Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1902-01-13

Bluff City, has kindly con-
sented to give her impress
sions of the terrible experience for
''The Gold Digger" She Is frail lit
- tie woman, who looks incapable Of en-
during such privations and hardships
as she was called upon to endure, but
like the rest of the party she faced
the danger with the utmost coolness
and courage.
"It was four nights before Christmas
Eve that Audrey Bell, Charles Hage-
lin, Eric Johnston and myself rounded
the point at Bluff City and found open
water barring the trail. Miss Bell and
l Were tied TO the sleds, for the way
was rough, and we did not pay much
attention to the water, the men telling
us there was often a crack at that
point. Eric Johnston jumped across
Sud ran uptown for ropes, and then
we realized that We We're gradually
drifting away from the shore.
"People at Nome seem to think that
we We're carried away on little patch
of ice, but our floating prison was
many miles in extent.
GAS the crack grew wider Eric John
ston and w. F. Austin, the man he
had asked to assist at Bluff City,
rowed out to us in boat. They sue
ceeded in scrambling on the Ice, but
Austin was drenched, for it was a wild
and stormy night. We had a robe
and two or three pieces of canvas, and
We wrapped him in one of the sleds
and let the dogs lie around him to
keep him from freezing. He had no
hat, and his muclucs We're wet
through, so I opened my trunk and
got out an eiderdown matinee for his
head and tore up a flannel skirt for
his feet; the rest of the things in the
trunk We used to keep ourselves
warm.
Every ore in the party seemed
anxious to pretend that there was no
danger; the boys made light of every
thing, and Mr.. Austin was full of fun.
1 did not realize till the next morning
that we might drift out on the ice till
we were starved or frozen, and then
did not see any use in making a fuss
about it.
THAT day we kept travelling to keep
land in sight, as the position of the Ice
was continually shifting. All the time
we were afloat we must nave gone
over twenty or thirty miles. l had
been i'll, and could not walk fast
enough to keep warm, so they let me
lie in one of the sleds with the dogs
around me. Miss Bell, Johnston and
Hagelin kept walking all the time to
prevent them from freezing. AS the
days went on they sometimes fell
asleep on their feet
"All our provisions consisted of some
fish for dog feed, and little corn
meal but We had no salt. On the sec
ond day, when We began to travel,
strange thing happened. We found
some wood that Austin had thrown
from his sled a few days before. With
this the boys were able to light fire
and cook, but it was not till the third
day out that l could eat little corn
meal, mush, and it revived me wonder
fully.
1--WE saw bonfire on the coast the
third night, one Of those, We afterward
heard, that We're lighted as signals to
us. The fourth night 1t showed, and
we were soaked through. If we had
been forced to stay on the ice another
night we should probably have been
frozen, for we were very wet and ex-
hausted
But on the morning of the fourth
day our icefeld drifted inshore, and
we were only separated from the
beach by six miles of rubbc.. ice. This
was our one chance, and we determ-
ined to risk it. The sleds We're put
side by side, and with rush we start
ed, the ice cracking and breaking all
the way The fourteen dogs dashed
on, urged by the men. | did not dare
to look, but covered my head, expect
ing every moment to go through, till
some one called out we are on the
beach! and then 1 threw off the wrap
and saw one Of the boys break down
and sob with joy, and Mr. Chsman,
the roadhouse keeper at Chookook,
with an Indian, was standing on the
shore welcoming us."-Nome Gold
Digger.
Winning Victoria Crosses.
Before Delhi on July an attack of
great strength, and marked by great