Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-25
Land or Snow Slide Sweeps Eighteen.
People Away.
THEY PROBABLY ALL PERISHED
One of the Victims Was a Woman
One Body Recovered.
SKAGUAY TRAIL ABANDONED

PORT TOWNSEND, Wash, September
2o.-The tug Pioneer, Capt Nelson, ar
rived here yesterday morning direct from
Skaguay. with news of a catastrophe on
the Dyea trail last Saturday. accompanied
by the loss Of the lives of several ne ,ple.
the exact number not being known Etgh-
teen In all. seventeen men and one woman,
were reported missing The accident is de-
scribed by some as a snow slide by others
as landslide, and by others as the tearing
loose by the rains of a huge glacier that
overaung Sheep Camp and the trail The
news reached Skaguay Sunday evening,
and the Pioneer left there at 3 O'Clock
Monday morning. William Sprague, BROTH
er OF Capt Sprague Of the tug Sea Lion,
was passenger on the Pioneer. and he
tells the following story of the destructive
slide:
story Of nm Eye Witness.
Il heard the news of the slide on Sunday
evening from woman who claimed to
nave witnessed IL. The accident was
caused oy the rain. During the first part
OF the week it was cold, and ice had formed
all around. On Thursday a change came.
ara Thursday night and Friday morning
there was a warm rain. accompanied by a
Chinook wind. which thawed everything.
The rain came down I'm torrents. In was
the worst storm of the year for that Sec
ton. and continued all Friday and Satur-
Gay forenoon About noon Saturday the
slide carne, striking the Dyea trail "a,
Sheep Camp. and carrying all in its path.
Sheep Camp was literally wiped out of
existence Fortunately there were not
many people there: All left their outfits
behind and fed for life Some were caught
In the delrge. Just how many NAV neye-
De known, but eighteen were missing alto
gether. Two of them, man and his wife
named Crockett. 1 believe. were proprietors
OF restaurant at Sheep Camp. Oniy one
body wss found. 1t was that of Choyinski.
cousin "f the prize fighter. He was
found a quarter Of a mile from where he
had been, camped on the trail. His body
was bruised ard mangled. and ne was in
horrible condition, but not dead when dis
covered. He was suffering untold agony,
and died within short time after being
round. Four or five other missing men
were Indian PACKERS. and one OF them is
reported to have had $4,000 on him. ana
was just starting out for Dyea when the
slide came.
Excitemena Over the Accident.
There is great excitement along the
trail and at Dyea and skaguay over the
report Of the big slide, and it was finally
reported that fifty persons had been kfnes,
but the facts are as I have stated" :.
Charles Finn assistant engineer of tue
Pioneer, confirms this story. Finn believes
that one of the glaciers which are to bt ,
seen hanging along the mountain sides was
washed out by The heavy rains, and tha;
II came crashing down the hill. Just be-
fore reaching the trail and Sheep Camp
this glacier swept through the lake at the
foot of one of the hills. and instantly th.Ie
was an exit for the lake. and its waters
followed the glacier and numerous t.,ul.
GERS as they crashed along through St.eep
Camp.
Finn is certain that at least seven, we're
drowned or crushed in the slide. H. says
the report Of the accident will dete., hun
dreds from trying to get across tint. year.
He was told that the Skaguay. trail was
literally obliterated. and that there was no
use trying to get over II again this year.
Charles Tfnsiey. chief engineer OF the
Pioneer, talked with an Indian who Wit
messed the avalanche at Sheep Camp. The
Indian was very much excited. and Tins
ley thinks only few were killed.
Rain Storm Was Terrific.
Capt. Nelson OF the Pioneer describes the
rain storm of last week at SsaEuay as the
worst he ever witnessed. It:Sai,e down In
torrents, ard there was a fo42nsig mass OF
water pouring down the mod.itain sides at
Skaguay, the mud and siSsh being four
feet deep, where a few weeks ago the
ground was as hard as s6or.
Capt. Nelson asserts tkaI the Skaguay
of last week and is now Soeing abandoned
by every one there. CSbt. Nelson says
that those who were in the path of the
food and avalanche certSfnly went to de-
struction.