The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-03-04
HIS TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE

HIS TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE
Five Months Without Medical Aid
Manned and AIone-Percival
Nash.
The facts concerning the terrible
experience of Percival Nash in
Alaska have been learned, and they
involve story of hardship and
suffering, such as perhaps few hu-
man beings have survived. With
the bone of his leg split by heavy
blow from an axe, he lay alone for
five days under two spruce trees
in the far north. able only to crawl
around with one leg and one arm,
while with his other arm he held
up his wounded member. He had
positive know1ege all the time there
were but two human beings within
fifty miles, and how far these two
might be, and whether or not they
would go south for the winter
without hearing of his terrible
plight, were things he had to think
about while lying helpless and in
awful pain, beside his camp fire.
He was almost out Of provisions
and when succor came, was pre-
pairing to kill for food, the dog that
was his only companion.
With a stroke of his axe, he cut
his leg on the 14th day Of Septem-
Der, and it was not until the 9TH
day of February, nearly five months
and after enduring incredible hard
ships that he reached Dawson, 200
miles or more distant, and secured
medical attention. The informa-
ton came in a letter to Roderick
Nash at OAC. brother of the in
jured young man., AS told by the
victim, his story, in part, is as fol-
lows:
SEWED UP WOUND.
''My camp was located under
two spruce trees. Just before turn
ing to sleep, I undertook to cut a
pole to put in front of my bed, to
keep me from rolling into the fire,
as the ground sloped considerably.
I went out just to the edge of the
circle of freight, and stood on
log. and hacked away at a little
dead spruce with my Indian axe.
I cut through one side, high up
from the ground, and had just
changed hands without changing
my position on the log. Chopping
on either side is one of the things
I have cultivated in this God-for-
saken country. I made two strokes
and the third slid off the tree, and
the full sweep of the axe brought
it 1engthwise into my right leg,
just above the ankle, and square1y
on top of the bone
The force of the blow knocked
me off the log and to the ground
On my hands and knees. The axe
few out of my hands. 1 hunted
around and found it, and hobbled
back to the fire, and then proceed
ed to perform the necessary sur
glcal operation. Out of drill
sheet made some bandages and !
with a needle and thread proceeded
to sew up the wound. The latter
yaped wide open, and I could
see through a heavy white sinew,
INTO the bone; but how deep, 1 |
could not tell. The sinew being
split did not open very wide, and |
[ couldn't see much under it. I
never cracked a smile, but proceed |
ID deliberately to sew up the
wound It took nine stitches to
,each the end, and they were not
lose together, either. When I got
through, I found I was still smok-
ng my pipe.
UNABLE TO WALK.
I had not realized yet, how
BADLY I had cut myself. I thought
he axe had stopped at the bone,
md supposed that by caching
ny blanket and gun, next day I
,ould hobble slowly back to Ian
;ing. However. as I had emptied
Ill my tea water over the band
lges to stopthe flow of blood, I un-
lertook to go to the creek for more,
! distance perhaps of twenty feet
took two steps; something gave
way inside my leg and I went
lown on my face. I haven't put
ny right foot to the ground with
my weight on it since, period of
lear1y five months.
did not sleep any that night,
lot that 1 was in much pain, but
ny thoughts commenced to trouble
ne. In fact, it did not take me