Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-09-02
STORY OF DEATH CITY.


STORY OF DEATH CITY.
Narrowing Experiences Of Those Who
Tried to Reach klondyke in the First
Rush.
Seattle, Aug. 31.--The interest cre-
ated in everything pertaining to Alas
ka, and Yukon by the advent of the
Alaska Yukon Pacific exposition, which
will be held at Seattle in 1909. has
caused old pioneers of the Northland
to recall many stories and incidents
OF the stirring days of the rush of the
gold seekers.
No tragedy OF ancient or modern
times. no dream OF .Ammegeddon could
be more horrible than the story of
Death City and the brave band that
built it as the terrible winter of 1897
sS was falling. 1t is tale of a city
that sprang up in few hours, lasted
season and then was abandoned
forever The remains of this deserted
city are situated near the camp head
quarters of tribe Of Yukon Indians
on the Mackenzie river in somewhat
the same latitude as Dawson and
Fairbanks
When the news Of the Klondike dis
covery reached the outside world, sew
elaI hundred thousand men and sew
el,al hundred women at once resolved
to go to- this land of gold. But at
that time the best route to reach the
country was a matter of fierce de-
bate. The Nome, the Skaguay, the
Dyea, the Wrangell, the Valdez, the
Atlfn, the Edmonton and the Prince
Albert routes were ffercely cham
pioned by their respective supporters.
And as result thousands started in
t, the Yukon by what is now known
as the terrible Prince Albert and ED
nlonton routes. e
The summer Of 1897 saw thousands
start into the unknown. Many turned
back, many died by the wayside and
the remainder scurvy ridden. dirty,
hungry, hoarse with that laughter that
Ia worse than tears or Mysteries. strug-
gled along till winter began to fall.
Most OF them followed the Macken-
szie, and before they started 1t is un-
derstood that they would meet for
cornpany's sake, to spend the winter
at the highest poirlt on the Macken-
xie q traveller would touch, the point
at which he turned westward to reach
Yukon. There party after party stpag-
gled in, frost bitten, starving and hopes
less, and those. who had arrived before
and were somewhat rested built the
cabins ana 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 few white
haired, gaunt old looking, stopped and
twisted men We're left. Food and sup
plies were long since gone. and the
OF the gold still beckoned, and on they
staggered day by day eating roots and
occasionally managing to shoot some
game or to snare g. rabbit. They fin-
ally reached the gold land--only to
find that others who had gone by the
L'yea and Skaguay routes had arrived
months before and had staked all the
good ground In the camp.
Some day, some survivor Of Death
City will write the stTy 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
ny their own hands rather than live
marked by the terrible scurvy, Of he
role sacrifices and OF panic stricken
towards whose breaches Of discipline
were suddenly ended by the crack Of
d rife. And in the meantime the de-
serted tents and decaying cabins and
the heaped mounds which cover the
losers Is all that remains Of an ex-
perience that few occasions in this
worlds history have equaled.