The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25
RESCUE BY TIE THETIS.


IVAo Nv A1ADa9 AANDcs
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Lssut. sinspssn ef the mydTosraphtc Onlev Teis
tire etory 81 . muut nDr Trcasure IN tho
Arctic Reeiops-scattie Well. the Oniy NO.
man In the PartS. LEFT Behind.
Prom he Baltimore ArrsrtoarG
The present gold fever In Alaska reminds
Lieut.. Edward Simpson. who Is In charge OF
the Baltimore branch Of the photographic o.:
fce Of the United States Navy, Of an early eS.
perionce to which he was o party. ho was an
officer on the Thetis whom she rescued seventy.
two stranded miners and their gold on tho
coast Of Alaska in 1889.
He spent three years of tho coast Of Alaska
and In tho Arctic Sea, and saw much OF the
now famous gold fields and their people. Pre-
vtous to 1880 q miner named California Pete
had left Juneau, on the southern coast of Alaska,
and gone overland TO the head OF the Yu.
kon River. In tho course Of time Pete did not
return, and rumors hoated among the miners
Of Juneau that Pete had struck II rich Sew.
enty-two miners and Seattle Nell decided that
what was good enough" for California Pete
would also suit them, and they decided to fol.
low his trail and strike out for fortune. They
left the Douglas mine, which was the cause Of
tho city Of Juneau's existence. This mine was
discovered BY q half.breed Of many nationals.
California millionaire, who had learned thai
vested . million dollar. before any gold was 50.
O month. and soon had 100 and then $40 orc.
crushers In operation. Tho mountain Of preo.
ions metal was being mined from the surface
Juneau originally consisted Of Q settlement
the population Included, a. a miners news.
paper stated. 500 men and 70 odd women.
Neil started into the bleak North. They were
ten days on q steamer T which WORKED IT, wSy
foot OF Chilkoot Pass: Here they shouldered
which she Yn,endod 70 mi. brown sugar and
5 asa. no any n9SS ssin sn' sns sss;ax < S sssY r Sls wet aS:
Sen :sa nsT slG0 q the wa aiT RHt ana laD S ssHss S 81 SS5i
rolled down a Procipice and was lost The
sSsy parity sas 't ss + sa ssGSs Il Sa sn= e isSs,Sn' wh ia
had gone along, in sear,h Of big game.
were Aets ea, t " ,h s1 S.s. tIsd%D Ds s. r. ss. Ssr %ssss. 3;
fsn down With She suS Sps ana many spIl: i
e eea rsP of The 70 present. sSsrs d MaS orSe.' "n'on Is the
They gathered dirt In the winter when tho
tRs1TeGf L GU, and and Ssshsd tho iS S SeiST in le iSe' b SHs
summer months. They had arranged that q
the river when the season opened. and take
homo those WHO wished to go. by the water
Creek tho men had met with little luck, t GeS
had no money, and the vessel left them behind.
ing ht!e the En saSlS %an or ' had ii iosnd a, ieas lnG ssSo
worth no 81 az The .y yeeli low n metal ~, o ~ aSo bad $500,
p pe@e I thought hao be- Sa' li Rsd t 3 p sSoe Of t 4ee creek Prej;
where the water swirled in q pool, thinking it q
FOOD e mpp iSSsS for gold 60 It. to seit IL ,I He had n;i no pump,
the creek froIe to the bottom.
Then all the Ice and the bed Of the river was
out in the summer the miner had over 81 900.
The man who discovered 5000 had proepected
he suddenly found the nuggets In two weeks
time. Their wealth was useless, however. in
to buy and supplies were running short. II
they had been put on short rations, the food
the GSu, next aAs steamer SSsR e aas das. st staT mSatns s GssSsi
them In the face. 1t was almost impossible To
s sc e mp ING ch iiEesR fga,n' IN The 9ss 5a %idssr an nd. t1en
d dr,s, s si,S lhs Sn and Seattle Seattle i Nsll u decided to
place did not see anyone from civilization for
BY, rare good luck. the United States steamer
Thetis was returning from the Arctic Sea, whiih-
She stopped Oh ST, Michael to land a natiF,
Interpreter. And this was just fve days after
a boat put Oh from the Thetis the oeeupants
were startled to hear a rattle OF revolvers, the
sleepy SSs% g St. ENC c:h aef f Rand sesenty!aM ssn sarahas 81
men had seen the Stars and Stripes. and were
mem begged sd't To- s Be tsken ai back 10 aee eiSiiiaati lone
The Captain of the Thetis sent three officers
ashore TO see II they were really in need. The
seventy-two men met in a room twenty i've feet
square. The uniformed officers were given
seats. After much coughing and nudging OF
one another, the uncouth but big-hearted CON-
mittee succeeded In stating their difficulties.
They were not used to standing up and making
addresses. All the men were taken aboard and
shipped as seamen for their rations.
As Seattle Nell was a woman. she could not
bestaken aboard a Unit ID States ma~n-of.war.
and she was left in the wilderness with
the Indian SETTLE ment, TO wait months for a
steamer. Aboard the ship the miners did not
know, a rope, but il it was shown to them anf
II had to be pulled, it was manned with a will.
They were big and strong, but on the first day
out a gale Frustrated them with seasicEness.
California Pete was found lying on deck un-
able TO get up, or even smile, and when an Of.
hcer summoned him he could only raise his hat
as respectful recognition. They placed their
gold in charge of the ships paymaster, and re-
fused receipts When the fhetis landed them
at Sitka the men wanted to pay for the passage,
but this was not permitted, and then they desired
Thetis had TO nroceed snnth