The San Francisco call., 1897-09-26

Camp is brought by the steamer Seattle,
although she lett nearly twenty -four hours
later than the tug Pioneer, which brought
the first news.
As yet only one body, that of Choynski,
has been reported as found. The story as
related to the Associated Press by man
named Watson, a packer on the ChlIcoot
trail, who was an eyewitness to the slide
of land and rocks and ice says:
at occurred at about 5 O'Clock in the
morning of the 18th. Many in camp were
rot yet up but three who were astlr will
never forget the dreadful scene they wit
messed. Rain had been falling in torrents
for several days-in fact, may truthfuIlv
say for several weeks-and the slide was
eviden ly due to sort of reservoir which
had formed on the bench of land back OF
Sheep Camp the great pressure OF water
forcing the rocks and Ice loose from ma
ture's moorings."
Continuing Watson said: After the
slide the rains continued, and those who
escaped the slide hesItated about going to
search or assist tlfem III finding the in
iured. 1t was not until Sunday morning
that search was really instituted. One
BODY has been recovered. 1t was that of
a man named Choynski cousin Of the
prize fighter, bound for the klondike.
Nearly all of his clothes were torn from
him, ana his body was terribly bruised
and mutiIated. Pe was still living when
found, but died within an hour aiterward,
{ without recovering consciousness. Choyn-
ski had been carried fully a quarter of a
mile by the flood, and there was no trace
OF his packages which be had tried to
save. l am not certain that any person
other than Choynski was lost, but there
may be a dozen or two others. If there
are others it is doubtful if their bodies will
/ ever be found."
! ]. ". SnovPr, who resigned the position
/ of Inspector of Customs here eight weeks
/ ago, was a returning passenger on the
! City of Seattle and corroborated Watson 8
story. T. C. McCaully, formerly mem Der
OF the State Legislature from Tacoma,
was among the returning passengers. He
was north six weeks, and says during that
time there were only two days in each
either rain or snow did not fall. Many
persons who started out from Skaguay are
too poor to return without sacrificing
| their ALL and have camped for the winter
| on the trail, in many cases occupying the
same tents with taeiI horses.
From now on the rush from Alaska
back to the sound will be greater than
was the rush to Alaska after the return of
the treasure-laden ship Portland, July II.
VICTORIA, 3. c., Sept. pa thrilling
story of hair-breadth escape from death in
the icy food on the ChiIcoot Pass is told
by TWO prospectOrs who left the steamer
City of Seattle at Victoria this morning.
/ They are Sol Berhner OF San Francisco
and George Marks OF Los Angeles.
Berliner had a tent near the river bank
in which he kept sort of store. There
was another tent close to his and little
further down the river. He tells his
story as follow
cit had been blowing very hard all
night and the stoyepipe was blown away.
l rose to put it up and noticed that two
logs that had laid in front of the tent the
day before were gone. | called out tc
Marks that the water must be rising.
Marks looked up for only few seconds
when be called out to me to run for my
lie. | sprang out of the door and in ar
instant the water was up to my shout
ders. Fortunately ] was able to catch
hold of a biz stump that stood near the
tentdoor. The tents and everything in
them were swept out of sight in a second
The people in the tents further up the
mountain side rushed to see what he
matter was, and when they saw the posi-
tion Marks and l were in, they shouted tc
us to aold on and they would help US. II
was pretty hard work, for the water was
frightfully cold. They tore the ropes Of
their tents and threw me line. When
caught the rope they dragged me to the
shore / was in horrible shape, and hac
lost from $1,000 to $1400 worth of good,
and $500 in money. which was every.
thing | had in the world
Il can't tell you what the avalanche
looked like. There was a great food o
water, carrying tents, trees, stumps, logs
ice, rocks and merchandise. 1t was ar
awful sight. | thought 1 saw man and
woman go down on one of the tents, and
there was report that Dr. Smith and his
wife were drowned; but / believe they
were reported safe. Only two persons were