The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-22
Member of the Chilkoot Avalanche
COMMITTEES Here.
FoRry-NlNE BODIES exAuMED.
Dr. ,. =. Maple. Frea Dyea. VIII
send Pessenal Eaeess - Victims
81 the slide 70 Relatives ana
Fssenas-Sixseea GsrDses bet In
of Aeciaens-lshouls On the Trail.

bodies Of the dead lost in the Chilkcot
yesterday on the steamer City of Seattle
from Dysa. LIZ. Naples mission in Se-
attic is 20 send by express to the relatives
and friends Of the chiikoct dcad the per-
sonal effects found on their bodies when
they were exhumed from the Icy sepulsher
at Stone House. incidentally It 10 his
purpose to spread broadcast statement
concerning the DysA TRAN and the city OF
Dyea, in the hope. he says. OF correcting
some erroneous opinions which have been
formed by the published accounts Of the
disaster Of Sunday. April ..
DIR. Maple. being memner Of the CON-
mitsce which took possession Of the trail
On the afternoon OF the avalanche and
then directed the work OF recovering the
bodies and resusc.tating the living. Is. he
says, in position TO give an Official and
snte.lig.o,e account OF the disaster and the
work Of the committee. TO Poss-In-
teiligeacer reporter he said yesterday:
The newspaper accounts OF the Chill
koot avalanche have in . measure been
exaggerated. There have been forty-nine
bodies recovered. and 1t 10 estimated BY
the committee that sixteen remain under
the snow. where they win be found as soon
as the snow Is melted from the mountain
side. The side occurred at HIS o'clock
on Sunday morning, and within fifteen
minutes thereafter word had reached
ghasn "a mn NJ ,ha xsisassar rsa,ss ~av,n
m.tsee was formed. OF which l Was 4
member. and Immediately proceeded to the
spot. 1 was the first physician on the
ground and took charge temporarily OF
the work Of rescue. The dead bodies were
taken 10 the power house Of the Chill
koot Railway and transportation Com
pany. We succeeded in resuscitating
thirty odd people, who were taken from the
snow apparently dead. They were not
frozen. They were nearly sufYocated. and
II was only by tae use OF heart stImulants,
hypodermfcaliy injected. vigorous rubbing
and artificial respiration that they were
brought back from the vale across which
they bad nearly passed.
"A number OF the saved were ir a crit
teal condition for sevaraI days. but no
Order Out 81 Chaos.
While at first all was disorder and
confusion at the scene OF the snow slide,
within q very short tine after the fpYma-
ton OF the citizens committee. empowered.
as 1t was. to regulate the search on the
trail. 10 care for the bodies OF the victims
and to close the trail 70 packers and
O..
the avalanche was being prosecuted, COM
plete order and A system which worked
admirably had bs<n established by III.
ceinmiitee The living were cared for
first and then the bodies OF the dead.
after being removed Ia The morrue a,
Sheep camp for Identification, were d.s-
tribfted among the friends or companions
OF she victims, or else buried in a new
cemetery selected for that purpose near
Dyea-
During the FIRST few days In the work
or caring for the bodies. OF acertasninx
their names ard their homes and In prr-
pairing those that were sent 10 Seattle
for ship nent, the committee found rsentv
TO do In fact. the work Was exceedingly
difficult and tiresome. My whale time
was taken up for days I established an
ONCE near the mcrgue and kept list. ~
the dfad. revising them constantly a. new
names were brought In or new insorma ion
received. and meanwhile answering the
Inquiries OF the corps 81 newspaper cor
respondents and HUNDREDS OF .nn,,,sff,rs
visitors 20 the uoreue during the day.
LISTS were in great demand and made
cot fnnrmerable copies Of these.
There were exactly sorsy-nIne babies
recovered. This statement - Official ana
the reports that more were found are un-
true. have q if6 which prepared after
an work had ceased and AFTER the identity
OF the bodies had been 4ssbiiss,ed h>yond
dispute. OF the forfy-nine dead people.
nineteen were employees Of the tyamwsy
company. Mr.. Bennett. the general ma ma
ger OF the company, made every ysswsbie
EFFORT TO ascertain the addresses OF The rel
atives OF the dead workmen and when he
was successful he sent the bodies home nj
the expense o. the company.
R0bbtng the Dead.
Now. as TO the reports concerning the
robbery OF the dead this dsssardIy work
was performed by fsw sure-thing men
who infested the trail a, various points. A.
fast as the hodIes were made ready al the
power house 10 - sent down 70 the usu4Ss,e
az Sheep Camp. sxns one would volunteer
70 haul them down on sieds This was he
fore Tire committee had taken charge. sorue
OF tfse confidence men participated in the
work OF Transporting the dead And sfev
robbed the BODIES they had in charge when
ever they could find the opportunity I
doubt II more than eight or ten bodies
were outraged IN this manner however
As soon as Tire committee had taken charge
fsis work ceased and frosn that time for
ward everything MAS conducted or, a ha,ns
ness system and every bit Of property Ia
ken In ehargs by the committee was ac-
counted for.
''If In true that after the trail was .hro~n
open-t to travel. there was imminent danger
az an open conflict between the searchers
and the packers over the right 10 use The
ground. The searessers were largely men
wao believed their friends Or companions
were buried by the side Naturally they
resented what they termed the srsrsx$cu 81
tire packers The latter ard the -niaess.
WHO did their own packing. were aaxiuzxs
20 rssah on over the summit ard the, were
osrosed 10 DELAY. Hut there vas no out
break or srossksr 81 an, kind The trzsg
EU esosed fweufy xoatr hnurx b. common
consent and as lise order ~ the rcmmitsfe
Thea . tr1ck waw b1z1t Aeoum1 ~ p1nro
1Amo - beGesg ~ aw3s1 snow - anow