The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-12
is VERY MUCH ALIVE
Major George B. MCLAUGHLIN
Was Not Murdered.
THE DETAILS OF THE TRIP
Rough Work on Thin Ice-Buried in a
andslide-Intensely Gold Stock
Frozen to Death On the
Ground Floor.


stated in this column Major George B.
Mclaughlin, reported murdered by the
Indians of the Northwestern territory
is very much alive, and what is more
he has not lost his old-tim facility with
the pen which marked his work on the
River Press years ago. The letter to
which reference was made in the prior
telegram is good sample Of his work
and reads as follows:
Swift Current Fork of Fraser River,
B, c., Jan. 2S, 1S99.-West of the Rock
les, nearly 400 miles north of Edmonton,
/ am now encamped with eight other
prospectors and miners, two of whom
came with me from Edmonton. We
crossed the Yellowhead pass, from the
Athabasca river to the head of the Fra
ser, during the holidays and had
rather rough trip of it, the snow lying
from two to three feet deep on the west
side of the pass.
But possibly I had best tell OF the
trip in detail. Frank jackson, eX-Cap-
tain Neale of the Northwest mounted
police and left Edmonton on Nov. 10.
1893. with II horses and an outfit of
1880 pounds, 800 of which was flour, 600
of bacon and the balance small grub
tools for mining, etc. For over 200 miles
of the trip l walked every step of the
way, then rode two days along the Ath-
abasca, and walked the rest of the way
here. Along the route. which years
ago was an old Indian and trappers'
trail, we saw several small enclosures.
with fences almost entirely decayed.
within which was one or more graves of
old-timers who had died in the service
of the Hudson Bay company. some as
much as so years ago. Each grave has a
cross for headstone, indicating death
in the Catholic faith.
Late in December we left the Atha-
basca and followed west along it's
largest tributary, the Miette into yell
lowhead pass. Here we began to en-
counter rather deep snow and on the
second day after crossing the highest
point in the pass we followed down Lob
stick lake on the ice, which was 16
inches thick. Next day We left Lobstick
and iloundered along over the fallen
timber until noon, when we struck onto
the river again and the procession
moved along down it on the ice. That
night we camped in the dense timber
on the bank and l found a hillside
mile below where the horses could paw
and rustic little dry grass.
Next morning we moved down the
river on the ice and twice during the
day the Ice gave away with us because
of being washed thin by the current I'M
derneath. All three of us got soaked
through and at one time We had 13
horses and mules. loaded with $50 to 200
pounds, in swimming water There
was no place to camp, Sd we went on
until dark. when we camped at a little
park at the confluence of the Moose and
Fraser rivers. Dec. "a we laid over to
dry out the blankets. robes, tents etc,
and put the horses in little slough at
the foot of a mountain.
christmas was dreary day for US
and bitterly cold. On the Goth we got
In cur stock and moved over Moose lake,
Is miles on the ice. At the foot of the
lake we camped that night and next
day had to take to the side of the noun
tain and pick our trail. Jackson went
ahead leading a saddle horse to break
path and for four days we only aver
aged six miles in eight or nine hours
travel. The river was rushing through
canyon to the south Of us and there
We're steep gulches leading into it that
must be crossed. On the Goth the horses
had had no grass for two days-nothing
but a quart of oats each morning and
evening since the 2eth and such twigs
and browse as they could find in the
snow. That night we made down our
blankets on snow hip deep to me, and
while Neale made supper (hakng pow
der bread. bacon and tea,) ready We
ripped open the saddle pads, took the
six pounds of hay from each pair and
gave it to the horses. The last sack of
oats, packed 400 miles for just such an
emergency, was partly gone and we
gave each animal quart.
December 80 and 81 were the worst
days. On the 50th it rained and showed
all day and we wallowed along slowly
among burnt pines. pushing westward
over ridges and gulies. Just as We
got the head of the train in one deep
guch big slide occurred on the farth-
er side, almost burying Jackson and
the horse he was leading. l shoveled
them out and we worked all afternoon
cutting trench through the slide. A
mile further on we camped for the
night. and the horses had nothing, eX-
rept such burnt brush as they could
find. A fire had overrun the side Of
that mountain last summer and it was
destitute of grass. while the snow was
too deep to get it had there been any
growing.
We shoveled a place to put our packs,
covered them carefully with tarpaulins.
dug a place for the tent. cut down
Eome of the burnt trees, built big fire.
had supper and went to bed. Next
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