The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-03-10
OTIS BUTTON IS LOST
Hs and Companions Left Juneau on a
Fishing Cruise.
WELL KNOWN IN MONTANA
His Wife Writes to a Friend Con-
corning Her Husbands Abb
sence Life at Cokedale-
Personal Mention.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Livingston, March S-Information
from Juneau, Alaska, has reached this
city to the effect that Otis Button and
several companions have quite likely
been lost at sea. Three months ago
they left Juneau on a fishing cruise,
not intending to remain away more
than month at the longest, and no It'd
ings at all have since been received of
them.
Mr.. Button removed from Deep creek.
a tributary of the Yellowstone, to Alas
ka about a year ago, his family accom-
panying him. For years he had fol-
lowed the life of hunter and trapper.
He decided to cast his fortunes in Alas
ka, because of the superior advantages
that country offered in the way of
hunting. trapping and fishing. Not
long after his arrival there he came
near losing his life by the capsizing of
his boat in the treacherous rapids of
some one of the streams of the Alaskan
interior.
He was a man probably so years old
or more, with wife and nearly grown
up family. The news of his supposed
drowning is contained in a letter from
his wife to Mrs. ]. L. Edmonds. DR..
Edmonds purchased the Button ranch
when the former pulled up stakes here.
The letter says the family are in poor
circumstances, because Button, when
he went to sea, was only able to make
provision for them for a short time.
1t is possible that the party may have
been shipwrecked and cast upon some
island, and will eventually be rescued.
but there is not much confidence put In
this theory
Under the supervision of Messrs. Pep
pard and Booth. the wrecked Carter
bridge has been removed from the river
bed and everything is now in readi-
ness for rebuilding the bridge. with the
exception that the structural iron has
not yet arrived from the East. 1t will
be three weeks before that is re-
ceived.
Huling De Hart, the Cokedale mer-
chant of whilom years, has developed
into quite a traveller and is a frequent
visitor in Livingston. He has not lost
faith in Cokedale, although he does not
anticipate that a resumption of work
at the ovens will occur for months yet,
unless the trouble at Horn should re-
suit in the entire suspension of opera
lions at that camp. and such a con-
tingency is not at all probable nor de-
sirable. The exodus from Cokedale has
caused the population of that camp to
dwindle down to a few families who
are not entirely dependent upon the
Coke company for employment, and
about dozen former employees of the
company who possess a great deal
more tenacity than the majority of
their fellows, and who intend to hold
on until tine last dog is hung" In
addition there are seven or eight men
employed in keeping the pumps at
work and the hoist in operation i'm or
der to supply enough coal to keep the
engine fired up. About 81, 900 per month
is paid out by the company for this
purpose.
w. F. Kirby has released the Wind
sor hotel to Messrs. Link & Mitchell of
the Upper Yellowstone, who were the
sureties last fall in the leasing of the
hotel to NJ. o. Sund, who two weeks
ago threw up his lease and left the city.
William Snearly has the management
of the house and John p. Dyas is the
clerk
The sky line having been completed,
the freight blockade in this city and
Bozeman has been raised and all trains
are moving along with accustomed
regularity. Superintendent Finn de-
serves credit for the expeditions man.
ner in which he caused the sky line to
be rebuilt. 1t was a difficult task to
build the line on the mountain top with
a furious snow storm raging most OF
the time, but the energetic superintend-
ent of the Yellowstone division rose
equal to the emergency.
A. Carter has returned from a trip to
Omaha, where he was called on bust
ness pertaining to the McCauley Min
ing company. He expects that the COM
pany will emerge from their difficulties
before long and operations at Crevasse
be resumed.
The weather last week cut consider
able ice with the ice dealers of Living
ston. Until then the ice crop had been
very slim and the prospects for har-
vesting any more were getting blue.
The ice houses are we'll filled now, how
ever. Frank Beley put up 800 tons dur
ing the week and the other dealers did
nearly as we'll
Charles Fransham and b. F. Yerkes
were over from Bozeman to-day and
took a drive out to Park county's
eleemosynary institution. not exactly
TO apply for quarters at that popular
resort, but Mr.. Yerkes. being engaged
in the newspaper business. desired to
familiarize himself with the character
of such places. so that in the event of
Grover Cleveland securing a third term
he would be prepared in a measure for
his future home.