The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-11-11
KLONDIKE HORRORS.
THE SAD DEATH OF A BRILLIANT
NEWSPAPER MAN.

HrA"f - ',t'N
Details of His Struggle to Locate Claim
Overcome by the Fatigue of the Jour
ncy He Died Alone in IA storm Far Away
From Human Habitation.
Every one has read of and realized
in general way what the horrors OF
life in the Klondike are. But the let
ter of John c. Powell, who went with
Henry Tucker, of Troy. n. Y, bright
young newspaper man, up the MinooR
creek, details the story OF hardshlps
and suffering resulting in the death oi
young Tucker, to the parents OF the
young man in Troy. 1t is dated at
Rampant City, Alaska, Sept. ID: lie
says:
/ became we'll acquainted with your
son, Henry b. Tucker, and being
Yale man myself, our acquaintance
grew into warm friendship. Four of
us agreed to live together this winter:
Your son. George NJ. Reed, of Boston,
George 2. MacGowan, CT New York, and
myself. We reached this point by boat
last Wednesday noon, the Sth, and at
once our party set to work putting up
our tent on the shore of the Yukon riv-
er. After the tent was up we worked
hard until midnight carrying our pro-
visions and baggage, amounting to
about three tons or more.
We sat up late planning a walking
trip to prospect for gold, and stake out
claims, and we only had about an
hours sleep. Henry, Reed and l start
ed at 4 o'clock the next morning, each
with a pack OF about thirty pounds, In
cluding one blanket and food for three
days, on prospecting tour, as we were
told that all the creeks in this vicinity
were nearly, If not all taken, and we
were anxious to locate our claims with
out delay.
AS the steamboats, for the past two
weeks have unloaded all their passen'
gers here-not being able 10 get up the
river beyond Fort Yukon-it has made
quite a lively boom for this place. AT
this point, l would say the walking IN
this part of Alaska is harder probably
than at any other spot of the world.
There is about foot Of dead moss COW
ering the ground, which sinks with ev-
cry step; besides. the country is un-
usually mountainous, with very poor
o. no trails, making one mile count as
rn ch as three in any of our hilly
country east.
After walking about eight miles UP
the trail leading along Minook creek
Reed wrenched his knee at about y
O'Clock and turned back. Henry and
we 1t on, intending to go up Hoosier
creek, as we had been told that Hunter
ar Little Minook creeks were entire
!, talked off, and that only few claims
y C left on the upper end or Hoosler
creek. But instead of turning up
dIoosier creek, by mistake we passed
by. continuing up Ninook about seven
u-.yes farther before we turned BACK,
rcp'izing that we must have passed
hoosier creek. We walked back to a
log cabin, which we reached about
o'clock, and decided to spend the night
there, finding two of our travelling
companions there. For greater parl
OF the way there was no trail whatev.
or, and the creek being not mere than
two feet deep we followed the Ted OF
it most Of the way. or course the water
was very cold, almost to freezing point,
but as we were walking in rain all day
we were wet through and very cold
The log cabin had no fire inside, and
we had bad night, sleeping in our
blankets with our wet clothes on
Would say that the weather here now
ls about what we would expect at home
in November. We started Ut O'Clock
the next morning. Friday, the 10Th, tt
70 up the left fork Of Hooser creek, ex.
pecting TO return the same night, with
only enough sea biscuits and choco.
late for one day, and without our blan'