The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-06-05
ONE or TrE srRrIyoRs.
a Pennsylvania Tells OF lIis EHperisnoo N
the ChIicoot Avalanche.

From the Pun,1udurncv SPIRIT.
Milton Black, who lives near this town, re-
turned home last week from a journey to the
gold fol6s of Alaska. He was caught, with 200
others, in the great snow slide in Chilkoot Pass
April 3, in which Mrs. Maxson of this place lost
her life, and had n thrilling experience and an
almost miraculous escape from death. He was
buried under twenty-five feet of snow ( r eight
hours. AMI WAS finally dug out alive. but so
much tho worse or the accident that he found
~ iiipoestpiu 70 piSeeeu III ms tourney. tne long
intelmcnt under The snow having SO injured his
lungs as 10 produce violent hemorrhaRos.
1t is interesting to hear MIR. Black tell OF his
experience, ana vi the ~lcRediess OF tho average
iklondIker. As soon as you get ON the TRAIL"
he says. "Sunoay schuol is out. There's no
inES are not in it,"
There were about two hundred people in the
party with whom Mr.. Black entered Chilkoob
Pass. They HAD pitched their tents to rest and
rrCupcratc. when IA snow slide came down upon
them. covering their tents. After considerable
labor they all managed To get ont. They con-
cluGcd 10 get through the pass as quickly az
possible, and for that purpose AL took hold Of q
son, who had been covered up with snow once,
WAS discouraged aud hysterlcal. She said Hho
there and die rather than attempt to go through
the pass. She was urged 10 take hold OF the
offered to carry her. saying that they would mob
go on and leave a WON IN TO die. She would not
be carried; While they p~Grleycd for ten minutes
the second slide came. which they would have
ESCAPED had there been no delay. About .
hundred % them were covered beneath twenty.
tye and thirty feet OF snow.
Those who were not caught by tho slide went
TO work at once TO dig the others out. 1t was .
SLOW and arduoUS task, and out OF ninety-ono
persons thus buried. only seven lrere taken oub
alive. One OF these WAS Milton Black.
The slide occurred at 9 o'clock in the morning,
ana he remained buried until 3 o'clock in tho
cvr-':. One popularity of his situation when
covered up win the snow, Mr.. Black says, was
been in The open air. The groans, prayers,
lament tions, and curses OF those beneath the
avalanche were plainly audible. Some prayed
fcryently. babe good-by to their near friends,
and gave up. Others cursed their fate, and used
their last breath TO utter profanity.
Il made up mind" says Black, that I would
die as l had lived. and that IL WAS no use to pray
ut that stage of the game. II seemed to mo that
lPot q breath about every five minutes. l had
little hope of escape. but resolved to live as long
ms i could. The snow WAS packed SO tightly
about mo TINT l could not move n fraction or AN
inch. | thought every time ] got II breath of air
that that was my last one. hut l never became
unconscious. and it seemed to me that l had been
there at least a week when a shovel struck my
shoulder and ! heard II voice saying:
Il have struck a man"
Is be dead or alive p said another voice.
Il don't KNOW" answcrc the man with the
shovel, and lie soon had my head uncovered.
all right. and | said: There is a woman right
III front of me. Dig her out. l have air now
and can wait. They then PROCEEDED TO uncover
Mrs. NlaXsOn. But she was dead. You can
form some idea OF how solidly the snow was
packed" continued Mr.. Black. when ] tell you
that when they had me all uncovered but one
leg up to the shin ! could not get IL out until the
snow was all shovelled away from it.. l would
not go through that experience again for all the
gold on the klOndikc."