Calgary Herald from Calgary, Alberta, Canada • 6

a ar mm 'AS CALGARY HERALD Tuesday, April 29, 2003 Top News THE FRANK SLIDE: APRIL 29, 19 03 Profit of mountain before slide Anatomy of a disaster Turtle Mountain's shaky foundation, relatively recent glaciation and possibly coal mining set the stage for the Frank Slide of 1903 which killed 76 people Mountain summit after slide Ancient ice and water About 70 million years ago, Turtle Mountain was formed by "thrusts" of Paleozoic limestone and shale. These formations sat above structurally weaker sandstone, shale and coal, deposited during the Mesozoic era. Deep cracks developed in the upper mountain, which allowed water and ice to erode the formations. Glaciers carved off much of the eastern face, exposing ToBlalrmore Frank A I ''f 500 metres i2l, Mine ti entrance Turtle Mountain To Pincher Creek Then came mining Although mining was not the main culprit in the disaster, it played a role. The coal beneath Turtle Mountain was removed by room-and-pillar mining, which honeycombed the coal seam parallel to and beneath the mountain's unstable eastern crest.

However, the slide did little actual damage to the mine and 17 miners were able to dig their way to the surface, to be met with an incredible sight: the slide had thundered over their heads and crossed the valley. mountain's soft, unstable foundation to the elements. 1 Town of Frank in 1903 Deep cracks caused by erosion XliffCk Hohric 4 Slide debris 'v; v.WH Turtle Mountain thrust fault Palewoir limestone and chalp. Highway 3 Old Man River 1J i A' exposed to the elements by glaciers. Weaker deposits of Mesozoic fax sandstone, shale and coal 1 Frank mine entrance Note: Locations of mountain formations are approximate.

Source: University of Waterloo Graphic: Darren Francey, Calgary Herald Calgary Herald Archive photo Slide's fury stunned residents rwr-'j '2 1 Canadian Press A miner's cottage was buried in rubble after the Frank Slide in 1903. Seventy-six people died in the disaster. 100 years have passed since Turtle Mountain claimed Frank clambered over the unsettled debris to flag down the Spokane Flyer, a westbound passenger train, that was due to arrive in Frank 20 minutes after the slide obliterated the railway tracks. Against all odds, he was successful Or the 17 trapped miners who managed to mine their way out of a coal seam 14 hours after the tragedy. And of course there was Charlie, the mine horse that pulled coal carts inside the mountain.

The brave horse survived 30 days inside the dark mine sipping dirty water seepage, sucking on his harness and nibbling on timbers and coal cars. "When they went back into the mine there was Charlie," said Field "Unfortunately they got carried away and fed him brandy and oats in their excitement, which was too much for a half-starved horse and it killed him." The more than 50,000 visitors a year to the Interpretive Centre love to hear the stories, says Field adding they learn more about the history every year as relatives and friends continue to stop by to share their accounts. The majority of visitors to the centre, which opened in 1985, are tourists, curious about the site that flanks Highway 3 for several kilometres. "The debris from the Frank Slide is our most effective advertising tool, better than any sign we could put up on the highway," said Field Today's ceremony will be a sombre affair, to be followed by a more celebratory event in August that will include a free concert with folk singer Connie Kaldor, guided hiking tours up Turtle Mountain and talks by expert scientists. "We never really talked about it" In those wee morning hours of April 29, 1903, the crack and roar of the massive rock avalanche that remains unrivalled in scope and magnitude to this day came first Then the earth thundered as the massive chunk of limestone unleashed on the valley floor drowning everything in its path.

Thick clouds of white dust replaced the crisp mountain air, burning the eyes, noses and throats of disbelieving townsfolk. As day broke and the dust began to settle, stunned residents streamed to the edge of the destruction, surveying the three-kilometre swath of rubble that was 30 metres deep. The harsh realization of death came next entire families living in miners' cottages and work camps were wiped out Some were left with only one survivor to digest if their good fortune was worth the anguish of losing a mother, father, brothers and sisters. Rescuers scrambled frantically across the unsettled debris following screams and cries for help, desperate to find anyone alive and determined to dig them out with their bare hands. Seventeen coal miners were imprisoned in the belly of the mountain where they had been working the nightshift at the American Canadian Coal and Coke Company.

Officially 76 people were killed, but only 12 bodies were recovered Only 23 people in the path of the slide survived Word of the mountain disaster in the Crowsnest Pass community spread quickly. One day after the rock slide, two geologists from Ottawa, Richard McConnell and Reginald Brock, were ordered to "proceed at once to the scene of the disaster and investigate thoroughly the nature and causes of the catastrophe." Within days, they reported the cause of the slide to be a combination of the mountain's weak geological structure, the mining of coal at its base and weather patterns that forced cracks at the summit open after centuries of water freezing and thawing. Police officers, doctors and newspaper men from Calgary and Lethbridge caught trains to Frank, travelling until the tracks ended under the pile of slate grey rocks. Undeterred "for nearly two hours, they stumbled in semi-darkness over limestone rocks varying in size from a brick to that of a house before Frank was reached" In the 100 years since the slide, emotions have subsided and tales and myths have blossomed but the aftermath is impossible to hide. According to Monica Field manager of the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre, putting together an exact account of what happened that fateful day is virtually impossible because no one talked about it or when they did the stories never matched.

"Families didn't talk about (the slide) because it was a bad thing, like the war, the impact on people was enormous," said Field "It is really hard to compile the stories because (present day) sources don't agree and then survivors stories don't match. You have to keep comparing information." Sometimes, however, even the most unbelievable stories have been proven to be true. Like the one about Sid Cho-quette, a brakeman riding on an eastbound freight train, who MCANTONTHEHERALD.CANWEST.COM MARIA CANTON Calgary Herald CROWSNESTPASS A century ago today, the mining town of Frank was in complete chaos after "a rock (slide) of such gigantic magnitude as to be utterly inconceivable to the mind" roared into "the finest and most picturesque section of the Crowsnest Pass." So reported the Calgary Herald one day after 82 million tonnes of Turtle Mountain broke free, careening down its east-facing slope and destroying the eastern outskirts of Frank at 4:10 ajn. on April 29. Today, the scene of the disaster draws tens of thousands of tourists a year, all awe-struck by the expanse of limestone rock that flanks Highway 3 for several kilometres.

Lifelong Crowsnest Pass resident Mildred Zak, who is the daughter; granddaughter and niece of six slide survivors, says the 100th anniversary is bringing back a flood of memories about her Ennis family roots. "My grandfather's legs were a bunch of scars and my grandmother had a broken shoulder," said Zak. "My dad never talked much about it except to say everyone had their own account of what happened But this time of year makes me stop and think about how old they would be and what they would be doing." The 82-year-old will be attending a memorial service and reception today at the base of Turtle Mountain organized by staff at the Frank Slide Interpretive Centre. Zak's grandfather, Sam F.nnis, pulled himself free of the rubble before setting to work on lifting a beam that pinned his wife, Lucy, to the ground. Once free, Lucy ran to her baby girl Gladys who was choking on a mouthful of dirt Zak's father, Delbert, was only eight years old at the time and was fast asleep in their cottage when it was hit by boulders.

"Growing up here and living here you just accept the history, you just accept the slide. We don't marvel at it every day," she said. i Grant Black. Calgary Herald Mildred Zak, 82, visits the Frank Slide memorial site where stones are dedicated to her father and aunt both survivors of the slide.