Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-01-25
STRANGE FUNERAL.
A Maine Man Laid at Rest on Alaskan
Coast.


\ correspondent Of the Hartford
conn.,, Courant writes to that paper the
following interesting story of the
burial OF Il former Maine man in the
wild west of northern Alaska.
We are making our way between the
Aleutian Islands from the Pacific to
the Behring Sea, with the snow-c COW
cred volcano peaks Of Unimak Island
OF to the right. rising 5000 feet and
apparently supported only by the
lclouds beneath them" 1t was hoped
to make Dutch Harbor during the day
TO put ashore steerage passenger, an
old man i'll with pneumonia 1t was
day exciting the nerves of timid pas
sengers, owing to fog and clouds en-
quilting us internationally. so that ship
officers lost sight of their landmarks
and had to stop the engines and drift.
Then the fog would suddenly vanish,
exposing to our view. within almost
stones throw, frowning cliffs rising
sheer to great height Again the fog
land rain would put us into danger,
lowing to the crooked an: narrow
! waterways. and all on board felt re-
lieved when it was announced at s p.
| NJ. that the sufferingS of the sick man
were ended, the all day search for the
entrance to Dutch Harbor was aband-
oned and the ship put out into the
open Behrirg Sea. The officials Sewed
the body into a canvas bag prepara-
tory to dropping it into the sea, and
reported that a u. S. pension certifi-
cate was found in the clothes. also
papers showing that the name of the
deceased was John Mel. Brown also a
certificate of membership in Eastern
Frontier Lodge. +. and -. NJ, of Fort
Fairfield, Me-. dated January 3. 1888,
signed by Henry -. Perry, District
deputy CIR. Master of the First District
l0f Maine; also two or three testi-
monials OF good character from citi-
zens of the same town. We made 4
Icanvass of the masons on board and
found that we had thirty-f1ve, and at
once subscribed SIS. with which we
had the body embalmed (by an un-
Ide-taker among the passengers),
Wrapped in the American flag placed in
la coffin constructed on board, and left
lin state on the upper deck until we
lcould give it a Christian burial at
Nome. This old soldier, formerly
from an eastern frontier town of
Maine, who died at the very western
most point of our possessions in the
far Aleutians, was mercifully saved
from further hardships in his brave
[battle for existence. His possessions
CONSISTED Of a small tent, blankets,
200 San Francisco newSpa pers ION
which he hoped to make $25 or $50 at
Nome), a grub outfit for which his re-
iceipted bill showed he paid $35. two
cheap watches. two cheap rings. his
treasured testimonials, q small picture
Of pretty child, and $1.73 in money.
What an equipment for an old man
without an acquaintance in a barren
mining camp near the Arctic Circle,
where the frozen ground, broke the
tent pins We tried to drive, and where
the coronur's record during my stay OF
q few weeks showed seventy-one
deaths. of which fifty three were pneu-
monia, five murders, four suicides. one
smallpox. eight accidents!
We sold his few assets at good
prices at auction, and sent the avails.
with the unexpendedt balance Of the
subscription, with his treasures and a
photograph as he lay in his flag
Idraped coffin surrounded by palms and
I potted flowers, to his sister and aged
mother, at San Diego, Cal, else they
would never have known his fate.
We did not bury him at Nome. At
ter getting within $50 miles of Behring
| Strait, and twelve days of unSuccess-
fui attempts to work through the
hundreds of square miles of dangerous
Ice foes and bergs, our steamer re-
turned $50 miles for safety and pro-
visions to Dutch Harbor. There we
found sixteen other steamers, each
bearing from three or four hundred to
one thousand gold waiting for
open water through to Nome. Next
day. June Sth. a steam launcn from
the United States steamer Wheeling
came to our ship and towed three OF
our life boats carrying our dead broth
err and our thirty-five masons two
miles to sea beach near the Russian
Greek mission burying ground. Here
a procession formed numbering near
ly four hundred Inasons, from all the
ships, who followed the shoulder
borne casket up the green grass-car-
peted hillside, singing masonic funer-
al dirge. A brother Past Master of
lodge read the burial service. ollered
prayer, and all united in singing MY
Country" and the doxology. With a
world OF wild flowers all about US, on
the shore of small, mirror-surfaced
oval harbor. entirely surrounded by
the 7snow-capped mountains pointing
to the deep blue sky, it was truly a
most impressive service and beauti-
full spectacle. Never anywhere be-
fore were so many fellow citizens of all
stations in life, and from homes so
many thousands of miles apart. gath
l cred to render last honors about the
grave of dead brother, and surround
ed and respectfully observed by
hundreds of non masonic spectators
from among the five thousand or six
thousand stampeders.
| lrnnstaNt 10 Mothers