FERNIE  , an important

city in the east Kootenay district of British Columbia . Pop. about 4000 . It is situated on the Crow's Nest branch of the Canadian Pacific railway, at the junction of Coal Creek with the Elk `river, and owes its importance to the extensive coal mines in its vicinity . There are about Soo coke ovens in operation at Fernie, which supply most of the smelting plants in southern British Columbia with fuel .