Douglas Island news., 1906-10-24
An Alaska Tragedy

thel- positive 10enGlnCatlou, IS the SA'9 ing act in one of Alaska's many dark and mysterious tragedies.
 Dr. Edith Chambers came north, seeking fortune, in 1900, locating at Dawson. She was a dentist by profes- sion, but she never praticed at Dawson. After working for ayear with the Ladue Company, of Dawson, she started on trip across country to theranana, pros pecting and gathering material for a book that she had arranged to have published. She was of literary tastes and had done much work for magazines and newspapers. Her route lay up the Fortymile river, across to the Good paster and down that to the Tanana. She was making the trip all alone. After passing tno mining camps on the American side of the upper Fortymlle district she was never seen alive. \ diary, articles of clothing some of her camping outfit and letters to her eastern relatives were discovered by Sergeant Meyers, of the United States signal corps in 1903. These were sent to the address givenin the diary and found Prof. Hewett in 1904, who began his saarch for his sisters remains in l9O0.
 The diary said that pr. Chambers. had been compelled to abandon 8 raft, which she made when she strnck the Goodpaster river where she turned her lone pack horse loose. She cached her provisions, made up pack and started down the river Her grub gave out and she returued to her cache. It had been robbed by bears. She then wrote in her diary that the outlook was one of al most certain starvation, her only hope being reseue by a prospector or pros pecting party that might happen to come that way. From that time on for 20 days, sho wrote each day n her diary, and each entry showed realiza- tion of tae fact that her position was becoming more and more hopeless. ln the 20 days her entire food supply con- sisted of ouly four birds which she had killed. The last entry in the diary was or October 9. 1901. She apparently, retained her reason and realized her position up until the very last.
 Prof. Hewett was too late Hast year for ais attempt to ascend the Tanana aud Goodpaster rivers to succeed. This year be was more successful. He was helped up the Goodpaster to McCarthys and from there he tramped the distance to the last resting place of his sister -teue. He was guided by the descrip, ton of a high mountain referred to by his sister in her diary and by descrip- ton of the place where the diary was found by Sergeant Meyers. So accurate were the descriptions, he says, that he knew instantly that he had struck the right place when he came upon it, 85 miles up the Goodpaster river.
 Prof. Hewett could 6ud only DOT tiou of the remains of his sister. They included a part of the skull, g rib, most of the bones of one leg, part of an arm, and other portions of the human skele- ton. The identification was made con- plete by the particles of clothing found. They included shoe, part of woolen waist, q beaded moccasiu, made and recognized ty Mrs. Davis, of Dawson, cloth jacket to which is attached two brass soldier buttons and other odds and ends, including few fshooks. The clothing Was recognized as belonging to Dr. Edith Chambers by James Will son, a packer who was the last man to see her alive.
 Prof. Hewett found the clothing first and the bones sfterward. He dug up much of the ground in the vicinity but could find no evidence of there having ever been a grave. The bones were on the surface and were scattered over a section of the country 300 feet in ex- sent. The indications are that wolves deYoured the body.
 Dr. Chambers was 4 years of age at the time of her death and the mother of two beautiful daughters. One of the latter was married few months ago. -Skagway Alaskan.