The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1882-12-28
Lost In Bloody Canyon.

]. H. Sporting, assayer for the great
Sierra Mining Company, Tioga, who
came near losing his life in the Sierras
week before last arrived in the city yes
terday morning. 1t appears that he left
BennettviIe, camp on the west side Of
the mountains. to inspect for Eastern
parties some mining property on Mount
Gibbs, at the head of Bloody Canyon.
He had for guide companion Dan
McKinnen, man familiar with the sec
tion OF country into which they were
going. When they got up to Mount
Gibbs furious snow-storm set in. The
guide soon lost his way, and for two
nights and two days and half the two
men struggled in the snow, which was
two feet deep on the level, and in many
places had so drifted that it reached al
most breast high. They had no provi-
sions with them, and all they had that
they could eat was small piece of raw
fat bacon, which they had taken WITH
them for use in greasing their snow
shoes. They we're excessively hungry
the first day. and divided and ate the bit
of bacon.
After the first day they did not much
feel the pangs of hunger, but felt great
weakness. They had no blankets and
dared not attempt to sleep. The place
was full of precipices and the nights be-
ing very dark they could only travel dur
ing the daylight. They were obliged to
stop wherever dark came upon them.
The first night they stopped where there
was some wood, but the next dark came
upon them in a place where all was bare
and barren. Not a stick as big as rid
ing whip could be found. At distance
they had seen what appeared to be q
small grove, far down in big canon, but
darkness came upon them before they
could reach the place. There were so
many perpendicular terraces and preci-
pieces in the place that they dared not
venture to go out in the dark. A
council of war" was held, and they de-
cided to split to pieces their snow shoes,
make torches of them and push on down
to where they had seen the appearance
ola grove. The pitchy wood of their
ow-shoes made excellent torches, but
being filed with grease they burned
away rapidly. The distance to the fiat
in the canon, where lay the sup
posed grove, was much greater than they
had anticipated; besides, their progress
through the deep snow was slow, and
WHICH, tucy Au6lly C0uO " tuC LOU cht'i
last torch was burned out. Enough Of
it remained, however, to show them that
what they had taken to be a grove was
only black patch of sage brush, the
tops of which they had seen above the
snow. However, as they could make
sufficient fire with sag. brush to keep
them from freezing, they at once decided
to pass the night at the spot. They kept
III c;-hk and 1oro liant Iucy
about half the time pulling sage brush in
order to keep up their FIRE.
The next day they discovered that they
had got down into Bloody Canyon, the
mouth of which strikes the plains in the
neighborhood of Mono lake. They
puehed on, wallowing through heavy
drifts and tumbling down the rocky
terraces with which the canyon is filed,
it being the toughest pass in the whole
range of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
during the day McKinnen became delir-
ious, and Mr.. Sporting had great diff
Guilty in getting him to travel. He i'm
agined all manner of things. At one
time he declared he saw horse tied to
. tree.
''There he is, cried he. Don't you
see him? And the dog-there is a dog
Win VIC hoAoCs 4hCiC AAooe 10 . lAoh
near"
There is no tree, no horse, no dog .
said Sporting, ''you only imagine these
things. Come on or We shall perish. 1t
10 only little way down the canyon"
It was necessary to haul Mckinnen
along down the canyon, Is he persisted in
declaring that he saw q horse and dog;
il Mr.. Sporting could not see them lie
must be snow-blind." Next McKinpen
declared that he saw . man but little
way of with basket on his arm. ''He
il reckoning us TO come to him, said he.
LET us go. He is man sent to find us.
He has in the basket something to eat.
''You are mistaken" said Mr.. Sper-
ling. "There is no man at all. There is
nything at all"
II tell you that you are snow-blind.
There is . man there with q basket and
he wants MS to come to him."
Come along" cried Sporting, there
is no man. and We shall perish If we
stop here
mo" erie McKinnen, Eve shall per
ish il We don't 60 TO the man."
"a lyon are little fighty-a little out Of
your bad. aaid SpeFling. believe whai
! tn ron ard oono on.
II shall not 60 on. I - the man
r,1.{~1v n,ou~h h - = 1919 On NJ