Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1889-10-01
A Frozen City.


TO a remarkable mirage which ap-
peared in the Arctic regions and
which was photographed by an artist
who accompanied an expedition to
the frozen North. This mirage rep
resented a city Of apparently 10000
inhabitants, with regular streets and
fine buildings. Now comes George
H. Kershon, a miner who arrived at
Victoria, B. c., by the Elder, with the
following remarkable statement:
SIN the Summer of 1885," Kershon
Gaid, II was one Of party of six who
left here to go north prospecting. OF
the other five, know not where they
are. We took the steamer to Juneau,
where we left her, by buying small
sloop to take our kits up the Yukon.
Any mention Of the troubles we had
in ascending that rapid stream Ineed
not tire you with, but will say that
after several weeks OF awful toll we
reached a fork"
After narrating the experiences Of
several months the narrator says:
Zone day determined to try and
scale one Of the mountains near us,
al got 50 tired and weary with be-
ing penned up in such a confined
place. This idea I put before the In
dams. One of them said he would go
with me; the other would not risk it,
80 was left in camp. A storm shortly
arose, blowing heavily for three days,
but as soon as the weather had set
tied myself and the Indian started off
on our trip.
1--WE went right up the line of the
frozen river, which, being a solid
mass of ice,, made good roadway.
Following this for about twenty
miles, at q pretty steep rise, we
reached a plateau between the foot
hills and high range. Here the
stream ended, and we started to climb
one Of the big hills. After a lot Of
hard work we reached point near
the summit. A wonderful view AS
had from here, but the strangest
thing was city in one Of the valleys
below. You may bet was surprise d
to see it. At first I thought 1t was
some fantastic arrangement Of the ice
and snow which had assumed the
form Of a city, but examination with
q glass showed that such was not tn
case, it being too regular in appear
ance. It was city, sure enough.
Determined to see more Of it /
commenced to work downwards, al
though the buck was rather fright
ened, he evidently not considering it
good medicine After several hours
Of hard work reached the outskirts
Of this mysterious city, and found
that the place was laid out in streets,
with blocks of strange looking build
ings, what appeared to be mosques,
towers, ports, ETC., and every evidence
of having been built by art. The
whole was Of solid ice, though, or
what seemed to be, but blows from a
hatchet on one Of the walls disclosed
the fact that beneath this barrier Of
ice was some sort of building materi-
al. It looked to be wood but of q
stone-like hardness and apparently
petrified. The silence around the
place was something ghostly. Not
the slightest sound broke the
awful Stiffness of the place which,
added to the weird look of the empty
streets, made it Sruesome enough.
soon got tired of investigating the
city, as the streets were blocked in
many places with huge masses Of ice,
rendering passage almost impossible.
at was while 1 was at Juneau I
saw q newspaper with an account of
the mirage seen at Muir Glacier. /
did not make any illusions to this,
though, as l did not think any one
&ould believe me, but 1 am positive
that the mirage Of Muir Glacier is
e.. reflection of the frozen cit, found
~ me-" .... &C..