The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-04-19
ST IS STILL on EARTH
Marks Reaches Dawson After
Months Of Struggle.
DEATH FROM EXHAUSTION
A Yale Student Found Dead on the Trail.
Marks Advises Prospective Klon-
diksrs to Stay at Homs-yright-
ful H~ardships of the Trip.

He 10 heard from ono again, and there
are few old friends that people of
Butte would rather near from than
at last. after months of struggle and
hardships. and has managed to buy
enough paper to write q letter on. al
though paper is pretty dear.
Jack Hyland. Marks old partner. re-
ceived two letters from his old friend
yesterday. 1t shows how long It takes
letters to get from the Arctic regions
to this country. One Of the letters
written by Marks. wat dated October
8. last, M the other was dated March
2. The letters were written about six
months apart. but they reached Butte
The first letter OF 81 Marks IL Q lit
tie Anticipated, but still It IL full of IN
~terest. 1t IL dated at Circle City. Alas
ka, October 8.
We'll. here we are. 800 miles from
Dawson. froze up solid. Three steam
wrote you we changed u plans from
going down the river, and decided to
push further forward toward Dawson.
We got here on the evening Of Septem-
Der %. through an awful now storm
and blixzard. n the slush ice running
la NiC IiNCI ~ No 10 DC oln1O0I lmDaS-
sable. But / tell you, us Montanans
started for Dawson. and we are go
ing, 1t don't make any difference what
happens. For the last week on the
little steamer we stood beside the boat
with long poles pushing all day long.
When the boa got in a tight place we
would wade ashore. take a tow line.
all get hold and pull along the shore
like Turks. Well. we were six days
making so miles with the boat. so you
can see what kind of work we were do
ing. One result to me is I am laid up
with the rheumatism like l was when
you saw me in Helena last winter. II
l had n advice to offer Inv one as
to coming to Alaska, as far as my ex-
perience goes. Ii Is to stay at home.
Out Of the 1853 passengers hat started
on the trip. only "a have got this far.
ed back, and three died on the trip.
Among the Montana people. which con-
sists OF our party, headed by Pa Boil
and. are the following from Butte: Col
onel John Doyle; Connell, MCGOWAN,
Hugh O'Donnell, Harry McCrimmon.
Thomas Gillespie. When we were at
Minook, about 600 miles down the river.
two young men from New York, grad
yates of Yale college. concluded to go
u prospecting. The country Is a reg
ular marsh and swamp from the river
~ IL up OI the mountain AFTER lney
had been out a couple of days we all
felt uneasy about them. and a search
ing party was started. After a 10
miles journey, Tucker, one of them,
was found dead beside the trial, with
his pack on his back. His partner.
Powell, was found a piece further on,
sitting up in a tree like a squirrel, al
most insane. but I suppose II he Is
nursed carefully a few months he may
come around all right again, but he is
a wrecked a The cause of Tuck
er's death was not cold. but simply ex-
haustion. They walked and worked
so hard, not being used to 1t. that they
gave out and gave up. n Powell was
SO exhausted and tired that he could
not help his partner out. That Is as
near as We could Judge by the inco-
herent remarks of Powell. as when we
make any out of his talk. He was
left at Minook with friends, and will
have good attention. You can't believe
a thing these transportation companies
tell you, and should I ever come in
again. I would go over the Dyea trail.
These companies dump you on
wherever they want to. and pull out
their boats n leave you stranded.
and II a man Ia not a good.
strong man, he has no business
here. Why. we were dumped off three
times, but we kept right on coming. and
expect when the SNOW RetS deep enough
to put our stun on hand sleds, to hitch
ourselves up like horses and pull on.
for Dawson. And with good luck n
the Almighty willing. We will make the
trip in about 80 days.
1T has been from zero to 10 below
here for the past week. The suffering
here this winter for want of food is
going to be something horrible. There
is very little to eat in the country, and
We will have to pull out of here TO save
ourselves, for IL we stay here, there
are so many without food that, when
II comes to 1t. a general division will
have to he made. and all will suffer.
Up the river from here a steamer IL
froze in with 1853 passengers. and 40 OF
them women AS 500 as they eat up
what is on the boat they will start for
here. This was a big place before
Klondike was discovered. but now II Ii
practically deserted. about 1000 empty
cabins being here. There is a mail
leaves here tomorrow by dog rain for
Juneau. I don't know how long IL
will a X them. Should you want to
write me you "a address me at Daw-
son. N. w. T.. care N. A. T. q T. Co.
out Of postofice and send by dog train
mail. No use waiting for regular mail
to go. as can't tell. may not leave this
winter"
The second letter is written about six
months later. after Mr.. Marks has
reached Dawson. and is as follows:
well. j go here at last. left Cir
Gle City February LIST. and it took us
20 days to a the trip. arriving last
night. IT was bitter cold most all the
time. We took some mercury along to
judge the cold weather. but after the
second day out IT froze up, and never
until a day or two ago. We
didn't know how cold II was. but had
to keep on going until we got to Forty
Mile river, where the mounted police
are stationed. n found out that for Is
days the mercury was never above 50
below.
We'll. she was a great trip-living in
a tent at so and 60 below. For 10 days
We couldn't move. as the wind blew q
and we stood watches firing
up while part Of US slept at night. In
day time a couple at a time would run
and cut down a tree until we collected
wood enough for the night. In our
party was Tom Gillespie. q smelter man
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