The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-11-18
The Muir Glacier Mirage Pronounced
to be Not Mere
Phantom.
A Description of the Silent City
as Furnished by q
Miner
What an Alaska Prospector Found in an
Unknown Valley in tho
Far North.

spOndent has made every effort TO GET SUD
stantial news concerning it, but beyond tn
statements of Prof. Wilou ghby and tn
word of one or two who had seen the mir
age, nothing tangible until yesterday coul'
be obtained, says a Victoria letter in tn
Juneau Times. By the steamer Elder, whic
arrived here on Saturday from the NORTH
came miner who left the vessel at tina
PORT and did not go on to San Francisco a
he at first intended. From this miner, VIII
is a very intelligent man, most remarka
BILE story was obtained by our representa-
tive, and the first description of the Silen
City is here given.
George II. Kershon is the name given b
the narrator of the tale. He says he is
native of England, but left that oountr,
when a lad for the gold fields of Australia
where several years were passed. New Zea
land, Cape Colony and California were ais
visited, and in his fortieth year he joinet
party of miners who were bent on explor
ing the secrets of e-bound Alaska. Ker
shon is hardy-looking man. with we'll
knit frame, indicative of an ability to with
stand physical hardship while his clear
blue eyes are surety that whatever he un
dertakes he will carry through. YES" h
said, Il think am the first white man whs
ever gazed on the frozen city Of the north
You would like me to tell you about it2 AL
right; you'll be the first newspaper who hal
had the news anyway"
'.In the summer Of 1882 Kershon said
II was one Of a party of six who left here &c
go north prospecting. OF the other five. I
know not where they are. We took the
steamer to juneau, where we left her, buy
ing small sloop to take our kits up to
VvLo,, With ouu vnoption IF Tho fronhla c
we had in ascending that rapid stream
need not tire you, but will say that after
several weeks of awful toll we reached a
fork. I was for going up this fork and
prospecting, but the other five were against
It; but as was determined to RoI left the
bucks and started up this unknown fork.
We hada terrible time. The stream mar
rowed in between high cliffs and shot with
dizzy swiftness down the gulches, making
it necessary to tow the canoe by means of a
line from the banks two doing this, while
the third man rested. Progress was neces-
sarily slow, and for many days we toiled
were passed Once 1O0-foot waterfall
barred us and it took three days to get
around it.
after this it was bit easier. The river
broadened out and the country was more
level. The banks were we'll wooded and
game was plentiful: We kept on like this,
always going north, when after six weeks
range of mountains was sighted. ! be-
loved this to be the head of the river, and
pressed on to reach it before the cold weather
set in. Snow was now falling very often
and it was evident that the summer was
nearly done. At length we reached the wild
country again, and the stream which had
soon become too difficult to navigate. This
was almost at the foot of the mountain
range spoken of. Here determined to
camp for the winter. and good quarters
were found. Everything was made snug,
rs the weather DIP there is something awful,
but we were in deep ravine, overrun by
high cliffs, which broke the fury of the
winds, and the best was made of it. Game
was pletiful, and large quantities of moose
and bear We're shot and frozen for use dur
ing the long winter months.
Before long the cold came, and at times
it was impossible to stir from cover. Els
pecially was this the case when the winds
blew. At other times it was fairly COM
Portable, although the lack of sun made 1t
gloomy enough. Toward the end of winter
Il begun to get lighter and the gales were
less frequent. One day / determined to try
to scale one Of the mountains near rs, rs
got 90 tired and weary with being penned
put before the Indians. One OF them said
he would 20 with M, the other would not
risk it, SO he WAS left in camp. A storm
shortly arose. blowing heavily for three
days, but as soon as the weather had settled
myself and the Indian started Oft on our
trip i!u. ~. .;a,+ =, ~. ,,no :, ~ ..o,.,,
river. which. being solid mass of ice,
made good roadway. Following this for
about twenty miles, ut a pretty steep rise
We reached q plateau between the foothills
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 a poin
had from here, but the strangest thing wa,
a city in one Of the valleys below. 70,
may bet was surwrised to see it. At frs
thought 1t was some fantastic arrange
ment OF the ice and snow which had as
snmed the form of CITY, but examinatio,
with glass showed that such was not tn
case, it being too regular in appearance.
Was city sure enauRh.
Determined to see more of it, DOM
menced to work downward--although tn,
buck was rather frightened, he evidentl,
not considering it good medicine Aftel
several hours of hard work l reached tn,
outskirts of this mysterious city, and fount
that this place was laid out in streets, will
blocks of strengthening buildings, wha,
appeared to be mosques, towers, ports, etc.
and every evidence of having been built BY
art. The whole was of solid ice, though
or seemed to be, but blows from hatchel
on one of the walls disclosed the fact tina,
beneath this barrier of ice was some sort Of
building material. It looked to be wood
but of a stone-like hardness. and apparent
lypetrited.
"The silence around the place was some
thing ghostiy. No. the slightest sount
broke the awful stiffness Of the place
which. added to the weird look of the empt,
streets, made it grewsome enough. sooi
got tired of investigating the city, as tn
streets were blocked in many places will
huge masses of ice, rendering passac
almost impossible. The buck, too, becam
uneasy, and We started our return triu
reaching camp the next day. tired but salts
fed that We had been the first men to caz
on that silent city for centuries.
After spring had broke made som
strikes in nugget gold at the headwaters Q
the river, working with the Indians through
the summer months, leaving camp for til
Yukon about the end of August. w
reached the river all right, the trip dow
being easy, and in due time got back I
juneau, where took the steamer for ID
south. II was while was at juneau ga,
newspapers with an account of the miraa
seen at Muir glacier. / did not make an
illusions to this. though, a. did not thin
anyone would believe me, but am poeitiy
that the mirage Of Muir glacier is the re
Election of the frozen city found by me-"
What Cures:
What Is the force that Gusts disease. m
~hSeh n the vv1enk S>ns.vov,S>vA 4