The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-11-03

CHILcooT, Alaska, Oct. l, 1SS9.-lSpecia
correspondence of TIE HERALD. Say
old man, you are just the kind of fellow
want to 90 into Yukon with
1t was on one evening in the latter part
Of April last, that the passengers on the
Alaskan steamer, George W. Elder, were
crowded into the cabin for the purpose OF
participating in concert, in which those
who could be prevailed upon to do so, were
to amuse the rest with an impromptu en-
tertainment About halfway down the
programme occurred
"a BEAR STORY, BY A. INGRAM"
whom 1 afterwards learned was from
Seattle, W. Il.
When the master of ceremonies made
the announcement, tail, slim man OF per-
haps sixty years of age arose, and modestly
related an encounter he had way back in
the eos with grizzly bear in the noun
taius of Montana. He told of his coming
suddenly upon the brute, and after dis
charging his rife at close range, found
himself engaged in hand struggle with
his maddened and bleeding adversary. He
y
and the dangers incident thereto can relate,
and without the least effort to cover him
self with glory in that sanguinary contest,
but, holding up to view his left hand, which
was bent and twisted into shapeless and
crippled mass of scrawny fingers, said /:
~ did not kill the bear, but have this to
remember HIM by.''
l thought he was the kind of man q
tenderfoot like myself should tie to in en-
+o,. n
weary tramp of ! 500 miles, and it was this
impression that led to the remarks | ad-
dressed to him after the concert, and which
appear at the beginning of my letter.
Among upwards of fifty men upon that
steamer, who had taken passage with a
view of going into the Yukon country, by
the time they had landed in Juneau, the
ardor of over three-fourths of them had
cooled down, and dozen only were left,
who persisted i'll carrying out their original
intentions, and made hasty preparations
for
THE LONG AND HAZARDOUS TRAMP.
1t was only at the last moment, and even
after had purchased my outfit, that con-
Guided not to make The trip, but the old
man was one of the small band, and he
cordially shook my hand as he babe me
good bye.
could not help but think as their boat
showed off, that if any Of the party sue
cumbed to the hardships that attend a trip
into the Yukon country, my old friend
would not be the first to go, and | fully ex-
pected to see him return this fall, the hale
and hearty old veteran that left with so
light heart, and hear him as modestly re-
late his summers experience, as he told of
his encounter with the grizzly that marked
him for life.
Three small detachments of men have re
turned this fall from the Yukon. The
second brought out word that they passed
boat lying upon the beach with no one to
be found near it, but it was thought to be-
long to four men who started from Forty
Mile creek to come out, on July g. 1t was
known that they had but small supply of
food with them, and it was supposed they
had taken to the woods in search of game
Thus it proved TO be, and yesterday two
men tottered down the mountain side to
this place. whose emac:ated faces and
trembling limbs showed that the had sur
vived an experience that few men would
have lived through.
One of them, J. w. Sperry, of Portland
Oregon, is a man of fifty years of age.
with hair as white as the driven snow. AS
pressed my fingers to the calf of his leg
an impression was left as if had
PRESSED UPON PIECE OF PUTTY,
certain indication that Scuryy would
soon have fought battle with starvation
which so nearly claimed him as victim
The other man, r. G. Rose, also from Port
land, is twenty years younger, and his
youth alone saved him from filling an I'M
marked grave in the great valley of the
Yukon.
Three weeks after starting on their home
ward journey their supply of provisions
was entirely exhausted, and they soon be-
came so weak that they could not pull their
boat, which they finally abandoned, and
took to the hills in search of game. Occa-
sionally a squirrel was shot, but as quickly
eaten by the men, who were now ravenous,
and wild berries became their only means
of subsistence. Their trail was followed
by clouds of mosquitoes and flies that lit
upon them in swarms, and which they had
to fight continually, and their faces and
hands soon became raw and bleeding sores
In their weakened condition, Ingram and
+. c.. Young from San Diego, Cal, an
| other of the party, were unable to fight of
the pests which preyed upon their eye lids,
until they became so inhamed that they
lost all power to open or close them, and
they became totally blind.
The dread of death by starvation, and
fear of being hopelessly lost in that strange
country, soon told upon the minds Of these
two, and Ingram repeatedly
BEGGED HIS COMPANIONS TO SHOOT HIM.
Finally, he laid down, refusing to move,
and when his companions saw he was
about gone, left him, almost dragging
Young along. The next day Young sue
cumbed. a victim to starvation and the tor
ments of pests which swarmed about them
day and night. They left him lying upon
the ground to die, how far from where the
foot Of man has ever trod they do not know.
Another day brought them to some drie
salmon caught by Indians for winter use,
and they were now able to retrace their
steps to the boat, and soon party of
Indians came along from whom they OBJ
tanned food enough to enable them to reach
the first white settlement this side of the
Yukon.
On their way back to the boat, they came
to the spot where Ingram was left but
found the mosquitoes and flies singing a
requiem over their comrade who had passe
to the great beyond. He was left with but
stone to mark his resting place, and his
blanket and a few branches of hemlock
spread over him for shroud. They could
not find where Young was left, but they
are satisfied strength or reason never re-
turned sufficient to allow him to move from
the spot.
On their way out the party discovered a
ledge having clearly defined vein of rich
ore, showing free gold, and at it's base
found liberal quantities of gold in every pan
Location notices were hurriedly put up,
and anticipation of rich nresults another
year when they all hoped to return buoyed
up their spirits for time and spurred them
on to renewed efforts to escape from their
impending doom. The pangs of hunger
soon destroyed all hopes of future riches,
and their only thought was for something
to eat.
Notwithstanding their terrible expert
ence, the survivors intend to return to the
Yukon the coming spring This is but an
other instance of the fascination that takes
possession Of gold hunters, and these two
men will nrnhahlV continue their nnest fol-.