The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1899-03-17
Scores Dying of Scury in the Cop
per River Country.
Such Is the Story Brought Down by Passengers
on the Excelsior.

have plenty OF food. but u Ia not Of
the right Kind. There is lack 81
fresh vegetables and canned stun.
Some men hn have been exTrcis-
ing vigorously all winter are Ntriek-
en- with scarSy. 80 that II cannot be
aNefibcd 10 lack 81 outdoor air
did not See any signs of gold In the
country. and - FAR as I could learn.
no enc has found gold ap Ia ths in
terror back Of she glacier. A num-
Der OF prospect holes have been sunk.
seine % them 10 bedrock. without re-
vcallnE a single color. stlii, there
Is no telling what may be there. Il
Il such a dlaieult country 70 pros-
rcct. As for me. 1 would not 80
hack there for all Of the gold "a
Alaska. Thero are about so men
now Ia the Copper river region. and
many OF them are ready 10 come out
The Pacific Whaling company Is the
only Inns running boats "a NaldeH
now. and has refused To take miners
away who could not pay their fares
az $40 each. There Are men now at
vaidcs suffering from the seursy
who cannot leave because the
steamboats, will not carry them free.
The government afflcer there. Chas.
Hrown. has done all IN his power "a
help grt the sick men cut az the
country. but he says that his hands
ARE tied. and that hs cannot do
much. not having money nor SUM-
cient authority. ssorne siek men
have succeeded In getting aWay. as
nrown went security to the steam
beat people.
nsmsr~d eoia Discoveries
There have been number Of
men up at the head % the Copper
and over In the Mount Drum dis
trscs.~ continued Mr.. csshin. "sat
! do not know shat they found.
There were rurnors that thr Mount
Drum explorers found gold. bat taere
have been 50 many rumosr that n u
difficult to believe anything. Az
belief II that the reports Of Kuid dis
eovsrie@ tn the upper Copper cuun-
try are like those az valdes the
work 81 irresponsible men. Thr
winter has been a comparatively
mild one. aH the snow was only ak
feet deer. whereas in other winters
Il Is said 10 have reached fiftrsn and
twenty feet on the glacier.
The Excelsior aud waicutt arc
the only boats now calling regularly
az valdca. There II no. scarcity %
provisions there Of certain kinds. but
fresh vegetables are sorriy needed
The passengers on the Excelsior
state that no party Of miners has
yet crossed from the Copper river TO
the kuskokwin. snd that the region
lying around Mount WrauEels n yet
practically unknown. The Wraneeli
country - one Of the most interest
ing for many reasons. of any part
% Alaska IL Ia said that no white
man has ever placed foot upon tho
gigantic volcano which was named
after the Bsron wranxeil of Russia.
and yet the peak IL presumably the
highest on the North American con-
iinent. OF the mineral indications
ia the neixhborhoad. very little IL
known. but the geological formation
IL regarded a. favorable.
a Tate ~ Disaster.
a story % misery and wealth is re-
lated by Mr.. Chas. Paul Harrington.
Of Chicago. who came down on
the Excelsior. II never went
steamer Excelsior. Il never went
through such an experience in my
life. nor could imagine such pie
ture II sickness and woe had ! not
witnessed II with my owu eyes.
said Mr. Harrington. Hundreds
are dying 81 scurvy. and there u no
telling how many are either frozen
to death or fall into the cracks and
crcvicea In Yaidss Glacier. II IL
safe to say that twenty-five out Of
~. 100 that 20 In there viii never
CON- out again. ! helped bury
seventeen poor fellows. some Gf
them my BEST friends. and ] can tell
you q sas a sad sight. Caiore II
goiaf There II not sign ~ color
% amount 70 anything. and the
country around Copper liver has
bean thoroughly proapected. You
emit 20 anywhere without finding a
hole dug. and you will always ind a
party ahead 81 yau. That county
is q fake. pure and simple. and Il
il an outrageous shame the way the
companies are mis-
leading the people. We have n rep
81 one 0f the local com.
uaniea on board coming down. and
he tried to persuade ua 10 boom the
country. but his suggestions caused
n shower Of indignant protests.
which might have amounted to
something more serious for him "
he had continued 10 urge the matter,
one thing I can say In favor Of the
country IL. that there Is no danger
81 starving. "a there II lots Of grub
left by pr0spect0rs who leave the
country. a good many of them with
out having crossed vaides glacier"