The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-15
HARD LUCK IN ALASKA
Alex Sharpe Writes Discourage
ing Letter to His Brother.
TOM GILL DIED EN- ROUTE
People Who Hit the Edmonton Trail Had
Anything but Good Time-Alaska
Fine Country for Man With
a Spite Against Himself.

Great Falls, June 14-There can be
no doubt that many of those who
sought to reach the Klondike by the
Edmonton trail have found death Oft
ener than gold Death has come by
drowning, by starvation, by freezing
and by sickness, but whatever it's man
ner, it has come frequently. A year
ago last May party left this city by
that route. 1t was composed of Dan
Sharpe and Tom Gill of Castle, Alex
Sharpe and Robert Mungall of Belt.
They reached Fort st. John, on the
Peace river, when the older Sharpe
Oan). and Mungall gave it up and re-
turned to civilization. The others con-
tinued. William Sharpe has received
a letter from his brother Alex, which
gives some idea of the horrible hard
ships of the trip and besides makes
mention of number of men who We're
once we'll known in this section of
the state. The letter reads in part, as
follows:
Il hope father got back all right.
When he left Gill and went on about
100 miles up the Peace river and
stopped for the winter. In November
Gill complained of the mains in his left
leg, but we thought nothing of it, He
kept getting worse until Dec. %, when
he died of scurvy. Will you write to
P. Jackson of Helena and tell him of
Gill's death, as he had letter in his
pocket when he died, from which I
learned that Jackson was an old friend
Of his. Gill did not say anything at
all before he died. Two days before
his death l wanted to write for him,
but he said said no. there was no one
unless l had money There was an
other from some young girl, who
seemed to be very fond of Tom but
she did not give her full address. Pos
sibly some of the girls friends around
Helena will know her.
There is lots of the scurvy around
here, and I think that there will be
many more deaths from it. Pat Dough-
erty came in from the Nelson about
Feb. l, and three of his party are down
with scurvy He went to the Nelson
and lost all of his horses and is going
out this spring. Jim Hopper is winter
ing on Half Way river The tallest of
the two men who helped father pack
his cart up Pine River hill jeff Rich
ardson, died of scurvy at Fort St John.
Lamb and Scholtz are wintering on
Halfway.
Joe Doudy, Alex Capewell and Dave
Davis went up above Fort Graham to
the head of Black river to winter and
all of their horses died up there. It is
reported that all of them have the
scurvy, some of them seriously. There
is only one report of anv big strike,
and that is on Great Slave lake, where
quartz running $500 to the ton is said
to have been found. Whether or not
there is any truth in the report re-
mains to be seen.
The snow is still three feet deep,
and no signs of its going ass yet.
am in very good health myself and
have helped to eat two horses, SO you
can see how plentiful the gameis It's
all plain hunting. William you are
lucky. You want to stay where you
are. You might whisper to Reina that
/ would not mind being pauper for a
few days myself William Sharpe is
the superintendent of the county poor
farm. This country is all right for a
man that has a spite against himself
He can hide out. | am of a party of
four men to go up the Parsnip river
to look at some quartz. Then we shall
go to the South Pine river and then
out, SO you may look for me this fall,
providing nothing happens"