Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-06-30
ALONG TIE ICE TRAIL.
THE MISSOURI KLONDYKERS WHO
STARTED FROM MEXICO
THREE MONTHS AGO.
Several Rave Returned Home-One st.
Louisan Still Sticks to the Ven
ture and May Return With
Large Fortune.
From the st, Louis Post Dispatch.

From the st. Louis Post Dispatch.
Mr.. E. L. Carter, Of Kirkwood, has
received a letter from his brother, w.
A. Garter, dated Lake Bennett, B. G.,
June 1, In which the latter givesinter-
esting news concerning the party
which left with him from Mexico, Mo-,
several months ago. Portions of the
letter read as follows:
You wanted me to tell you some
thing of the Mexico party who had
gone back, died, etc. That would be
hard to do with any degree of &C.
curacy. We had in our party 100 when
we reached Tacoma, but several left
the party there; IL more at juneau,
Alaska, bound for Copper River, and
we have heard nothing from them
since. At Dyea the rest of us divided
up into small parties and they are
scattered from the head waters of Lake
Tagish all along back to old Missouri,
and some are back in Missouri, from
what I can learn, soaring the wives
and children to death of those who
remained with their narrowing tales
of Indebtedness and woe in q country
that a.few months ago had such strong
attractions for them.
Those fellows had a dreadful disease
that is prevalent here and is known
by the Klondyker az "cold feet" and
when that disease takes firm hold upon
. weak brother there is but one
remedy that will save him, viz. home
atmosphere, and but one song that
will cheer him and that is, 81 Am Co.
ing Home to Roam No More" You
will find that after a man has had the
disease so bad that he has to be sent
back for treatment he is inclined to be
q little lighty and his ideas and
descriptions of hardships borne are,
in most cases, exaggerated and have
to be trimmed down considerable.
Lincoln county, Mo-, was well rep
resented in our party. The Slick
Klondyke Company, of Lincoln coun.
ty, headed by DR.. Brown, numbered
eight, I think. Only two of it are left
on the trail. DR.. Brown and five
others had this cold foot malady ano
are now enjoying themselves telling
their friends how foolish the other two
boys are and how wise they were IL
returning.
DR.. J. J. HALEY, of Benton City
Audrain county, lost three out of hi
crowd, all on their way home, driver
from the trail by the same disease.
Montgomery county has one among
the homeward bound and three more
are expected to start in q few days
but In this case it is sure enough sick
ness and the doctor advised them t.
turn back, as they could.not stand tn,
trip.
Icame from Dyea with a party of Il
to this place, and that is the larges
psrty Of the Mexico crowd that stayed
together. Out of this party one wen
home and two have died. Franz
Kirchner, of Boone county, died a
Sheep Camp, and Charles Nobel, o
High Hill, Montgomery county, Mo.
died q few miles below here on LAX
Bennett. They both died of spina
meningitis, a disease which has beel
quite prevalent as well as fatal in thi
climate. These r the only ones o
the Mexico party who have died SO ia
as / know.
The man Johnson, whom I helpe'
dig out of the snow slide, and who's
letter was published In the POST Dis
patch, which you inclosed to me, CAV
q good report of this disaster, SO far a
it went, but many more bodies hav
been found since, and they will con
tinue to find them al the snow disap
pears. I hope I may never be Gale
upon to witness such q scene again.
l left the party of IS after I got thi
far. They expected to 60 straight t
Dawson City and I decided to pros
pect some before I reached that place
I am now with three good, steady fel
lows, A. e. VIM, of Audrain county
John Watson, of Galloway county, an
William Kercheval, of Lincoln coun
ty, all of us being q part of the Mex
leo crowd, and not afraid of hardship
! and If nothing happens 1 think we wi
be found on the trail as long az a foot
print can be seen ahead. We are build
ing our boats here; sawed the lumbe
with a whipsaw, which is agood appe
tizer, and have our boats nearly com
pleted and will be ready to hoist ga
to start on the long and periIous jour
, ney by water about the I'd or Sd {
June. We have two boats, one to car
ry our outfits in and a smaller one tbs
we will use for going up the stream o
prospecting tours when we get int
the mining country.
A good many nave been browne
along the lakes by venturing upon tn
ice when 1t was unsafe for trave
and for the last week hundreds {
boats have been passing and leavin
here to struggle with the floating ic,
and many are wrecked by the ic'
losing their outfits and lives by the
Impotence and foolhardiness. w
expect to wait and let the ice get i
front and take no chances not abst
lutely necessary. From our camp "
can see for miles down the lake and
is q beautiful sight to see the hundred
of little crafts floating down the LAX
with their sails spread to the breeze'
, The officials have required us oregis
ter our names and the state we ha
from, and they issue us a number an
require rs to put this number on bot
sides of our boats. They desire I
/, keep q record of the lost. The nun
, Der of our boat Ia 1905.
!. We ARE having some sunny day
and the snow lie melting fast; the tret
are budding and high upon the noun
tain side you find sprigs of green gras
and what q treat to the eyes are thof
little messengers of approachin
springtime when one has been gain
upon ice and snow for 80 long.
The days r quite long here, and
Ia dark but a short time. 1t ia no