Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-08-11
EDMONTON TRAIL
THIRTY MORE SURVIVORS TELL OF
IT'S HORRORS.
THREE ARE FROM MISSOURI
THEY "HAVE BEEN SHOWN" AND
HAVE HAD ENOUGH.
Scurvy. Starvation and Cold Reap an
Abundant Harvest of Lives on
the TraiI-Surviyors De-
nounce Transportation
Companies.
THREE ARE FROM MISSOURI

WRANGEL, ALASKA, Aug. 6, VIA Sc
ATTLE, WASH. Aug. 1O.-The Stickeen
river steamer Strathcona arrived here to-
day with thirty surveyors of the Edmon-
ton trail. They are: NJ. Randelman Chica-
go; j. Cliff, Vancouver; w. T. Mum, Mis-
souri,; L. III. Lyons, Missouri; w. Coulter
Manitoba: NJ. Ostig, Chicago; c. Velger
Canada; S. w. Morgan, Silverton, Ore; H.
Fenk, Los Angeles; G. Gaffney, Los Ange-
les; ii. Berton, Salt Lake: w. Hinxman
Chicago; c. Jefferson, Ashbury Park, n
j.; j. Moore. San Francisco; NJ Veley,
Ohio; ]. McGilvary, London, Eng: w
Reed, Canada; o. Reed, Canada: j. Levin
Ottawa; j. Hackney, Ottawa; +. II. Dun
bar, Seattle; w. H. Dunbar, Seattle; NJ.
Tall. Canada; e. H. Tall. Canada: NJ w
Weisen, Chicago; A. II. Tigar, Prince AL
bert province, Canada: C. Stiefel, Chicago;
w. H. Wells, Missouri; d. Robertson, Van
couVer; |. q. Tomlinson, Tacoma.
All these men came in with the pack
train sent out from Telegraph creek and
Laketon by the various trading companies
last spring
The unfortunates tell heart-rending stor-
les of hardships endured, and of comrades
lost and abandoned. and strongly denounce
the trading and transportation companies
as well as the Canadian officials and news
pdpeiS tidl 81 pTOiusely duEeTtlSeu tnlS
route as a feasible one to the klondike
gold fields. These men certainly give evil
dence of awful suffering undergone since
leaving Edmonton, eighteen months ago.
Most of them are sickly looking, with un-
kempt boards and greasy clothes-pictures
of physical and financial wreck. Several
are gray and bear the marks of scurvy. A
few have just enough money to reach Sc
attic or Victoria, but the majority are
without funds. The citizens of Wrangel
have applied to the United States govern
ment at Washington, but up te this date
no aid has been received. There are about
twenty-five destitute miners here. Many
had narrow escapes from starvation along
the trail from Fort Simpson to Nun river
and Fort Lizard. A. H. Tiger and party
lived on squirrels and bacon for nearly two
weeks.
NJ. Ostig, C. Stiefel and NJ. w. Weisen,
three of party of five from Chicago, owe
their lives to a bear that they killed just
as they had run out of provisions about
twenty miles from Lizard Post. William
Schmidt and Fred Swift, of the same party,
left the camp at Lizard Post last spring
to trap, and have never been heard from
since.
NJ. Raudlemann of Chicago. was lost in
the woods above Fort Lizard last fall and
was compelled to live on bacon for three
weeks.
Perry Wells. brother of w. H. Wells, who
was one Of the passengers on the Strath-
coma, died of scurvy at Telegraph creek.
1t is admitted that there are still more
than 100 men scattered along the trail be-
tween Lizard Post and the Pelly Banks,
and relief parties have been sent out by
the Hudson Bay Company. The last re-
port brought to Lizard Post were that many
were dying of scurvy and hunger.
1t is estimated that there are thirty or
forty sufferers at Telegraph Creek await
ing the next trip of the boat. The sick
that had to be carried on stretchers had
not yet reached Glenora when the Strath-
coma sailed.
About twenty miles above DEVILS Portage,
two unknown men were found frozen to
death last winter. A man bearing the
name, of Johnson, from New York. was
fSe Mud rver en- last M
had as covering only half of a blanket, and
in diary still open and in his hand, were
these words, opposite to the date, Febru-
II die Of hunger
All along the route from Fort Simpson.
on the Mckenzie river, to Fort Lizard, men
some, too weak to help themselves, were
necessarily left behind by those more for
tunate and able to struggle along. Scurvy
| ragged in all the camps more or less. but
there are few deaths from this disease
reported. A number of Canadians who at
tempted to cross Cutland trail from Fort
Simpson to Fort Francis last fall, have
never been heard from. and it is likely
that they perished from cold. Beaupree
was the name of one of these men, and he
hailed from Ontario.
Provisions were scarce and high at all
the military posts last winter, and at sew
eral, including Laird Post and Fort Fran
els, even the post men were put on short
rations during the months of April and
May of this year. Flour sold at $35 per
sack. bacon at 70 cents per pound and beans
at 25 cents per quart. This made up the
daily menu for several weeks. Many owe
their lives to the relief party under Scott
Simpson, sent out by the Cosca Trading
Company. This daring party left Laketon
in March and made most perilous trip
across Dease lake with dogs. AS the ice
broke up one of the rescuing party was
drowned and nearly all the dogs and sleds
were lost.
The majority of the returning gold seek
ers took the Mckenzie water route from
Edmonton. Coarse gold was found in sew
eral small streams. and gold colors were
often SEEN, though not in sufficient guam
tity to work.
A Long Felt Want.