The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-12-28

resolved to attempt an escape down
the river on RATS. AT this point they
came upon the man Kelley and
brought him out They. went to work
They constructed two of them, divid-
ing the supplies and men and started
down the river with Colgate. The
guide knew nothing of rating and 1t
was a risky venture. The party trav-
eled five days and made five miles
day Then the RATS struck a cluster
of rocks which effectually blocked fur
Their progress.
by this time Colgate was in a hor-
rible-- condition, and apparently at the
point of death, and there seemed to be
no hope for him.
The hunters We're in a, bad fix. They
were stuck in a canyon with sick
man, and only forty pounds of flour
and a little tea for provision A con-
sultation was had, and it was decided
that it must be every man for him
self if any were to get out alive. Those
who could not keep up must suffer
their fate. This was hard for Colgate,
but there was no help for it, To carry
him was an utter impossibility, as I
will show you.
They divided the provisions with
him and left him blankets, matches
and fishing tackle. Then the others,
with a reluctant goodbye to him,
struck out for the escape that seemed
almost impossible.
1T was winter by this time and the
snow lay many feet deep on the noun
tains- They were stuck in a canyon,
whose walls rose from 200 to 1000 feet
sheer towards the skies. The river
filled the bed from wall to wall, so
that there was not a foothold along its
margin. Their only chance was to
climb to the top of the precipice end
travel along its verge to an outlet.
"They succeeded in this. With
gun in one hand and the other free to
catch hold of projecting tufts of shrubs
and protruding lodges of stone each
man managed to climb ZIP the face of
the cliff on the right side of the can
yon. At The top was the rocky noun
tain side, slCping down to the canyon
wall and succession of ridges over
which they must climb one by one to
follow the river in it's course. By main
strength they succeeded in making a
mile and half a day, up and down
these ridges, along the cliffs, the tower
ing SnoW-clad mountains on one hand
and the chasm below, where a misStep
meant a horrible death. For eight
miles they went thus. hanging onto
little lodges and brush and risking
their lives a, thousand times To the
toll of this struggle was soon added
hunger, for their provisions ran out
before they were out of the canyon and
they began to think it was all up with
them.
But on the eighth day of this march
they came out of the canyon. They
were nearly starving. and as a last re-
sort they determined to make a stand
and try to kill some game. That day
deep snow fell Had it come before
they got out of the canyon they never
would have come out alive.
But here as they were in camp the
next day after reaching the open
space, a dog barked across the river.
Two little dogs in my party heard it
and responded loudly and DANGEROUSLY.
The men jumped up with throbs of
climbed up a big rock, and at once he
saw on another rock across the river
a man who called out: Who are your
The guide replied: Spencer and party
Come over. We're looking for YOU
was the next word, and the starving
young men knew they were saved at
last
1T was Lieutenant Elliott and his
party of soldiers and trappers.- The
spot was on the north fork of the mid
die fork. of Clear Water river, and only
five miles below was a Well-stocked
hunters cabin 1t was found later that
two trappers had come up in boats
within two miles Of the party, but had
gone back. Lieutenant Elliott had
pulled his boats up the river thirteen
miles, for rowing was impossible, and
they were discussing the canyon which
doomed up ahead when the guides dog
gave warning that somebody was close
at hand
Elliott waited two days to feed the
starving men. The predicament of Col
gate was talked Of but the falling
do I'M
possible. The only way to get back
would have been by a long detour
around the mountains. The moose
brush on the mountain side was weight
ed down with three feet of snow and
that is an almost impossible combina-
ton. BY the time Lieutenant Elliott
could have got to Colgate he must
have inevitably been dead many days
and buried under three feet of snow.
Elliott is a heroic officer and he would
have done anything possible. He de-
cided, and all in the two parties decided
that it worse than useless to attempt
the rescue of Colgate. 1 believe they
were right.
while waiting for the young men
to recuperate, Lieutenant Elliott sent
a courier to telegraph me that they had
been found. [ got the dispatch Nov.
25. The party got safely out. In so
low a condition were they that when
they got food again they gained at the
rate of three pounds a day for fourteen
days.
In the meantime another scouting
party had gone from Missoula, Mon.
sent by General Merritt commander
of the department of Dakota, at my
request An officer and soldiers were
led into the mountains by a guide
named Wright who was Spencer's
partner. He said he knew where the
snow-bound party was, for Spencer
had told him where he was going. At
ter going down to Lolo pass. and across
Bitter Root mountains to Clear Water
river, Wright led his party down the
river two miles towards the place where
he said Spencer and his party were.
There he had the officers send a cour-
Ter to telegraph me that he was sure
to locate my sons party. He was then
within forty-five miles Of the camp
which they were seeking.
Suddenly Wright advised the Off
GERS to retreat. He said there was go
ing to be a snow. They followed his adj
vice and went back to Missoula. having
been absent thirteen days. When the
lost party was found by Lieutenant
Elliott, Wright demanded $500 for his
services. Wright was supposed to have
a personal interest in finding the lost
men, for his own partner was the
guide.
was a plan to get the party lost and
have Wright find it after a large re-
ward had been offered.
Spencer took the party into the
mountains when it was so late that
every man of experience knew that
the trip would endanger the lives of
the young men. When the party reach
ed the settlement Of Wrippe an old
man named Gaffney. a respectable cit
izen, took Spencer aside and told him