The daily morning journal and courier., 1896-11-18
LIVES SAVED BY A WOLF.
Escape of Five Whalers in the Snow,

Escape of. Five Whalers in the Snowy
 Wastes of the Arctic.
 The five whalers who deserted their ships in winter quarters at Herschel Island succeeded In reaching the gold mines of the Yukon. They staggered into Circle City after having tramped for nearly a month over the mountains and trackless snowy wastes of the Arctic. Physically they were more dead than alive, in appearance more like beasts than men. During their long tramp to- ward Circle City they made hard fight for existence.
 After their companion, Thomas, had been shot and Fitzgerald wounded, and the other seven of the fourteen who de- l serted had been captured and taken back to their vessels, the five who reach ed the Yukon pushed on for the gold fields with only their rifles to depend on to supply them with food The five were l Anderson, Rae, Schultz, Jorgensen and Watson. The story of their hardships In crossing the unknown northern part of | the Alaskan territory was brought down from the north by the miners who returned from the Yukon on the Bertha.
 | When they escaped from their pur suers they were undecided about ventur l ing into the barren country that lay be- tween them and the gold fields. For Q | day of two they remained in camp delib erating on plan of action. While thus l engaged deer stumbled almost on top of them. Two or three rifles cracked and 1 the animal fell. It meant fair supply of meat to begin the journey with, and ! it decided the question. As soon as the carcass had been cut up and each man l shouldered as much of the meat as he | could cary the deserters started for the Yukon.
 1 It was almost in the middle ofan Are tic winter and the men had nearly 800
 miles to travel to reach their goal if | they went in direct line. Over noun l tain ridges and glaciers they tramped l and made fairly good progress for a i week. Then they were caught in a
 blizzard that prevented any travelling 1 for week. The cold was intense and i the men Durrowed in the snow to keep warm They were unable to cook any of | their frozen deer meat and hunger com 1 pelled them to eat 1t raw. By the time
 the blizzard had subsided their stock of
 provisions was almost exhausted and
 two-thirds of the journey was yet be-
 fore them.
 On they plunged through the snow,
 their fingers and toes frostbitten and
 starvation before them. Worn out and
 helpless, they lay down on an ice crag, praying for the end.
 Anderson was half dreaming, be-
 numbed with the cold, when he saw a pair of eyes glisten through the gloom, not over twenty fet from him. Cau-
 tiously he raised his rifle. and when it
 cracked large wolf fell in death. Eagerly the men skinned the animal, and soon its steaks were broiling over a moss fire. That wolf lasted four days,
 when another was killed. The meat of the second had been eaten for two days
 when from the crest of a steep ridge 1 the men saw a blue curl of smoke rising from the bottom of valley beyond. | The smoke was from Peter Hannetts
 cabin, on a branch of the Yukon, near Circle City. There the sailors were
 given welcome. As soon as the sum-
 mer opened three of them started down
 the river for St. RIichaers. The other
 two remained to dig for gold.-San ] Francisco Examiner.