Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1898-05-05
Pen Pictures Of Ghllkoot Pass.
SHEEP CAMP. ALASKA. Apr 5, 1898.
c. X. SHowALrER.

Z. X. SHOwALTER.
Lancaster. Wis.
DEAR SIR AND FRIENp:-Before YOU
receive this letter you will no doubt
have read in the daily papers accounts
Of the great snow slides below Chill
koot Pass on Sunday, Apr. 3. The
awful results of this calamity will
probably never be fully known owing
to the vast area covered by the two
largest slides and the great depth of
the snow. Hundreds of men have
been digging since Sunday noon but
the great trenches that have been ex-
cavated appear but feeble effort in
the way of thorough exploration
Thus far 40 bodies have been taken
out but this is in all probability not
half of the number of those who were
buried alive under hundreds of tons
of snow and ice on that fatal trip
from the pass on Sunday last. Ter
rible as the story is the chances are
that over-zealous reporters will exag-
gerate it and it is for his reason and
in view of the fact that SO many in
and about Lancaster are interested in
Alaska at the present time. that
write to advise you of the safety of
all of the Lancaster party and tell you
of the accident as it appeared to us.
To begin with it might not be out Of
place to say few words regarding
the geography and topography of the
country hereabouts. BY reference to
the map YOU will see that the bay or
arm OF the sea that indents the coast
near here is called the Lynn canal.
At the head of the bay are the towns
of Skaguay and Dyea, the latter place
being at the extreme point or head of
the bay and about, five miles from
Skaguay. From Dyea to the summit
Of Chilkoot Pass the o1ly road runs
through gorge or canyon, the first
ten miles being comparatively level.
From this point. calledCCanyon City,
the trail becomes very rough, being a
succession OF hills, some of which are
very steep Four miles of this brings
YOU to Sheep Camp, ~ which place
there are camped at present from six
to ten thousand men; from here to
Stone House is two miles and two
miles beyond there is Scales. which is
at the foot of Chilkoot Pass and about
100 feet below the summit The
total elevation Of the summit of Chill
koot Pass above tide water is 1900 it,,
making the ascent from Canyon City
to the foot of the pass about $500 it .
in miles, We have been here three
weeks getting our outfits to the sum-
nit and now have them abont all on
top. Needham, Patch. Abrams. Nau-
ert. Brothers, the Lewis boys and sew
eral others of our crowd are camped
about a mile below US; we, Barber,
Mccartney. Hutchinson and myself,
are about in the center Of Sheep Camp
and some Of IT, boys are up at Scales.
We got all Of our goods on top last
Wednesday and were going to move
over to Linderman the next day, but
when we awoke Thursday morning it
was showing furiously according to
the Indians the hardest storm ever
seen in this locality This storm
ragged for four days. during which
time about II feet Of wet, heavy snow
accumulated on the mountains. and
on Saturday night and Sunday, moved
hy its own vast weight aud loosened
by warmer weather, the snow began
to slide. All through Saturday night
we could hear the heavy rumble of
slides on every side and on Sunday
morning the storm lifted for a short
time and we could see great masses Of
snow and ice sliding down the noun
ain sides and carrying everything be-
fore them. The slight lull in the
storm caused a great many who were
at Scales and in other places where
danger threatened, to seek places Of
safety. and about half past ten a, NJ,
a large party, yariously estimated at
from forty to eighty. started from
Scales, all holding to long rope, in
tending to come to Sheep Camp. Soon
after they started the storm set in
again and when they had gotten about
halt way to stone House an immense
snow slide came-thundering down the
mountain and buried nearly the whole