The herald., 1897-09-25
A SKAGUAY
LANDSLIDE
Brings Death to Miners on
the Trail
SHEEP CAMP WIPED OUT
White Pass Trail Literally
Obliterated
EIGHTEEN PEOPLE MISSING
AND. NOT ONE rs EXPECTED TO
RETURN
Of the Many Victims Bodies Only
One Is Recovered, That Of
A. M. Choynski of San
Francisco
AND. NOT ONE IS EXPECTED TO
RETURN
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
PORT TOWNSEND, Wash, Sept. "a.
The tug Pioneer, Caut. Nelson, ar
rived here at o'clock this morning di-
rect from Skaguay with news Of gla-
cier landslide on the pass, accompanied
the exact number not being known.
Eighteen persons in. all-seventeen men
and one woman-were reported missing,
and it Is not supposed that more than
seven or eight killed it would not
surprise those who brought out the news
to learn later than none of the missing
ever turned up alive. The accident is
described by some as snowslide, by
others as landslide and by others still
as tearing loose by the rains of huge
glacier that overhung Sheep Camp and
the trail.
The news reached Skaguay Sunday
evening and the tug Pioneer left there
at 8 o'clock Sunday morning. VIM.
Sprague, brother Of Capt. Sprague of the
tug Sea Lion, was a passenger on the
Pioneer, and he tells the following story
Of the destructive slide:
II heard the news of the slide on Sum-
day evening from man who claimed
to have witnessed it. The accident was
caused by the rain. During the first part
of the week it was cold, and ice had
formed all around. On Thursday a
chcnge came and Thursday night and
Friday morning there was a warm rain,
accompanied by a Chinook wind which
~ ~ iv1er O n "a ms
down in torrents, the worst storm of
the year for that section, and continued
all Friday and Saturday afternoon.
About noon on Saturday the slide came,
striking the Dyea trail at Sheep Camp.
Just what caused it could not be told,
but there came slide Of earth androcks
and water that carried all in its path.
"Sheep Camp was in the path of the
flood and it was literally wiped out of
existence. There were not many people
there on that day compared with the
usual number. Everybody left their
outfits and baggage behind and fled. for
shelter. Just how many were caught in
the deluge may never be learned, but
eighteen were reported missing. Two
of them were a man and his wife named
Crockett, who, I believe, were running
restaurant at Sheep Camp. 1t is be-
lieved the woman, at least, was lost. No
trace Of either Of them had heen found
up to the time we left. Ore corpse is
that of Choynski, which was found a
quarter of mile from where he had
been camped on the trail and was in a
terrible condition when discovered. All
his clothes had been torn from his body
which was bruised and mangled, but
he was not dead when discovered. He
was suffering untold agony and died
within a short time after being found.
Four or five other missing men were In
dian packers, and one of them is report
ed to have had $4,000 with him and was
just starting out for Dyea when the
slide came. There Is great excitement
along the trail and. at Dyea ard Skaguay
over the report of the big slide, and it
was finally reported that fifty persons
had been killed, but the facts are as
have stated them already"
Charles Finn, assistant engineer of
the Pioneer confirms the story told by
Mr. Sprague. He was on the shore al
Skaguay till 2 o'clock Monday morning
ard made diligent inquiries about the
reported landslide. Mr.. Finn believes
that one of the gla which are to be
seen hanging along the mountain sides
was washed out by the heavy rains and
that it came crashing down the hill,
dealing destruction along it's path.
Just before reaching the trail and
Sheep Camp this glacier swept through
lake at the foot of one of the hills and
instantly there was an exit of the lake
and its water followed the glacier. and
Ioy.c !,
ing along through Sheep Camp. This,
says Mr. Finn, is reasonable explana-
ton of the accident, and he is certain
from what he heard while on shore that
at least seven were drowned or crushed
to death in the slide.
"The slide left destruction along its
path" said Mr. linn, land the waters
were so swollen that the footbridge at
the mouth of the Skaguay river, which
was erected there, was washed out. One
of the men I talked with was an Indian
packer who had escaped the flood by
running. and he declared that it was
the worst storm he had ever known in
that country. He knew the names of
several of the missing, but was soon too
drunk after the landing in Skaguay to
talk intelligently on any subject
''There is CONSERVATION at Dyea and,
Skaguay over the report of the accident,
and it will deter hundreds from trying to
make the passage was told the trail
is literally obliterated, and there is no
use trying to get over this year.
Chief Engineer Tinsley talked with an
Indian who witnessed the avalanche at
Sheep Camp. The Indian called 1t