The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-01-21
A Dead City in Alaska.


yond the statements of Professor WI
loughby, and the word Of one or two
Others Who had seen the mirage, nothing
t4ngible could be obtained By TIE
steamer Elder, which arrived recsntiy a.
Victoria from the north. cane a miner,
Who left the vessel Al that port and did
not 90 on 70 san Frzncisco. a. be Al frst
infeided. From this miner. who IS
very intelligent man, > remarkable story
was ebtained, and the first description 81
the Silent City IS here given
George n. Kershon IS the name gwen
By the narrator Of he tale
Kershon IS 3 hardy boxing man. Hilh
a weIIkhit frame. indicative Of an abiii-
II to Sithstand physical hardship While
his clear blue eyes are 4 saresy that
Whatever he undertakes he win carry
through
Yes be said. Il think am the frst
white nan who ever Ezzed on the frozen
city Of the north. In the simmer Of ISIS
I was one Of a party of SIX who lea here
70 % north prospecting. OF the Other
I've l know nos where they arc. We
took the steamer to Juneau, uhere Ee
left her, buying a small sloop q take o1r
kits up 70 Yukon Aftsr several weeks
Of aWf1l tOil We reached q fork
i was for going up this fork and pros-
pectins. but the other Eve were against
il, bet As I Vas determined 70 20. ] left
the party, engaged an Indian canoe.
With Two bucks, and started up this an
known FORK We had a terrible time.
The stream narrowed IN between high
cliffs AMI shot with dizzy sFiftness
down the gulchss. making IT Necessary
70 TOW the canoe BY means q . line from
the banks. two doing this while the third
man rested.
AFTER that IT vas a bit easier. The
river bIos1ened oct and the country vas
more level The banks we're al wooded
and game vas plentiful We kept OF
ike this. always going north, when aissF
six weeks a range Of mountains we're
sighted At length We reached the siid
country again, and the stream. which
had been subdividing itself into lesser
ones, soon became too diEhcuit % navi-
gate This vas almost a. the f3o- Of the
mountain range SPOKEN Of Here z de-
termined 70 camp for the winter and
good quarters we're found
Before long the cold came. and az
times IT was impossible 70 STIR from coeer.
Especially was this the ease when the
wind blew. At other times i vas fairly
comfortable, although the lack of sun
made it gloomy enough
~One day determined % try 70 scale
one Of the mountains near us. a. got -
tired and Eezry with being peaned up
IN such 4 confined place Tbs idea I
pat before the Indians One os them
said he would 20 with me the other
would not risk II, % he raz left IA eAzree
Of the camp
@We went right up the Ene Of the
frozen riveT, vhieh. being solid mass II
ice, made a good roadvay. Following
this for about twenty miles. a. a pretty
steep rise, Ne reached plateau between
the fsothiEls and high range- Here the
stream ended, and We started % elimb
one Of the high hills After a los q hard
work we reached 4 point near the SAM
nit. A wonderful view vas had from
here, but the strzngsst thing vas a city
in one Of the valleys
@You nay bet I E-s surprised to zee
il. At first thoUght il Vas somc fan
tastic arrangement of the ice and snow
which had assumed the form Of q city,
but examination With q glass showed
that such Was not the ease, Il being toe
regular in appearance
II vas city, sure enough
Determined 10 see mere q II I CON-
menced 10 work downward. although the
buck was rather frightened. he evidently
not considering Il god melieine- Amer
several hours Of hard E0rk Ireached tie
outskirts Of this mysterious city. and
found that this place vas laid oul in
streets, with blocks Of strange looking
buildings, and what appeared to bs
mosques, towers. ports. etc vifh avery
evidence Of having been built b. ART
The whole Was Of =olid ice, or seemed
to be, bat bl0Es from a hafchet on one
Of the walls disclosed The 1act that be-
meath this barrier Of ice vas soms sort
OF building material Il looked % Be
Ec0d. but OF stouelike hzrdnes and sp-
parsnfly Petrifsd.
The silence around the pace vas
something ghostly. Not the slightest
sound broke the aEf1l stiffness of the
place, which added 70 the Eisni look Of
the empty streets. made it zreEsoule
enough / s0on g0s tired o. iuvesiiEatinE
the city, as the streets Wsze bl0csadel N
many places with huge masses Ct ice,
rendering passage almost impossi iblc-
The buck. too, became uneasy. and ss
started on the rstaEa trip. reaching czlsp
the next day, tired. bus satisfied thai We
bad been the frst men 70 gaze rpcn thar
silent city for centuries
AFTER spring had broke I made soms
strikes in nugget Eald at the heafHalsrs
Of the river, working with the Indians
through the sumner months. leaving
camp for the Yakon about the end q
August We reached the l7er al right.
the trip d0En being easy. and in dra
time got back 70 Jsnea1. Nhere / tock
the steamer south
1t was while vas a Junezu 7 saw
newspapers with an account of the MI
rae seen II Muir glacier diI not
make any allEsion 70 THIS, thosgh. az I
did not think any one would believe ne.
but I an positive that the nirlss q 3iuir
glacier Is the reflection Of the frozan ely
found by me Cor. Jras,uf T7us-
He Yelled "Kemp's Balsam ,
T~afr aTz<a Ea--rl-z uafz1-.- tha f.-f