The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-07-05

! Twenty men with careworn faces. roUSn
hands and clothing almost used up, COM
| posing the second detachment OF the re-
/ treating army from Copper river. arrived
| here yesterday morning on the steamer Dis-
/ covsry. There were forty in the party that
came to Juneau on the Woleott, but only
half OF them came down. The contrast
between their GUM faces and the happy
/ ones of the Klnod.kers who returned yes
| ierday on the New England was great,
| Nevertheless they mingled with the happy
| crowd Of patriotic celebraters and read
| about SIMPSONS great victory over the
| Spanish.
| They made for the cut-rate ticket offices.
| anxious to get home before the rates should
| 20 up Some of them had just enough
! money to buy their tickets TO the East
| Others will have to work here or wait for
money 10 se sent them. None of them
! had gold, and all of the men We're dis
gusted.
| There was one energetic little woman IN
| the party who was not 50 dissatisfied WITH
|
talk of it. The. woman was Mrs. L. NJ
/ Bradbury. a widow of ST. Louis, who, with
/ party Of four men. had gone further into
| the interior than any other woman, ana
| who had made her way over the glacier
| alone when 1t was either that or remain IN
| the country all winter. She was seen AZ
| the Northern hotel last evening and said
| to a Post-Intelligencer reporter:
| II come direct from the camp OF the
| leaders in the rush TO the headwaters OF
| the Copper river. j left the camp on the
| bank of the river about two hundred miles
| from it's mouth on June Is, and made my
| way to Valdes alone. The glacier, which
| took us a month to cross in February and
| March. was fast cracking up. and soon re-
| turn across it would have been impossible
| 1 did not care 10 take my chances on float
| ing down the river with the Indians lii
| September when the water is low. so left
| my party and came back. They will push
| on into The Yanana river country. The
| trip across the glacier was a terrible one
| Some of the cracks were of frightful depth
| and width. / was five hours crossing one
| mile OF ice.
| As regards conditions In the interior, /
| would say that there are many disguised
| people who would give anything TO get
| back home. There are about five hundred
| men encamped NJ the lake and as many
more at the river. twenty-five miles be-
| yond Only one party that l know of is
| further in than that. 1t is headed by
| Messrs Amy and Stevens. of Stockton and
| San Francisco They were ten miles up the
| river when we last heard from them, and
| had found an Indian trail TO the headwa-
| tiers of the river, over which they started
| The swift waters of the river have
| caused many parties to come to grief. They
| put their outfits in boats and lost them
| barely escaping with their lives Some OF
| the men who were grubstaked We're glad
| for an excuse to come home. Most of the
| people who are discouraged and coming
| back are Of the sort that expected TO find a
| gold mine as soon as they crossed the gla-
| cier and were not prepared for further
| hardships.
| 1--WE left Valdes On the ed and brought
| down SIX men who claimed to have no
| money. When they got on the Discovery
/ they bought first class tickets and had
| enough TO buy a drink every morning.
| There are a number of people a: Valdes
who have no money TO pay their passage
| back. AT Yakuta, bay We picked up ten
| men who We're more than disgusted'
One Of the yakutat men said yesterday
| Il have had all | want of that coun-
| try fer a while. / spent the whole Of
| last winter In the foothills about Yaku-
| tat. and have nothing 10 show for Ii. Ny
| grub short. and I decided to get out
| OF there when I could There are now
| many people bottled ny on the other side
| Of the glacier who can't get out because
| the Ice is melting so rapidly As the ice
| melts, large crevices are opened up in the
| glacier Some OF these are covered with
, onl; a thin layer OF snow and Ice II a
man tries TO cross these places he takes
his life in his hands
| shortly before I left Oyca three men
| cane dawn from the summit OF the ga
| cier, They had had an awful time corning
| dawn. and thought several times that they
| could never make 1t. When they were
| ahou. half way down one Of the party
| stepped on a thin crust of ice. which gave
way un'er him. He fell down the creyice
for distance of fifteen feet. when he
managed To catch hold OF a chunk Of ice
and held on unit. the others could get 4
rcPe around hin. He was pulled on;
/ badly scared and shaken up.
/ White was II Yakatat six men came
I or, - the country near the head ~ Dis
/ crc h3n'ufent hay. On arriving al the
| s<ad II the bay they piled their outfits
! AMI provisions IN a small boat and started
/ - continue the journey. While they we're
/ fFc~sinG The Ray q storm came up and
taf.s Fed tie boat. TIE me0 sUecs eded n
ugh,inE she boat and saving themselves
Act al taeiT provisions and baggage Mere
sost- Tliey managed - ~. to Yakuta:.