The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-09-13
TERRIBLE STORY
OF DEATH CITY

SEATTLE, August 24.-The intense
interest created in everything pertain
| ing to Alaska and Yukon by the ad-
vent of the Alaska a-Yukon-Pacihc ex-
position. which will be held at Seattle
in 1909, has caused old pioneers of the
Northland to recall many stories ana
incidents Of the stirring days of the
rush OF the gold seekers
No tragedy Of ancient or modern
times. no dream OF Ammegeddon couId
be more horrible than the story OF
Death City and the brave hand thai
built it as the terrible winter of 1sq--
9S was falling. 1t is a tale OF a civ
that sprang up in a few hours, lasted
season and then was abandoned
forever. The remains OF this desertss,
city are situated near the camp head
quarters of a tribe OF Yukon Indians
on the Mackenzie river in somewhar
the same latitude as Dawson ana
Fairbanks.
When the news OF the Koniike dis
covery reached the outside world. sew
eral hundred thousand men and sever
al hundred women at once resolved II,
go to this land OF gold. But at thar
time the best route 10 reach the coun-
try was a matter of fierce debate. The
Nome, the Skaguay. the Dyea. the
Wrangell, the Valdez. the Atlin, the
Edmonton and the Prince Albert
routes were fiercely championed by
their respective supporters. And as a
result thousands started in to the
Yukon by what Is now known as the
terrible Prince Albert and Edmonton
routes.
Many turned back, many died by the
wayside and the remainder scurvy rid
den, dirty, hungry. hoarse with that
laughter that is worse than tears or
Mysteries, struggled along till winter
began to fall. Most OF them followed
the Mackenzie, and before they start
ed it was understood that they would
meet for company's sake, to spend the
winter at the highest point on the
Mackenzie a traveller would touch, the
point at which he turned westward TO
reach the Yukon There party after
party struggled in, frost bitten, sta-v-
ing and hopeless. and those who had
arrived before and were somewhat
rested built the cabins and tended
them till their strength came slowly
back.
But the food was scarce. The cold
had driven the game away. The lack
of fresh vegetables made the scurvy
worse as the winter deepened. Day
after day the steady ring Of the picks
on the frozen ground told that one
more grave was being dug for some
unfortunate resident of Death city who
had given up the struggle.
. When spring came only a few white
haired. gaunt. old looking. stopped
and twisted men were left. Food and
supplies were long since gone, and the
dogs had all been eaten. But the lure
of the gold still beckoned, and on they
staggered day by day eating roots and
occasionally managing to shoot some
game or to snare a rabbit They fin
ally reached the gold land-only to find
that the others who had gone by the
Dyea and Skaguay routes had arrived
months before and had staked all the
good grounds in the camp.
Some day, some survivor of Death
city will write the story of that ter
rible winter, and will tell the dark
stories that are only now whispered.
of men turning old in a single week.
of women refined and gentle who died
by their own hands rather than live
marked by the terrible scurvy, Of
heroic sacrifices and of panic-stricken
towards whose breaches of discipline
were suddenly ended by the crack Of
a rifle. And in the meantime the de-
serted tents and decaying cabins and
tha heaned unouudS which cover the
losers is all that remains of an ex-
perience that few occasions in this
worlds history have equaled.