Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1899-02-01
MEET AN AWFUL DEATH.
God Hunters Perish in Crossing
Valdez Glacier.
TWO BADGER VICTIMS.
Brave Wisconsin Boy Gives Up His
Life in Order to Save
His Father

from that section of the country since last
fall Some of them had been three
months at Valdez waiting for a steamer.
The last party from the interior left
Copper Center December l. They are
A. Z. MEDIUM of Glasgow, Mont; John
Eckland Hayward, Wis; J. +. Mar
shall, Mexico, Mo, and Nels Hyland,
Appleton, Wis. They penetrated the in
terror as far as Catcham Stockades,
branch of the Forty-AIi river. They
crossed the Tanana valley but heard of
no gold strikes. They have been travel
ing toward the coast since August /.
DR.. w. l.. Lewis of Chicago says there
is considerable scurvy in the interior.
Thomas Hunt of Detroit. Mich, has
been very i'll with the disease at Valdez.
DR. Lewis esta bliShed a hospital on the
other side of Valdez glacier. 1t has
who were frozen have had their limbs
amputated. There are several destitute
men at Valdez who have no means of
returning to the United States.
Wisconsin Men Perish.
Five men persisted in trying to cross
the Valdez glacier. Their names are:
CHARLES KHRON, New York city.
OLE EVAN, Baldwin, Wis.
GEORGE HENDERSON. Wisconsin.
GEORGE SWEENEY, New York city.
Among the many badly-frozen miners
GEORGE POALOWITz, New York city
SYLVESTER GROG, st. Joe, Mo.
lIOLVER EVEN, Baldwin. Wis.
The freezing of the Evjens, father and
son, is particularly sad. They started
tor Valdez. but on getting we'll toward
the summit OF the glacier found their
feet freezing. Both started back. The
son gave his father some extra wrap
pings for his feet, and as a result froze
both legs in Il few minutes and was I'M
able to proceed. He babe his father
goodby and compelled him to move on
without him. Then the boy lay down in
the snow to die. His body will probably
never be recovered The father reached
IWelve-A Mile camp badly frozen. and is
not expected to live.
Chicago Mans Terrible Death.
Smith and Khron, who also gave up
their lives, We're members of the same
party, and were 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 moving down the long stretch
toward Valdez his strength began to fail
him. At last he could keep up no long
tr. Calling his companions around him,
be 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 back
IN Chiclg go how he died, he lay down in
the snow, soon to be lulled into his
last sleep by the deadly frost He was
a jeWeler by trade
Charles KhrOn wanted to lie down and
GIe when the trip was almost at an end
His comrades forced him to keep NOV
ing II spite of the pain of his badly
frozen feet, and at last got him into Val
Gez. Ills toes were SO badly frozen that
they fell off when his boots were cut
away. Blood poisoning set in soon after,
AND III ten days the miners buried him
III 4 rough grave. he was a member
OF the Manhattan Mining company of
New York and leaves Il German wife
and family somewhere in that city,
he third man of this party to lose
MS life was miner named Henderson.
from some small town in Wisconsin. He
started out with the party, but was
frozen before they reached the summit
OF the glacier. He decided his ONLY hone
was TO turn back. Soon after he left
the party terrible blizzard swept over
the glacier, Obliterating all trails and
making travel impossible. He probably
LOST MS way IN this and persisted. At
any rate, he never reached Two I've Mile
camp, the only place of refuge for miles
around.
Comes Back, Likely to Die.
George Poalowitz of the Manhattan
Mining company of New York was the
fourth member to be badly frozen. He
VIII lose the greater part of both feet,
and IS III danger of losing his life from
blood poisoning. He would not LET DIR
Lewis amDutate his feet in the North.
He said: 1T was bitter cold and for
four days we wandered around the gla-
cler trying to find our way down. We
had little food, as we were going out for
supplies The other four members of the
Manhattan company were waiting on
short rations at the foot of the lake
DO not know what will become of them.
row that Khron is dead, and | am here
III almost as bad a fix. | don't want nv
wife to know of my condition, so [ will
not tell M, New York address,
George Sweeney, also of New York.
was a blacksmith at Valdez for a lonc
time He started across the glacier ear
ly IL the winter, drawing a heavy sled
The details of his death are unknown for
he was alone. He never reached the
other side.
The miners who arrived on the Gotta 90
City say that many others persisted like
Sweeney. They are unable to give their
names. The men starting out in pairs
or singly were never heard of again.
Masons Make Strike.
w. C. Bruce, formerly of Tacoma.
said: After getting into the interior We.
found there were some sixty Masons in
the country and we at once decided to
form an association for mutual benefit.
| was elected president; B. G.. Levroos Of
st. Paul, yice-president; Herbert Smith
of New York city, treasurer, and III. e.
PierSOn of Denver, travelling manager.
One of the members of the association
made discovery late Ill October that
will startle the world. He stumbled
across Il small creek in his wanderings.
The indications were unfayora BILE, but he
began to prospect. Inside of a week he
took out over 5000 in gold He came at
once to the Masonic headquarters at
Copper Center and told the members OF
the find In small parties enough Ma
sons went in to stake claim for every
member.
''Talkill creek is a tributary of the
Tonsina river. Over seventy-ive men
are working on the crick claims and ali
are taking out gold. Marker creek. also
running into the Tonsina. has proven a
bonanza of the district. On Claim Fifty
two above Discovery which is the most
developed, 70 cents to the pan is being
taken ont. There are sixty-fve men on