The Breckenridge news. (Cloverport, Ky.) 1876-1955, 1891-03-04
A DEAD CITY IN ALASKA
A MINERS STORY OF A DESERTED
AND ICE COVERED TOWN.

| Reach the Place-An Unsupported Yarn.
Since the story of the Muir glacier
mirage first became known your CORE.
spondent has made every effort to get
substantial news concerning it. but be-
yond the statements of Professor Will
loughby. and the word Of one or two
who had seen the mirage, nothing tangi-
BILE could be obtained. BY the steamer
Elder, which arrived recently at Victo-
ria from the north, came miner, who
left the vessel at that port and did not
go on to San Francisco. as he at first in
tended From this miner, who is a very
intelligent man, a most remarkable story
was obtained. and the first description
of the Silent City is here given.
George H. Kershon is the name given
by the narrator Of the tale
Kershon is hardy looking man, with
a well knit frame, indicative Of an abil-
ity to withstand physical hardship, while
his clear. blue eyes are a surety that
whatever he undertakes he will carry
through.
YES" he said II think am the first
white man who ever gazed on the frozen
city of the north In the summer Of
1888 was one of II 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, buying small sloop to take
our kits up to Yukon. After several
weeks of awful toll we reached fork.
~ was for going up this fork and
prospecting, but the other five were
against it; but rs was determined to
go left the party, engaged an Indian
canoe, with two bucks, and started up
off this unknown fork. We had terri
BILE time. The stream narrowed in be-
tween high cliffs and shot with dizzy
swiftness down the gulches, making it
necessary to tow the canoe by means Of
line from the hanks. two doing this.
while the third man rested.
WOODS AND ICE.
After that it was bit easier. The
river broadened ont and the country was
more level. The banks were well wood
ed and game was plentiful. We kept on
like this, always going north, when after
six weeks range of mountains were
sighted. AT length we reached the wild
country again, and the stream, which
had been subdividing itself into lesser
ones, soon became too difficult to navi-
gate. This was almost at the foot of
the mountain range spoken Of Here
determined to camp for the winter, and
good quarters were found
Before long the cold came. and at
cover. Especially was this the case
when the wind blew. At other times il
was fairly comfortable, although the
lack of sun made it gloomy enough.
Zone day determined to try to scale
one Of the mountains near us, as got
so tired and weary with being penned
up in such confined place. This idea
put before the Indians One of them
said he would go with me; the other
would not risk it, 80 he was left in camp.
I'VE went right up the line of the fro
zen river. which, being solid mass of
ice, made a good roadway. Following
this for about twenty miles, at pretty
steep rise, we reached a plateau between
he foothills and high range. Here the
stream ended and we started to climb
one OF the big hills. After lot of hard
work we reached a point near the sum
nit A wonderful view was had from
here, but the strangest thing was city
in one of the valleys.
you may bet was surprised to see
it. At first thought it was some fan
tastic arrangement of the ice and snow
which had assumed the form of city,
but examination with glass showed
that such was not the case, it being too
regular in appearance.
SILENT CITY.
1T was city, sure enough.
Determined to see more of it, | COM
menced to work downward, although the
buck was rather frightened, he evidently
not considering it good medicine AT
ter several hours of hard work reached
the outskirts of this mysterious city, and
found that this place was laid out in
streets, with blocks OF strange looking
buildings, what appeared to be mosques,
towers, ports, ETC., and every evidence of
having been built by art.
"The whole was of solid ice, or 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 build.
ing material 1t looked to be wood, but
of stonelike hardness, and apparently
petri6ed
"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 grewsome
enough. | soon got tired of investigat-
ing the city. as the streets were blocked
in many places with huge masses of ice.
rendering passage almost impossible. The
buck, too, became uneasy, and we start
ed on the return trip, reaching camp the
next day, tired, but satisfied that we had
been the first men to gaze on that silent
city for centuries.
After spring had broke made some
strikes in nugget golteat the headwaters
OF the river, working with tho Indians
through the summer months, leaving
camp for the Yukon about the end Of
August. We reached the river all right.
the trip down being easy, and in due time
got back to Juneau, where ] took the
steamer for the south.
1T was willie was a. juneau saw
newspapers with an sccount Of the mi
rage seen at Muir glacier. | did not make