The San Francisco call., 1897-09-25
SHEEP CAMP SWEPT
BY THE MASS.
Earth and Ice, Loosened by
Warm Rains, Slide Swiftly
Down.
SEVERAL ARE CAUGHT IN
THE DEBRIS.
Conflicting Reports of the Number
Killed, but II Is Kncwn That
several Per, shed.

PORT TOWNSEND, WASH, Sept. "a =
The tug Pioneer, Captain Nelson, ar
rived here al o. clock this morning direct
from Skaguay with news of land glacier
slide on the Dyea trail last Saturday, &C.
cOmT anied by the loss Of the lives of sew
eTal people, the exact number not being
known. Eighteen persons in all, seven
teen men and one woman, were reported
missing, and while II is not supposed that
more than seven or eight were killed, it
would not surprise .hose who brought oue
the news to learn later that none OF the
missing ever turned up alive.
The accident is described by some as
snowslide, by others as a landslide, and
BY Others as the tearing loose by the rains
OF a huge glacier that overhung Sheep
Camp and the trail The news reached
Skaguay Sunday evening, and the Pioneer
left there at O'Clock Monday morning
William Sprague, brother of Captain
Sprague OF the tug Sea Lion, was pas
senger on the Pioneer. and he tells the
following story OF the destructive slide:
Il heard the news of the slide on Sun
day evening fIom man who claimed to
caused by he rain. During the first part
OF The week it was cold and ice had formed
all around. On Thursday a change came,
and Thursday night and Friday morning
there was a warm rain, accompanied by
chinook wind, which thawed out every
thing. The rain came down in torrents
the worst storm of the year for that sec
t'on-and continued al Friday and Satur-
4 Q
The slide came, striking The Dyea trail at
sheep Camp. Just what caused it could
not be told, but there came slide of earth I
and rocks and water that carried al in its !
path.
sheep Camp was in the path OF the
food, and it was literally wiped out of ex-
istence. Fortunately there were not many
people there on that day compared with
the num Der usually at the camp This is
where the loss OF life occurred. Every
body left their outfits and baggage behind
and fed for life. Some were caught in
the deuge. Just how many may never
be known, but eighteen were missing alto
gether. Two of them were man and his
wife named Crockett, l believe, who were
running a restaurant al Sheep Camp. 1t
is believed that the woman at least was
lost. No trace of either of them had been
found or reported up to the time left
Skaguay.
'One body had been found. It was that
of Choynski, a cousin Of he pugilist. He
was found quarter of a mile from where
he had been camped on the trail, and was
in rrible condition when discovered.
All his clothes had been torn from his
body, which was bruised and mangled.
but be was not dead when discovered. He
was suffering untold agony, and died
within a short time after being found
Four or tlve other missing men were In
dian packers and one of them is reported
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 and Skaguay over the re-
port OF the big slide, and it was first re-
ported that fifty persons had been killed,
but the facts are as l have stated them
already.
Charles Finn, assistant engineer of the
Pioneer, confirms the story told by
Sprague. He was on the shore at Skaguay
till 2 O'Clock Monday morning and made
dihgent Inquiries about the reported land
slide Mr. Finn believes that one Of the
glaciers, which are TO be seen hanging
ong the mountain sides, was washed
out by the heavy rains, and that it came
crashing down The hill, dealing destruc-
ton along its path.
Just before reaching the trail and Sheep
Camp, this glacier swept through lake
at the foot of one of the hills and in
stantIy there was an exit for the lake and
its waters followed the glacier and numer-
Gus bowIders as they came crashing along
through Sheep Camp. This. Mr.. Finn
thinks, is reasonable explanation 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 it's
patb." said Finn, land the waters were
50 swollen that the footbridge ct the
month of the Skaguay River, which was
erected al the time OF the drowning h re,
uas washed out. One OF the men talked
with was an Indian packer who had es
caned the foot Dy running, and he de-
r ared that IL was the worst storm he had
aver known in that country. He knew
the names OF several OF The missing, but
W.. soon 100 drunk, alter landing In
Skaouav. to talk inteiligently on any sub
iect. There is CONSERVATION at Dyea and
Skapuav over the report OF the accident,
and il will deter hundreds from trying TO
nae il across This year. / was told that
tbe skaguay trail was literally obliterated
and that there is no use trying to get over
it again this vear"
Charles TinsIey. chief engineer OF the
mo Pioneer. talked with an Indian who
witnessed the avalanche at Sheep Camp. |
The Indian called it q SHOWS .ide and said
il carried everything with it down the
,.,rt.ip side and II was his belief that |
81 oil renorted missing would be found dead. |
But the Indian was very much excited |
ana Tinsley thinks only few were Killed
Car4ain Nielsnn If The Pioneer de- |