The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1899-08-11
TALE OF SUFFERING
Told by Party of KlOndykers
Who Tried the Edmonton
Hnufp
Route

I " ffNNFNiH fAtaA'1Nttf fAAtf w aNNNNANt
Aug. lo-The suckeen river steamer str
athcona arrived here today with thirty
survivors Of the Edmonton traiL They
are:
VI. Randleman, chicago. J. Gin. VAN
| couvs-; W. T. Mum. Missouri; d. IT..
! Lyons, Missouri; W. Coulter. Manitoba;
NJ. Ostig, Chicago q. velger, Canada; s..
W. Morga, siiverton. ore: II. Fenk, Los
Angeles: G. Carney, Los Angeles: H..
Berton. Salt Lake. W. Hinman. chicago;
C. Jefferson, Ashbury Park. n j.; ].
Moore, San Francisco; NJ veley, Ohio; j..
McGnvary, London; W. Reed. Canada; o.
Reed, Canada; J. Levin, ottawa; ]. Hack
ney. Ottawa e. Il. Dunbar. Seattle; W.
H. Dunbar. Seattle; a. Talt. Canada; b.
II Talt, Canada. NJ W Weiseu, Chi
| cago; a. II. ugar Prince Albert pro-
vince Canada. c. suefel Chicago; W.
H. Wells. Missouri. d. Robertson. Vsu-
oouver, T. @ romllnson Tacoma
AN these men came i'm with the pack
train sent out from Telegraph creek and
Laketon by the various trading compa-
nies last spring
The unfortunates tell heatronding
stories % hardships endured. comrades
| lost and abandoned, and strongly de-
nounce the trading and transportation
companies. as well as tho Canadian Of
ncials and newspapers that so profusely
| advertised this route as feasible one
to tho Klondike gold fields. To outward
appearances these men certainly give evil
denco Of the awful suffering undergone
%
Most OF them are slckly looking, with un-
kept boards ana greasy eioths-plotures
OF physician and financial wreck. Several
are gray and bear the marks OF scurvy.
A few have Just enough money TO reach
Seattle or Victoria. but the majority arc
without funds The citizens OF wrangel
have appealed 90 the United states gov
ernment at Washington, but up 70 this
date no aid has been received. There
are about 25 destitute miners here. Many
had narrow escapes from starvatioT along
/ The trail from Fort simpson to Mud
river and Fort Laird. A. II. Tiger and
/ party lived on squirrels and bacon for
nealy two weeks.
NJ. Osug, c. Stiefel and NJ W. Weisen.
three Of a party Of five, owe their lives
20 a bear that they killed Just as they had
run out Of provisions about twenty miles
from Laird post. william Schmidt and
| Fred Schmidt OF tho same party, left
the camp at Laird post last spring to trap
! and have never been heard from since.
Perry Wells, brother OF W. II. Wells.
who was one OF the passengers on the
strathcona, died Of scurvy az Telegraph
creek
MORE LEFT ON TRAIL.
II is admitted that there are sdil more
than 100 men scattered along the trail
between Laird post and the Pelly banks
and relief parties have been sent out by
the hudson bay company The last re-
ports brought TO Laird post were that
many we're dying OF scurvy and hunger.
II IS estimator tnat there are thirty 20
forty suffers at Telegrap- creek awaiting
the next trip Of the boat. The sick thai
had TO be carried on stretchers had not
yet reached Glenora when the Stratheont
sailed.
Several starvation cases are reported
About twenty miles above Devils Port
age. two men were found frozen TO deati
A man bearing the name Of Johnson. iron
New York. was found dead In tent nsa
the source OF the Mud river last fan. Thi
poor fellow had as covering only half OF
D.anket and in diary, sull open aud fl
his hand, were these words opposite q
tho date. February 10. 1897. II diod o.
hunger"
An along the route from Fort simpa or
TO Fort Laird. men with frozen limb
were assisted. while some, too weak T.
help themselves were necessarily left be
% hind by those more fortunate and abl
= TO struggle along scruvy ragged in all th
r camps more or less, but there are fey
I deaths from this disease reported. nur
8 ber OF Canadians who attempted TO Gro
= Cutland tfaiI from Fort Simpson 70 For
I | Francis last fan. have never been hear
4 from, and Il is likely that they perishs
n from cold Beaupree was the name @
Il one OF these men and ho hailed from o.
!. tsrio.
a Provisions were scarce and high az a
> the military posts last winter and a
"a several including Laird post, and BoI
II krancis, even the post men we're put o
"a rations during the months OF April an
a May OF this year Flour sold az j35 ~
81 sk. bacon at as cents per pound Al
Al beans 25 cents per quart This made u
Io the daily menu for several weeks Mar
owe their lives 20 the relief party und,
= Scott Simpson. sent out by the CosC
trauisg company that reached Laird 20
May p. This daring party left Laketr
q IA March and made a most perilous tr
across Deaz Lakewifs dogs as tho Il
" broke up one Of me reEcnsg party VI
"A drowned and nearly an the dogs an
a. sieds were lost.
a. The majority OF the returning go
In seekers took the Mc.-onale water rou
a. from Edmonton. Coarse gold was -four
In several small streams, and gold colo
"a were often seen. though not in sufhclel
rrravfffts to ovorL