The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1898-09-16
ONE OF THE SURVIVORS.
A Pennsylvania Tells of His Experiences
in the Chilkoot Avalanche.

Milton Black, who lives near Punk
eutauney, Pa, returned home from a
Journey to the goldfields Of Alaska.
He was caught, with 200 others, in the
great snowslide in Chilkoot Pass April
B, in which Mrs. Maxson, of the SAME
place, lost her life. and had a thrilling
experience and an almost miraculous
escape from death. He was buried
under twenty-five feet of snow for
eight hours, and was finally dug out
alive, but so much the worse for the ac-
cident that he found it impossible to
proceed on his journey, the long in
terment under the snow having SO in
jured his lungs as to produce violent
hemorrhages.
1t is interesting to hear Mr.. Black
tell of his experience, and of the wick
edness of the average Klondiker. "As
soon as you get on the trail" he says,
Sunday school is out. There's no
further use for hymnbooks, and
prayer-meetings are not in it,
There were about two hundred peo-
pie in the party with whom Mr.. Black
entered Chilkoot Pass. They had
pitched their tents to rest and recuper-
ate, when snowslide came down upon
them, covering their tents. After
considerable labor they all managed to
get out. They concluded to get
through the pass as quickly as posi-
BILE, and for that purpose all took hold
of long rope, with the guide in front.
Mrs. Maxson, who had been covered
up with snow once, was discouraged
and hysterical She said she would go
no further. She would lie right down
there and die rather than attempt to go
through the pass. She was urged to
take hold of the rope, but would not.
Two or three stalwart men offered to
carry her, saying that they would not
go on and leave woman to die. She
would not be carried. While they
parleyed for ten minutes the second
slide came, which they would have es-
capped had there been no delay. About
a hundred of them were covered be-
meath twenty-five and thirty feet of
snow
Those who were not caught by the
slide went to work at once to dig the
others out. 1t was a slow and ardu-
Gus task, and out of ninety-one persons
thus buried, only seven were taken out
alive One of these was Milton Black.
The slide occurred at 9 o'clock in the
morning, and he remained buried until
s o'clock in the evening. One pecu-
liarity of his situation when covered up
with the snow, Mr.. Black says, was
that he could hear just as well as
though he had been in the open air.
The groans, prayers, lamentations and
curses of those beneath the avalanche
were plainly audible. Some prayed
fervently, babe good-by to their near
friends, and gave up. Others cursed
their fate, and used their last breath
to utter profanity.
II made up my mind" says Mr.
Black, that would die as had lived,
and that it was no use to pray at that
stage of the game. It seemed to me
that got a breath about every five
minutes. l had little hope Of escape,
but resolved to live as long as could.
The snow was lacked so tightly about
me that could not move fraction of
an inch. thought every time got
breath of air that that was my last one,
but I never became unconscious, and 1t
seemed to me that had been there at
least a week when shovel struck my
shoulder and heard voice saying: :,
:" I have struck a man.
is he dead or alive?' said another
voice.
ST don't know answered the man
with the shovel, and he soon had my
head uncovered. When / got good
breath of air felt that 1 was all right,
and l said: There is a woman right
in front of me. Dig her out. l have
air now and can wait They then
proceeded to uncover Mrs. Maxson.
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 it out until the snow
was all shoveled away from 1t. /
would not go through that experience
again for all the gold on the Klon-
dixie -