The Republican journal., 1898-04-28
The Alaska Avalanche.

The following extracts from letter writ
ten by II. E. Mcdonald shortly after the
great snow slide on the Dyea trail, are kind
ly furnished to The Journal by Mrs. Nc
Donald:
LAKE BENNETT, April 6, 1898. We are
moving down the lake about three miles,
where we shall erect our permanent camp
and build our boats. We have been at work
two days cutting timber and putting up
skeleton frame for the camp. We shall build
hunks to sleep in, so as to sleep up from the
ground. 1t is pretty hard work and one gets
almost discouraged sometimes to see the
amount of work ahead.
| presume ere this reaches you YOU have
seen by the daily papers that they have had
terrible snow slide on the Dyea trail be-
tween Sheep Camp and the Stone House A
very heavy snow storm had ragged all last
Saturday night and Sunday, and small snow
sildes were frequent during the early part of
the forenoon. About 10 A.. NJ, two or three
men were caught under the slide, and while
willing hands were at work with shoves to
eXtrlcate the unfortunate ones and as a
crowd of packers had neared the spot. the
awful calamity occurred. A ponderous mass
of snow came laundering down the noun.
tain side, destroying the tents and shacks
which We're numerous, in its path, and bury
ing untold numbers of men. horses oxen
and dogs. 1t Is estimated that upwards of
200 people We're caught and buried nnder the
snow and ice. Up to Sunday night Is bodies
had been dug out and 56 more We're taken
out alive. Hundreds of men are working
with will. Shovels, picks, even pans and
pals, have been brought into use to extricate
the unfortuuates. Every man in Sheep Camp
and the Scales hurried to the scene of the
disaster and excitement increased AZ the
bodies We're uncovered There We're brothers
anxiously searching for brothers. fathers
fri, a
friends. The majority of those taken out
dead have been identified, while chose taken
out alive are so benumbed and dazed that
they can hardly tell who was in company
with them. The bodies of the the victims
are carried to Sheep Camp as fast as taken
out, and the living are made as comforta bic
possible by the campers nearby. The
search for victims will be kept up all night
long. The ponderouS mass of snow is diff
cult tC handle, as it is mixed with chunks Of
ice The roar of the avalanche could be dis
tinctly heard at Sheep Camp and as far as
the Canon.
The avalanche was no doubt caused by the
heavy fall of wet snow, on that already pill
ed up and honeycombed by the recent thaw
The spot where the calamity occurred is
about two miles above Sheep Camp and is
Off the regular trail. 1t is somewhat out
of the way and was used by returning pack
ers that they might better avoid the numer-
In very stormy weather many have pitched
their tents under the edge of the mountain
and cached sOme of their outfit. making it a
temporary halfway haul or resting place 1t
is estimated that 1000 people go and come
over the main trail every day, But to-day it
is hard to estimate how many We're in the
cutoff. Quite a lot of Seattle people Were
caught in the slide and lost their lives. I
am informed to-day that - bodies have
been taken out. A meeting was held last
night by the miners and packers at which
they voted not to allow any one to pass over
the trail either way until all of the bodies
had been recovered. 1t has cast a gloom
over all and many of those who We're on their
way in here became discouraged and are SELL
ing out their outfits and returning home. 1t
requires a man of courage and nerves of
steel to get his outfit over the pass, and push
on down the lakes to the gold field. We are
all well. Hay sells for $40 "A ton cigars 80
cts. apiece; tea S100 pound; sugar y cts
pound, and other things accordingly
H. f. MCDONALD.