The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1899-06-10
rs A TRAIL OF DEATH.
Scores Perish In the Rush to the
Yukon Gold Fields.
II il Estimated That Deaths NJ
Drowning. Freexinw. starvation
and Disease Along Edmonton
Trail VIII Reach Fully 200.

Seattle. Wash, June 8.--The list OF
prospectors who have persisted in their
rush 20 the Yukon gold fields over the
Edmonton trail Is growing, and il re-
ports brought down by the steamer
Laurada from southeastern Alaska are
10 be believed il will be very large when
the full story is told. Fifty are reported
To have been drowned In Great Slave
lake. 20 have persisted in the rapids of
the Mud and Laird rivers, ten have
frozen 10 death. 25 have died from
scuryy. The bodies of score who died
of exposure have been found. Illus
tratiye of the distress along the trail.
q. Richter. OF New York. who commit
ted suicide, is said TO have stuck up a
sign on tree which reads: Hell can't
be worse than this trail; III chance il. =
Attacked by scurvy.
Several parties reached Wrangel last
week from the interior after spending
from II 10 20 months on the trail In the
vain cndeavor 10 reach the land of
wealth. They say that not less than
200 prospective miners have lost their
lives by drowning, starvation. exposure
and freezing during the last winter
Most OF these were Americans from the
eastern states. Scnrvy is now raging
among the miners who are helpless on
the trail Before relief can reach them
many others will have persisted.
The .Huieson Barge company and the
northwest mounted police have started
small relief expeditions from Telegraph
creek. Government action on large
scale will alone rescue those that are
unable 10 get ont of the country by
their own resources. Ii Is extremely
difficult TO secure names. although the
miners tell Of many accidents that cost
the lives of parties of five or ten.
Many Reported Missing
Many peesons are reported missing,
having started through the mountains,
intending 10 go TO certain posts. but
failing to arrive. Preston, Hitchcock
and Bremner are known to have per-
ished i'm Great Slave lake. They built
"A frail raft with considerable difficulty
and started across the lake shortly be-
fore the freeze-up. ) snowstorm swept
down upon them and the raft broke up.
All must have been drowned. Fred
Preston was drowned while trying to
ford the Lizard river. Capt. Mason. an
old-time Alaskan mariner, was swept
from raft while trying 10 cross the
Nelson river. .ft,4.
All OF the deaths from drowning oc-
CURED last year before the freeze-up.
Hutton and John Paine headed the
party of nine men from Washington
aud British Columbia. Dan Taylor and
Leighton were also OF tSie party. They
started early i'm the year from Big
Camp. on Hay mountain. for the up
per, Lard post. shortly after they
struck into the hills series of blis-
yards prevailed, In these the party los;
the trail and their Bodies are some
where i'm the mountains. Reardon,
Tonsil and McCrumm lost their way
in the mountains and were frozen TO
death.
n II. Nicely. a Michigan prospector. is
the victim of friends treachery. In
March party bound down the Lizard
river noticed deserted tent. They
found Neely's body frozen stiff. With
companion named Graham he had
started out 12 months before for Daw-
son. quarrel with Graham followed
and Nicely was left alone.