The record-union., 1899-09-02
PERISHED ON BLACK RIVER.
SAD FATE OF THREE SACRA-
MENTANS.
=. Z. Amsden, Bart Mcdonald and
Herbert Earle Perish in
Alaskan Wilds.

Yesterdays Record Union" con-
tanned disaatch from Seattle an
nouncing the sad fate of three MEM
bers of a party of four miners who
were seeking for gold last winter on
Black River, a tributary off, the Por-
cupine, which latter stream emDties
into the Yukon away this side of Daw-
son. The names Of the party, as
given in the dispatch, We're E. f. AM
stor, Herbert Earl, ]. B. Mcdonald and
c. d. Whitmore, known as the Am
Etor party of San Francisco.
When this dispatch was read yester-
day morning by Sacramentans it at
once became apparent that the four
men were those who left this city a
year ago last May to seek their for
tunes in the new El Dorado of the
far north-Ed f. Amsden, Bartholomew
Mcdonald, Herbert Earle and c. d.
Whitmore. These young men joined
the throng headed for the new gold
fields with the determination to un-
earth some of the riches there if pluck
and perseverance could do it,
They went by steamer to ST. Michael.
and thence set out up the great Yukon
River in a little launch taken with
were received during last summer and
fall telling of their progress up the
river, the last one being from young
Earl The party were ithen on Por-
cupine River.
The story that now comes by way of
Seattle is that the four Sacramentans
fell victims to the dread Scurvy, and
that all perished except Whitmore,
who managed to get to where he fell in
with some fishermen, who cared for
him and took him to a hospital at Cir
Gle City, where he was at last accounts
gaining strength.
Bart Mcdonald was a member of
the Capital City Wheelmen and of Sac
ramento Parlor, Native Sons of the
Golden West, and was a general favor
ite among his acquaintances here. He
was for several years engineer at w.
F. Peterson's confectionery, and his
former fellow-employes are greatly de-
pressed over his death, for he was
greatly esteemed by them. He leaves
a brother here. J. F. Mcdonald, an
employe of the railroad company.
Ed F. Amsden was a well-knoWn real
estate dealer He was reared in this
city and leaves a number of relatives
here. His parents and other members
of the family were terribly distressed
yesterday when they read of the awful
fate that had befallen him.
Herbert Earle was also we'll and
favorably known in this city, where his
brothers conduct a plumbing business
on ] street. near Tenth. His death
comes as a sad blow to his relatives.
c. D. Whitmore was a prominent
member Of the Good Templars here
His brother, Frank Whitmore, is now
q resident Of San Francisco. His many
friends are glad to know that he es-
capped the fate that overlook his COM
panions.
The Black River country where the
party came to grief is said to be one
of the toughest sections of that region.
The mercury there falls from 20 to 40
degrees lower than at Dawson, and it
is a terribly hard country to penetrate
or from which to retreat. The river
runs through a canyon so deep that the
sun is rarely seen by those along the
banks of the stream.
When the party left here they were
we'll supplied with provisions, but the
probability is they were unable to take
much of it into the locality where they
went to prospect.