Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1901-05-08
PEND OF THE ARCTIC
Terrible Form of Mental Dsranes-
 ment in the Yukon.
Intense Suffering of Gold Prospes- tors in the Mines of AIaslIa-aun- dreds Dyinx of Scurvy s2A
 Starvation.


 affairs resulting from the attempted rush of prospectors from Port Valdez Alaska, into the Yukon valley in 1898 se has just been brought to light ir the report of Capt. W. R. Abercrom- bic, Second United States infantry, ir charge of building the Trans-Alaskar military trail, says . western ex change. He says:
 After an uneventful voyage of si1 days anchor was dropped at Port Valdez, Alaska, on April 2l, 1899 about six o'clock p. m. The scene that followed the arrival of our yes sel at Valdez was one that I shall not soon forget. Crowding aboard the steamer came the argonauts of last seasons rush into the Copper River valley. They now considered them selves full-fedged miners, although many of them had never hand led either pick or shovel since their entry into the country. A more mot ley-looking crowd it would be hard to imagine. Mackinaw suits of all varieties and colors, faded and worn by exposure to the elements and their long journey over the Valdez glacier from the Copper river valley.
 They seemed to be sadly demor- elized. and from a hurried converse tion I had with six or seven I had known the year before 1 was led to believe that hundreds were dying of starvation and scurvy beyond the coast range, in the Copper River val ley. Most of those then in the set tlement. of Vsldez had little or no money, but notwithstanding this fact a wholesale orgy was inaugursted that lasted until midnight, the cabin and decks of the steamer giving evil dence of the potent influence of the liquor on those who had indulged so freely and who were now lying around in various attitudes sleeping of the effects. That they had passed e ter rible winter was beyond all question of doubt.
 ''One of the first men from whom 1 could get an intelligent account of the condition or things was Quarter masters Agent Charles Brown, whose salutation to me was: My God, cap tain, it has been terriblel I tell you the early days or Montana were not marker to what I have gone through this winter: It was awful
 "I noticed in talking to these peo- pie that over 70 per cent. of them were more or less mentally deranged. My attention was first directed to this fact by their reference to 6 glacial demon One big. raw-boned swede, h particular, described to me how this demon had strangled his son on the glacier-his story being that he had just started from Twelve Mile Camp Ga small collection of huts just across the coast range of mountains from Valdez) with his son to go to the coast in company with some oth- CT prospectors. When halfway up the summit of the glacier, his son, who was ahead of him hauling 6 sled, while he was behind pushing, called to him. saying that the demon had attacked him ana had his arms around his neck. The rather ran to the sons assistance, but, as he de- scribed it, his son, being very strong, soon drove the demon away, and they passed on their way up toward the summit of Valdez glacier. The weather was very cold, and the wind blowing very hard, SO that it made travelling very difficult in passing over the ice between the huge crevasses through which it was necessary to pick their way to gain the summit.
 While in the thIckest of these crevasses the demon again appeared. | He was said to be a small, heavy built man, and very active. he again 1 sprang on the sons shoulders, this | time with such clasp that. although | the father did all he could to release | him. the son was finally strangled to death. The old man then put the | son on the sled and brought him | down to Twelve-Mile Camp, where the other prospectors helped him bury him.
 During the recital of this tale the old mans eyes would blaze, and he would go through all the actions to Illustrate just how he fought of this demon. When I heard this 'tory there were some ten or twelve other men in the cabin, and at that lime it would not nave been safe to dispute the theory of the existence 'f this demon of the Valdez glacier, IS every man in there firmly believed to be reality. was informed by <r. Brown that this was a common orm of mental derangement incident o those whom a fear of scurvy had riven out over the glacier, where so many had perished by freezing to cath"