The Savannah morning news., 1900-08-25
A DYING MINERS DIARY.
Pathetic Record of Disappointed
Senrcher for KlOndike Gold.

Searcher for KlOndike Gold.
From the st. Paul (Minn.) Pioneer Press.
James Weyhrich, a farmer living near
Tyndall, S. D., has just received the intel
lgence of the death of his brother Henry
on Jan. 16 at a point 500 miles northwest
of Dawson, under conditions that are par
ticularly sad. Henry Weyhrich was a mo-
torman in the employ of the Los Angeles
Street Railway Company. He caught the
Klondike fever in 1898, and in company
with AL Dominy started to seek his for
tune. The chief information which Mr..
+ Weyhrtch has regarding the death of his
brother is found in a diary which the lat
ter kept until the second day before his
death, when he became so weak from
hunger that he could no longer record the
! course of events. Dominy was with Weyh-
| rich when he died, and by mere chance
was able to get sufficient food to enable
him to reach civilization again, and to
| send the diary and other messages of the
| dead man to his brother.
Weyhrich was one of the Sunny South
! party, which left Los Angeles for the
! klondike two and a half years ago. They
| took the Edmonton route, which carried
| them along the Pease river by Fort Ora
| ham and Sylvester Post Other members
all turned back before long, but Weyh-
rich and Dominy kept on. They found a
| little gold, but it was too fine. At last
| winter caught them and, unable to travel
further or go back they built a cabin at
| the lower end of Mcpherson lake, on the
Yessecoo river, about 500 miles from Fort
! Laird. They knew they had not provis-
! ions enough to last the winter through,
but rested easy in the hope of getting
/ plenty of game.
| Last New Years Day the two snow
| besieged prospectors had a pathetic little
celebration in their cabin. They knew by
| that time there was small chance of either
one seeing another New Years Day.
Weyhrich told of it in his diary Soon,
however, he had run out OF writing paper
and the record of that fateful winter was
written across the pages of his little BIZ
| BILE.
On Jan. Weyhrich writes: TOO weak
TO go hunting Cooked spoonful of rice,
| one of flour, one of vegetable, one leg
| of squirrel
! On Jan. Z Very cold. 1 chopped wood.
Mr.. Dominy rested so as to save his
strength for moose tomorrow. l feel the
| Lord has saved our souls, though our
bodies perish by starvation or freezing.
| Our situation is very desperate Living
on two meals of thin soup"
On Jan he wrote: I'VE are eating the
buds of willows to stay the gnawing
| pahgs OF hunger. Ate one little white
weasel for breakfast Our soup keeps
getting thinner every day. We are get
ting weaker fast and cannot hold out
many more days. If relief does not come
| III some shape we must perish"
On Jan he entered: Starving to death
One spoonful of evaporated vegetables
and one of rice and one of -four per man
per day and doing hard work at that
The weather Is cold. about 80 or 40 below
zero, and a fine snow. with wind from
| the north daily, which cuts through A
person. We can hardly keep warm on
the wood that l can cut during the day
time"
On Jan. II he wrote: Flour ell gone.
| No sign of moose or other game. Not
even bird. We are living on one spoon
fui of vegetables and the tips of will
lows"
For the FIVE days following this entry
Weyhrich was evidently too weak TO
write Each day he merely entered the
date and name. Camp Winter Quar-
ters' The sad record closes as follows:
Tuesday, Jan. 16, 19c0.-Winter Quar-
ters: Henry A. Weyhrich. Los Angeles,
Cal A. L. Dominy Very cold. About
three inches of snow fell last night
have given up all hopes of living NV
legs so weak and thin can't support my
| body. ! am a skeleton"
1t CHANGED that Weyhrich's dying mes
| sage was written across the following
verses in the Acts: And now behold I go
bound in spirit into Jerusalem not know
ing the things that shall befall me there.
Save that The Holy Ghost witnesseth in
every city. saving that bonds and affec-
tons abide with me-"
Two days after Weyhrich went 10 his
| deoth with the utmost cheerfulness. He
and Dominy sang songs all morning until
| the end came.
Dominy buried his friend and lived four
months alone IN the camp Two days af-
ter Weyhrich's death a moose was slam.
This saved Dominys life. When he re-
suined strength by food he made a ter
rihle journey across the snow to civil
cation. Weyhrich left besides his bro
ther, a sister in Los Angeles.