Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1899-02-02
A STORY OF SUFFERING.
A Large Party of Miners Caught
in a Blizzard.
UNDER A BLANKET OF SNOW.
Victims of the Alaskan Climate Laid
Down on the Summit of the Glacier
and Were Luiied Into II Last sleep
by the Deadly Cold.

Seattle, Wash, Jan. 2s.-The steam-
er Cottage City, from Alaska, brings
news that number of Copper river
prospectors persisted on the Valdez
glacier. The following are known to
have been lost: Charles Khron, New
York City; c. L. Smith, Chicago; Ole
Evien, Baldwin, Wis; - Henderson,
Wisconsin,; George Sweesey, New
York.
Among the many badly frozen mi
ners are: George Poalowitz, New York
City; Sylvester Grog, St. Joseph, Mo-;
Holven Evjens, Baldwin, Wis. There
are six men at Valdez suffering from
frozen feet, hands and face. a hos
pital has been established at Twelve
Mile Camp, on the other side of the
glacier. and - men are suffering there
from the same cause. All were frozen
while trying to cross the glacier, but
managed to get back into camp.
The freezing of the Eviens, father
and son, is particularly sad They
started for Valdez, but on getting we'll
toward the summit of the glacier,
found their feet freezing. Both start
ed back. The son gave his father eX-
ira wrapping for his feet and as a re-
suit both the sons legs were frozen in
a few minutes and he was unable to
proceed. He babe his father goodbye
and compelled him to go on without
him. Then the boy laid down in the
snow to die. His body will probably
never be recovered. The father reach
ed Twelve-Mile Camp very badly froz-
en- and is not expected to live.
Smith and Khron were members of
the same party, in company with
George Poalowitz, Sylvester Grog and
several others. They started across
the glacier early in December Smith
was the first to freeze his feet. After
they had crossed the summit and were
going down the long stretch toward
Valdez his strength began to fail him.
At last he could keep up no longer.
Calling his companions around him he
told them he was doomed even if they
got him into camp and that they must
try and save themselves. Telling them
to tell his wife and children in Chicago
how he died, he lay down in the snow
and was soon luIIed into a last sleep
by the deadly frost.
Charles khron wanted to lie down
and die when the trip was almost at
an end. His comrades kept him NOV
ing in spite of the pain of his badly
frozen feet and at last got him into
Valdez. His toes were so badly frozen
that they fell off when his boots were
cut away. Blood poisoning set in soon
after and ten days afterward the mi
ners buried him. He leaves a widow
and family in New York.
The third man of the party to lose
his life was a miner named Henderson,
from some small town in Wisconsin.
He started out with the party, but was
frozen before they reached the sum-
NIT of the glacier He decided that his
only hope was to turn back. Soon af-
ter he left the party terrible blizzard
swept over the glacier, obliterating all
trails and making travel impossible.
He probably lost his way and perished.
George Poaowitz. of New York.
was badly frozen. He returned on the
Cottage City, in charge of DR.. Lewis,
of Chicago. He will lose the greater
part of both feet and is in danger of
losing his life from blood poisoning.
George Sweesey, also of New York,
was a blacksmith at Valdez for a long
time He started across the glacier
early in the winter, drawing "A heavy
sled. The details of his death are un-
known, for he was alone. He never
reached the other side. The miners
who arrived on the Cottage City say
that many others perished like Swee-
sey. Al