The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-07-11

Another story OF death by freezing and
exposure and the terrible sufferings OF =
party OF Phiiadeiphia men On the tragic
Edmnrfon trail was brought 20 the city
yesterday By ~. Fleming. one OF the few
men Of the whole party to survive the
awful tr1p. He OWES 70 his wonderfully
strong constitution the fact that he -
alive today.
V1Sning's condition n d terrible one just
now. During his haSdAhips on the trail
- had his hands and ieeu badly frozen.
IL could not care for the wounds proper
u and dropsy set in. He has bsen unable
to lie down for many weeks and according
to his own statemen3 has not eioSed his
eyes In steep except for q few minutes each
day for ova thirteen weeks. II II said
b. the officers Of ~ Resale that on the
way down from WranGei he did not close
his eyes for one moment. II h aiSo naid
that Fieming's horrible suferinEs have
wrecked his mind and even the details Of
his swfui Trip are not remembered accur-
ateiy by him.
His compaaionA. whose names he could
mot remennbos. are somewhere on the trail.
two Of them II least are dead and several
Of them were % sick when he left that
they could not possibly recover and ara
now without q doubt added to the long
list OF unknown graves on the Edmonton
trail.
@oW EOuR Men Died.
Four men are dead according to FIem-
ing's story. Two Of them are Capt. john
Mason. q miner. who resided in San Fran
cisoo, and n. Waffle. Bulgarian by birth.
The names Of the other two he could not
remember. Mason was drowned In the
Lizard river about Angus T. 1898. while
trying to take some horses across Waliie
WAS accidentally shot by . Frenchman
named Tar;in IN October of the same year.
After the tragedy Tartin attempted to
commit suicide but was prevented from
carrying out The deed by his companions.
On account OF Jennings terrible sufferings
he could talk but little. being compelled to
stop and rest after every few words. His
story from his own lips In ~ follows:
~ left Philadelphia In company with
fourteen other men on January 81. 1893.
and for seventeen months have been on
the trail From the moment We started
cut on tho trail our aifferings began. We
would have turned back after two weeks.
but were induced TO proceed by a man who
told Va thak the trail was easy a few miles
further on. So on we toiled and struggled.
On our way up the trail believe we OPEN
Cd tha rossa with axes. and hridged streams
and sws Hpx for all of six hundred miles
although the whole trail was one con-
sinual round % suffering and hardships
the climax came on October y. From the
beginning we passed many men dying and
dead. others without provisions and sew
eraf ormxed by exposure. On this date we
lost our provisions and outfits. We ware
drifting down the river and our boat was
caught and iammed against a bank OF
smow. n had been showing for four days
before this and was very cold.
Thfrty-six Hours I'm the snow.
I'VE procured another boat and more
provisions and set out again and once more
our boat was overturned We got on the
snow at the bank OF the river and for
over fhirty-six hours We stood I'm the snow
unable 10 get either way on account, OF the
high banks and the river. All this time
the thermometer stood at u degrees below
zero.
..fs was shortly before this that Mason
was drowned. He was taking some horses
across the river on a scow. The scow got
into the rapics and he was drowned while
trying to get one OF the horses ashore.
ssThe remainder of the party were badly
froaen. My feet were frozen up pest my
knees and my hands wcre also touched
when we struck the Grow river we found
ourselves without provision. again. Six Of
tis went for seven days with only enc cup
OF tea apiece. On another occasion we
went FIVE DAYS on the same fare. AT this
time We killed the only dog we had left
and ate the flesh Ia Keep us alive,
tffea4fk WE HFifNd nv iFfe>r iAhf. i Was
go III that I determined 10 get out M soon
ms possible. propsy hae set In and my
limbs we're useless. The party procured a
horse for me and put me on IL and start
ed for Telegraph creek. a distance OF
ninety mites. I stayed en- the horse with
great disi,cuity and when I arrived at the
end % my tourney had TO se carried 10
the canoe which took mo down the river
Go wranEei.'
Fleming SAYS that ne does not know
what WITH become Of the rest OF the party
Some Of them. he thinks Will come hack
at once. as they can never get through to
Dawson.
He SAWS that he often passed men drag
Einy dead and sick men on siests towards
ciei,ixstsaa. lie SAYS thar a number OF
sick men VIII come down en- about the
second steamer from Wrangel
Fleming could not be induced TO enter