The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1891-01-22
A DEAD CITY In ALASKA
A MINERS STORY OF A DESERTED
AND ICE COVERED TOWN.

He Claims to Have Seen the Original OF
the Muir Glacier DIirage-It Is So Far
North That Months Are Required 10
Reach the PIace-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, rs he ut first in
tended From this miner, who is very
intelligent man. most remarkable story
vas obtained, and the frs. description
of the Silent City is here given.
George H. Kershon is the name given
by tho narrator of the tale.
Kersnon is hardy looking man. with
a well knit frame, indicative of an abil-
ity to withstand physical hardship. while
his clear, blue eyes are surety that
whatever he undertakes he will carry
through.
Yes" he said. II think l am the first
white man who ever gazed on the frozen
city of the north. In the summer of
1888 was one of party of six who left
here 30 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
Il was for going up this fork and
prospecting, but the other five were
against it; but as | was determined to
go left the party, engaged an Indian
canoe, with two bucks, and started up
off this unknown fork. We had a terri
bic 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 banks, two doing this,
while the third man rested
WOODS AND ICE.
After that it was bit easier The
river broadened out 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 a 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
times it was impossible to stir from
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
"One day determined to try to scale
one of tho 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, so he was left in camp.
1--WE went right up the line of the fro
zen river, which, being solid mass of
ice, made Il good roadway Following
this for about twenty smiles, ut a pretty
steep rise, we reached 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 u point near the sum
init, A wonderful view was had from
here, but the strangest thing was a city
in one of the valleys
You may bet | was surprised to see
1t. At first thought it was some fan
tastlc arrangement of the ice and snow
which had assumed the form of city,
but examination with Il glass showed
that such was not the case, it being too
regular in appearance
a SILENT CITY.
1T WAS a 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
naVing been built by art
The whole was Of solid les, or seemed
TO be, but blows from Ratchet on one OF
the walls disclosed She 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
petriGed.
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 tirnd of jny-aet;oot