The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-03-30
A SAD STORY.
The First Authentic Account Of Eow
Leonidas Hubbard, Jr.,
DIED ALONE IN THE ARTIC WILDs
How Giant, Skeleton-Like Men
Kept Death Away by Eating
Thongs and Bones They
Picked Up.


the pitiful death by starvation OF
Leonidas Hubbard. il. in the wlldS
OF Labrador. 1t comes III letter re-
ceiyed Wednesday from Dillon Wal
lace. a survivor Of the exploring eX-
peCition. though written months ago.
Its intensely graphic feature is the
extract from the dying Hubbard S
diary:
Northwest River. Labrador.
December ;. 1908. !,
Before this reaches you my tele-
gram. that I will send forward by the
mail carrier to be transmitted to you
bv cable from Chateau Bay, the near.
est telegraph office, will have been re-
ceived by you, and you will know OF
Nj. Hubbard's sad death. but not.
until you receive this, the details.
On July Is, we left Northwest
River, and on August were practi-
cally out Of provisions. On August )
we killed four geese: on August y a
big stag caribou: from that forward
we lived on the caribou meat, which
we had dried, but which was soon
gone. and at long intervals succeeded
in killing a goose or duck or grouse.
with our rifles and pistols. Early IN
September the weather grew too cold
for fish to bite. Our salt and sugar
were gone early and we ate everything
boiled ana drank the water our 1000
was boiled in. Birds were eaten Who'll
". heads, feet and everything but the
feathers.
AT length, about the middle OF
September, or a little earlier. We
reached some large lake away in the
interior. From high, barren hill
the great lake we had been aiming for
could be seen-Lake Mlchakaman.
Then the time for the caribou migra-
tion was past and reluctantly we
turned homeward over our old trail in
land, not having seen an Indian Or
any human being since leaving North
west River. Winter was upon US and
before September was gone the tenn
perature dropped to 10 degrees above
zero. Then we broke our thermome-
ter and could get no record.
On October II we reached the camp
where we had killed the caribou and
got together the dried bones we had
left and bold them for soup. We
scraped the skin from the head and
boiled and ate that. We scraped
up what was left Of the stomach
and ate that. The horns we
scorched in the fire and ate them.
Before we began our retreat from the
big lake l had lost thirteen inches in
waist measure. Our bones were stick
ing through the skin. know the
others looked, especially Hubbard,
like walkieg skeletons. We were so
weak at length that we could not sit
down without falling.
At length one day Hubbard would
not carry his little pack and I made
him follow without any load. The
next day, October l.. was the same.
He could 60 no further. We pitched
the tent, made him lie down and
George and l got together wood for a
FIRE. We were eighty miles from
Northwest River, but at the head Of
Grand Lake, forty miles away, we
hoped to find some trappers and food.
On the way up, some twelve miles
below where Hubbard gave ont, we
had left bag with some remnants Of
wet -four in it, and it was decided that
we should leave our caribou bones and
some pieces of -four bag l found
Thrown away on the way up), for
Hubbard, and that George and | go on
the next morning to the -four bag we
had abandoned, hoping to ind some
-four in it.
The next morning, after getting
some wood and wrapping Hubbard IN
my blankets, George and l started.
Before going l read Chapter NV, OF
John, and at his request, my favorite.
Chapter MI, of First Corinthians. l
some how felt that | would never see
him alive again, and it was very hard
to go. His entry in his diary will tell
you of our parting. and quote:
October IS, 1903. Alone in camp.
For two days past we have travelled
down our old trail with light packs.
On Thursday I busted Friday and
Saturday it was the same. | saw it
was hopeless for me to try to go
further with the BOYS.
They will try to reach the -four
tomorrow. Then Wallace will come
back to me. George will go on to
Grand Lake if he can. and send or
lead help to US. Our past two days
have been trying ones. have not
written my diary because so very
weak.
Yesterday at an old camp we found
the end we had cut from flour bag
It had a bit Of -four sticking to it. We
toile6 it with our old caribou bones
and it thickened the broth little.
We a?so found a can Of mustard we
had thrown away. sat and held it
in NY hand long time, thinking how
it came from home. Then | took
bite of it and it was very good. We
mixed some in our bone soup and it
seemed to stimulate US. We had bit
Of caribou skin in that same spot. It
Swelled up thick and was very good.
Last night I fell asleep while the
boys were reading to me. This morn
ing 1 was very, very sleepy. After the
boys left-they left me tea. the carl
bou bones and another end Of flour
sack found here and some yeast cakes
Il drank cup Of strong tea and
some bone broth. l also ate some Of
the really delicious rawhide Cooled
with bones) and it made me stronger
strong to write this. Our parting
was most efecting. George said: The
Lord help US Hubbard; with His help
I'll save you if can get out. Then be
cried: so did Wallace Wallace stopped
and kissed my cheeks with his poor,
sunken. beared lips-several times: |
Il