The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1896-05-23

hugh ice foes We're encountered. auu IL
some places gorges that were almost
impossible were formed, necessltatlng
careful navigation. Three miles be-
low the cannery at the mouth of the
TakOu river the party became hemmed
in and were compelled to camp there
two weeks. AT the expiration of that
time the wind shifted and the ice block
ade moved sufficiently to allow them to
reach the fisheries, arriving there
New Years day. The following day it
turned bitter cold again and the wind
was coming down the river with the
force of a hurricane. Nothing daunted
jackson so early in the trip and he and
the other two Indians set of up the riv-
err with their dogs, sleds and outfit.
They had proceeded less than a mile
when the dogs began showing signs of
succumblng to the terrible cold. The
sled was quickly unlOaded and the
faithful brutes we're unhitched and roll
led up into blankets. Ahead Of the
| party about a half mile was an island
heavily timbered, and to this point the
dogs were hauled on the sled. One
died before the timber was reached,
but the others were soon thawed out
after a roaring fire had been built. AS
| soon as camp was made, Albert, the
half breed, was left in charge and jack
son and the Chilkat Indian returned
with the sled to get the discarded load.
| The wind was blowing with such force
that the two men were compelled to
cut a heavy stick sixteen feet long and
probably four inches in diameter, car
rying it in their arms, one o. either
end, in order to give additional weight
and be able to stand on their feet.
Hodge and McNelis, who We're sup
posed to have followed the Indians, had
Jagged behind, not daring to face the
terrible storm thenraging. After the
departure of the Indians. however,
they evidently became frightened at
being left alone, and quickly made pre-
paratiOns to take the trail already
broken by Jackson. Hodge had sever
al hundred pounds of newspapers which
he was taking inside to sell, and these
together with his entire camp outfit.
excepting a trying pan, kettle, and o
fee pot, and all his surplus clothing he
threw away just above the mouth OF
the river. In the storm it was impossi-
bic to see ten feet ahead, and on ac-
count of it they missed the Indians
camp, passing to the right of it. jack
son and his partner returned to their
camp with the mail, and the former
set out to find his lost companions. The
snow and wind had all but obliterated
their tracks and it was with great diff
ficulty their trail was traced at all.
They were finally found in an exhaust
ed condition in a slough which puts off
from the river and into which they had
aimlessly wandered. Hodge had one
hand badly frozen and was almost help
less. Jackson thawed him out. made
their camp for them and told them
they must keep with him, as he would
not hunt them up again. Upon return
ing to his own camp, but a compare
lively short distance away, he found
both his cheeks and both his wrists
frozen. This was r of the most bit
ter days experienced. Two days were
spent in camp on the island before the
storm abated. On the third it became
considerably warmer and in the after
noon showed very heavily, soon reach
ing a depth of three feet. The white
men could do nothing at all on snow
shoes, which left the breaking of the
trails entirely to the Indians.
The journey of sixty miles across the
fiat summit was n round of bitter hard
ships and terrible experiences. The
thermometer fell as low as 65 below
zero, the cold not infrequently being
accompanied by a driving wind which
meant death to we'll nigh every living
thing within its reach. The white men
were utterly unable to travel with the
Indians and the frequent halts so often
made necessary through exhaustion
made progress very slow. Every man
in the party was more or less frozen,
Hodge and McNells suffering the most,
} not being provided with proper cloth