The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-10-25
IN A DEADLY BLIZZARD
Alaskan Miners Narrow Escape
From a Horrible Death.
THEY LOST THEIR TRAIL
Stared Overland From Fort Selkirk on
the Dalton Trail Four Days With
cut Food They Paced Death
From Starvation.

seattle. Wash. Oct. 2i-only the
mcrest chance and the lucky discovery
of the half hidden trail 10y one of their
number saved six membcrs uf party
headed by y. L.. aud julius Trippe
from horrible death by starvation on
the Dalton trai, late In september. The
party was headed by the Trippc broth
,rs formerly nf Chicago. and included
thari,s " likes of Whatcom, Charles
q. Dugas, a miner from Juneau. John
fry of this city. and W Hiliiss OF
Moodsmsnn. and "A prospector living at
Fort Wrangcl. They left Dawson city
ior the states In small steamer Aug.
- and. after reaching Fort Selkirk.
prepared their outfits for the long and
arduous journey over the Dalton trail.
A week after leaving the Yukon river
they cncuuni red deadly Alaskan
blizzard. lh- nail Was covered With
snow and they lost their bearings.
Their provisions ran out. and after
klOping for three days through "A blind
ing snowsturm they wire finally rescued
by Indians tax, n into Dalton's trad
ing post. where they were given food.
The experiences of the Trippes. who
reached Seattle ON the steamer Faral-
Nh NN~luNs NbuNl Nl
good reading matter In many re-
~ cts the story they tell is not ma
I, rally different from the experiences
encountered by men nearly every Win
ter in crossing the long. blizzard swept
range of country lying between Five
fingers and the Cnilkoot mountains.
lnqucstionably their plight was cx-
a, mely serious and their hazardous
escape from death by actual starvation
and exposure will he "a warning IA
miners coming overland without cx-
pcrienccd guides and plenty of provis-
ions. As related by one of the party.
the trip up the Yukon Ia Fort Seikirk
WAS without unusual incident. Al this
place they secured "A rough map of the
route over which they We're to travel.
With only about ~ pounds of provisions
each. they started over the trial leay-
Ing Fort Selkirk Sept. IA. The weather
was clear and there had been hut little
SNOW to obscure the trail over the
brush-coVcrcd range.
They made good time fnr the first
three days, hut soon found that they
would BE- unable 10 reach Dalions
cache before their provisions gave out.
Their only hope was Ia meet incoming
prospcctors and surveyors from whom
,hcy expected to secure enough food
to take them IT, the cache. ON the
third day from the river. u began
showing and the wind was Icy cold.
They struggled brayely ON. making the
best time possible until they reached
liootchai. Here they met party Of
four men and secured three days ra-
tions frOm them.
Again they started for Daltons post.
The SNOW was getting deeper and the
walking was extremely difficult. Worse
than this. the landmarks by which
! they expected Ia keep ON the Dalton
! trail were becoming obscured by snow.
Soon after leaving Hu0tchai they found
] Il impossible Ia Keep the trail. and fin
ally they found themselves wandering
aiml, ssly over barren snow covered
wastes. their bearings gone and their
I lo,,d exhausted.
Just as II seemed as IL they were
destined to have the snow for a shroud
and end their lives In that God-for-
saEen country. they came upon AN In
dian camp. Here they purchased II
fish. and with that as their only susie
| nance again u, AIDED for the direction
/ they hdicycd Dalton's trading post Is
| situated.
! The snowsiorm had partially ceased
| after they met the Indians. Their
/ simple diet Of dried salmon was not
l enough To- keep up their already vast
.d energies and after another day :
! travelling they found that they We're
/ confronted with danger as great as
ever. ON the second day after leaving
the Indian camp they ran out Of food
| for the third time. The Trail was en-
| iirely covered with SNOW ana they
/ were unable To- locate m" Dalton cache
! by the directions given them On the
] chart. They rampad IN the woods aud
hilr one party went in search of the
! Trail. another started out with "A gun
| after food. They al last obtained two
salmon In n small stream and they
/ had these FOR supper and out of the
scraps made breakfast the following
day THIS was the last food they tast .
/ ,d for thrr" days with the exception of
an owl which they shot and made into
! soup.
/ Mr.. Tripps said tonight that he was
/ I, ldy tu give up On the third day
| passed without their having rl,"n sol.
/ ld food II was bitter cold at .nlS
/ ly the rNor,isr of viii power were u .
] kept from being frozen stln. rbMar's
evening ~ the third day In camp Gil-
] lies discovered the location of the trai
I aud with tho help ~ an Indian whom
they met they made Daltnn's trading
post Her, they Obtained the first roa
food they had had FOR nearly four days
/ After resting FOR two days they ~.
sumsG their march to the thilkat pass
and reached IN. end of their Journey
without further mlshap
An of she men were very weak from
their suffriings aud e. viii hc several
days hrfDrr they are restored to their
accustomed strength.