though
little toys by its force alone.
The avalanche, shooting with In
credible swiftness across the valley,
struck the opposite hill slope obliquely,
and was Immediately DETECTED, like
water, down the level and fertile val
ley floor, which it covered In a few
seconds to the distance of nearly a
mile and over its whole width with
mass of rock debris 80 feet deep.
Most of the people who had run up
onto the opposite hillside were killed
instantly. Only when the avalanche
had struck this slope and begun to
turn aside from it did the people 10
the lower village, far down along the
level plain, have any suspicion that
they were in danger. Twenty sec
onds later all was over, and the rock
torrent had swept away half that vii
lage. The sharp edge of the avalanche
cut one house in two. All within the
fatal edge were destroyed; all without
were saved One or two men had a
race for life and won, but most who
were in the path of the destroyer were
doomed.
In brief, 100000 cubic yards of
rock fell about 1,500 feet, shot across
the valley and up the opposite hillside
to a height of over 800 feet, then de
fected and poured like a torrent over
a horizontal plane, covering it uniform
ly throughout distance of 5000 feet
and over an area of 100000 square
yards. to a depth of from 6 to 65 feet.
Before the avalanche there lay peace
full village and fertile green fields;
within one minute solid gray rock
carpet had been spread, beneath which
rested the remains of $50 human be-
ings, their houses and their fields
while the familiar Plattenbergkopf had
vanished and a great hole was in its
place. Few were the wounded requir-
ing succor and few the dead whose
bodies could be recovered.
Great Alberta Avalanche.
Only Slightly less dramatic and quite |
similar in character to the Elm rock |
slide, was the one which partially |
swept the town of Frank, Alberta. By |
a hairs breadth only did the COM |
escape complete humiliation
This slide was of much greater magni-
tude than the Elm disaster. although
not SO many people were killed.
Turtle mountain, the scene of the
avalanche, Is lofty, narrow ridge
situated about IA miles east of the
Divide, and is surmounted
1y q number of rock peaks The
-ange is pierced, north Of Turtle noun
ain, by q narrow gap. through which
lows Old Man river Near tie gap,
md where the valley is broadened by
he debouchment Of Gold creek, and
lose to the foot of the mountain,
,estles the town of Frank, an i'm
,ortsnt coal mining center. The noun
ain iteelf is an exceedingly precip-
tate series of cliffs Of limestone, sand
,tone. and sknle rising more than 5000
eet above the river.
At dawn on April %. 1903, q huge
ock mass nearly half q mile square
md from 400 to 500 feet thick in the
enter suddenly broke. loose from the
and crashed with terrific vio-
ence into the valley beneath. over
vhelming everything in its course.
The great mass. bro zen into innumer-
bile fragments by the fall. plowed
through the river bed crossed the val
py and hurled itsel, up the opposite
lopes to height of 400 feet. With.
n q minute or a minute and half
yer square mile of pleasant valley
as covered with a rock-fow from
to 100 feet deep. Most providential
' the greater portion of the town lay
utside the course of the slide; never
leloss, 90 people were killed.
Two and half miles were traversed
Y the slide, from the top of the creek
q the mountain - .S.s 'oot. while the
aterial disIodged Is estimated at
J. 100000 cubic yards. This is over
lree times the size of the Elm slide.
lille 1t is believed that the coal mini
G In tie valley may have FASTENED
e slide. the primary catse was I'M :
the structure Of Turtle
ountain. The huge mass was in q
ate of unstable equilibrium. and pos. !.