The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-22

A long letter from Dawson City,
Alaska, has been received by William
Wilson, of South Blakely street, Dun
more. The letter is from Richard Eltz,
and is as follows
Dawson City, Alaska, May 80, '9S.
Dear Will-My long silence has, no
doubt, led you to believe that l was
dead; but such Is not the fact, for l
am still alive, having gone through
some of the most terrible hardships
that 1 ever suffered in my life. Death
many times staring me in the face,
while many of my companions who
were not so fortunate as myself have
passed to the great beyond.
Our adventures have been many,
fatal and otherwise, many of which
have caused time, patience and labor
to be used before making any attempt
to relieve the unfortunates from their
perilous positions. So far / have only
figured in one Of these adventures per-
sonally. 1t happened this way: We
were crossing over a precipice about
800 feet high when my companion, who
was tied to me, slipped, falling over
the edge of the precipce.
How long he hung in mid air don't
know, but it seemed to me n day until
help arrived to release the two of us
from the uncomfortable positions we
We're in. When he went over the edge
l thought we both were goners. The
rope, in tightening around my body,
caught my hand against my pack
breaking the bones in my thumb, caus-
ing me great pain while I laid there
holding him over that awful abyss,
expecting every minute to have the
rope break in twain and dash him be-
low to meet a horrible death: if not by
falling, by a worse fate still, starva-
ton! For we could never have reached
him, not having a rope long enough.
CRUDE SURGERY.
To say that we were glad when help
came would be putting it very mild,
for when we were released from our
uncomfortable positions we could have
worshpped our rescuers. They dressed
my injured finger in the only manner
available. This was to tie it up in a
piece of cloth. The bones healed that
way and now l have a stiff useless
finger which will never be of any use.
except to remind me of my adven-
ture.
WELL I can tell you, our journey to
Dawson City, a distance of 5000 miles
was one of the most frightful l ever
experienced. Many times we only made
one mile a day. This was on account
of the deep snow and the fact that we
had to drag our supplies of 400 pounds
along with US This was no snap.
can tell you from experience. When
we reached Telin Lake we built our
boat, is feet long, which carried us
over the water to Dawson City,a dis
| tance of 450 miles.
BY this time our food supply had
| given out We had to buy it at the
| following prices or else starve tC
| death: bacon, 80 cents per pound;
| ham, $1.50 per pound; sugar, 81 pei
| pound; butter $3.50 per pound; baking
| powder, 50 per pound; one candle, 81;
| nails, 81 per pound; flour, 81 per pound
| beans, 35 cents per pound; rice so cents
| per pound; and all other things IL
| proportion. We are five in party and
with food at these prices it takes mon
| ey, or uD here, gold dust.
Our claims, two in number, we can't
| tell much about yet. All the talk you
| hear about so much gold is half lies
| Some have had the luck to strike good
| claims, but they are scarce, and if
| were home / believe / would stay there
| There are thousands of people here
| and how they get along l don't know
Take the people coming now, why they