River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1884-01-24

The story told by the log is one of ter
rible suffering. Although the log was IN
"a deIapidated condition Bascom secured
what remained intact of it and recettly
permitted your correspondent to INSPECT
| it, The entries for January, 1877,
| showed that heavy snow and intense
| cold was experienced. Both Brown and
| the Chinaman got much better until the
latter part of the month, when Browns
| leg began to swell badly and he was con-
fined to his bed In February there
were very heavy falls of snow.
On March 9Captain Thompson's entry
says: This month brings sickness and
| misery into this house
march 81 was compel ed to lie
down, With my legs swollen aud turn
! ing black which l put down to scurvy.
March 21-0ne OF the Chi Iamen on
his back with the same disease Brown
still getting worse and complaining that
he cannot live.
March 30-This month ends with
the sickness OF our other Chinaman,
who Is just aDie to walk. Ny God! when
will this end?
April 5--rhis month brings the great
est misery | have ever experienced.
Brown is MT able to turn on his blanket
and none of us are ab e to give him a
helping hand. The poor Chinaman is
only able to give him a cup Of tea once
in while.
april S-Poor old Brown died and
not one of US able to close his eyes.
April l0-One ofthe Cinnamon gone.
We had an awful time getting the body
into the snow.
April l2-Ths night | feel more like
dying man than ever.
april 16-IheTe is absolute misery in
the ranch, One Chinaman died during
the night. TINS morning | tried to get
up, but tainted. We tri d to Get the dead
Chinaman outside, but all efforts failed .
| feel that we are all doomed"
The next and last entry has no date
and is written in a very feeble, shabv
hand, 1t reads:
"How long have laid here I don't
know. All is blank am alone. I'm
able to move. The others are dead.
Oh, what agony l am in feel it eat.
ing at my vitals. This must be death"
Here the logabrubtly ended. A grave
was dug by the party and the remains
were laid in as best they could be. The
door ofthe cabin was strongly fastened
to keep out the bears. Two years after
BascOm visited the same spot. lie SAYS:
The cabin still stood above tue com
mon grave and could not look upon it
without 4 shudder passing over me to
think OF the terrible tragic months
these men had passed, dying one by
one of that slow, certain dis
ease, far from home, he p
and civilization. The shores of this
wild, desoate country are the silent
custodiaus of many a tragedy. The
counterpart Of this and lonely graves
and gnastly skeletons give evidence
to the hundreds who have lost their
lives in search OF gam or adventure in
this frozen land OF the north. No clue
TO the friends of my comrades were
found. so far as | know, and they had
unfortunately left nothing of their his
tory. They were men without ex
perience in cold ATTITUDES, for they
had made none of the ordinary procau-
tons TO ward Oft sickness"
Bascom has been cruising around The
unciyiliz parts of the world ever
since these thrilling experiences until
last Saturday, when he arrived in New
York and Immediately starte for his
home here. He wants no more of adj
venture and, being Il man Of good ed
ucation and much exper .euce, will prob
ably settle down tothe hum-drum life of
a Water bury tradesman.