The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1897-10-01
THE SLIDE IT DYEA PASS

THE SLIDE 1T DYEA PASS
Only One Life Was Lost in
the Avalanche.
SEVERAL SERIOUSLY HURT
Warm Weather and Continuous Rains
Caused Section of Glacier to Break
Loose-ThrilIing Race for Life.
Victoria, B. c.. Sept. 2s. - The
steamer City of Seattle arrived from
Skaguay at noon, bringing the follow
ing special to the Associated Press:
Finnegan's s Point. on Chilkoot trail,
Sept. 22.-Sheep camp, nine miles
above here, was nearly wiped off the
face of the earth yesterday morning by
section of glacier breaking loose
from the main body. which came crash
ing down the canyon for 2 miles,
carrying death and destruction in its
wake. The first report that was
brought down last night by men who
had braved the perils of the flood and
precipice to get out, was that not less
than seven were killed and dozens
MANNED and hurt, as well as thousands
Of dollars worth of property destroyed,
but later reports, confirmed by hun
dreds of witnesses, have brought the
certain death loss down to one man
named Choynski, of San Francisco.
Several were hurt somewhat but none
fatally. There may be other deaths,
but SO far no other bodies can be found.
The loss of supplies will reach
$25, 900. Many have lost their all
after toiling for weary days to get them
this far on the way, and many profess
sionaI packers that had been working
for weeks and months, working as men
never worked before. lost their earnings
in the twinkling of an eye.
The warm weather and heavy rains
of the past few days had formed lake
on the glacier, and the wind, blowing
for "a hours from the north, had finally
broken off section, probably half an
acre in extent,w hich, with the water
behind it, started on its fatal journey.
Persons who were camped at Stone
house say it looked like volcano turn
ed loose over 100 feet in height and 20
feet in width. When it started it
made noise as if 1000 cannons had
been fred, and the startled inmates of
the tents sprang to their feet in all
stages of undress and rushed outside to
see what was the matter. One glance
up the canyon was enough. Some
rushed into their tents to gather the
most valuable things they could lay
their hands on, while others took to the
foothills
From Skaguay the City of Seattle
brought 210 persons, 192 men and 18
women, who were unable to cross White
pass and who preferred a return to CIV
ilization to risking death by exposure
at Skaguay. T. P. McCauley, a form
ser member of the state legislature from
Tacoma, was among the returning pas
sengers. He was north six weeks and
says during that time there were only
two days in which either rain or snow
did not fall. Many persons who started
over from Skaguay are too poor to return
without sacrificing their all and have
camped for the winter on the trails N
many cases occupying the same tents
with their horses.
From now on the rush from Alaska
back to the Sound will be greater than
trip of the Portland.
The City of Seattle brought the news
of murder and suicide at Skaguay.
George Buchanan foreman of the Skag-
uay Bay improvement Company, shot
and killed Mrs. Stella Kossuth, the pro-
prietor of lodging house and restaur-
ant and then killed himself He was
madly jealous of her. On the night of
the 21st he called her to his room and
as she was running from him shot her
in the back of the head. She died in
10 minutes. He turned the revolver
on himself, and the bullet went crash
ing through his temple. killing him in
stantly. Buchanan was about "a years
of age. Mrs. Kossuth was a widow,
about 90 years of age. Her mother,
Mrs. Crawford, formerly kept the Con-
tinental hotel, at Skaguay.
Purser Thorndyke says there are over
1000 men all in all on the trails, who,
if they could get to the coast, would do
so. There were others among the pas
sengers who lost their outfits at Sheep
Camp, and still others who had theirs
destroyed by the incessant rain that
had been falling. Some few sold their
outfits, but those who could not find
buyers left their outfits along the trails
to be ruined.
Those who came down predict that a
still larger contingent will come down
by the steamers following them. as
winter is beginning in earnest. Ice is
forming on the river and on the lakes,
and if those at Lakes Lindeman and
Bennett do not soon start down they
will be also too late to do so this year.
On the summit snow is nearly six feet
deep, and at last reports snow was still
falling heavily there.
With some of those at Skaguay. the
state of affairs seems to find favor, for
there are some of the miners who will
make an attempt to get in with sleds
and dog trains when the lakes are
frozen. No one has gone in of late,
and, in fact, very few have attempted
to do SO, for the trail is in such bad
condition that it is absurd to think of
doing SO.
The report comes from Dyea that
large number Of boats were swamped
while running White Horse rapids and
in Miles canyon, and that four men
were drowned. Nobody seems to know
the names Of the men, but a packer
named Reynolds stated that 1t was a