The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1909-12-26
LEFT WITH FEW CLOTHES AND
NO MATCHES IN ALASKAN
WIlDs-AoMELES DY FIRE.
WEATHER THIRTY BELOW ZERO
With Gangrene Gnawing one Of His
Hands and Only Frozen Meat TO
EsI, Michael MeMurray Walked
2Co Miles Through Snow

23.-Aftcr rgoing almost unpar.
allclcd hardships and being the vic.
tim of a combination Of vic.ssitudes
that wDuld have caused mos men to
give up In despair, Michael McMur-
ray. "sourdough" prospeCtor and
trppcr. widely known In the Yukon.
reached this town las. Friday and Is
now confined in the general hospital,
where he is being treaties for gan.
creme
with one hand half eaten away by
gangreE". with no food save n frozen
chunk OF raw moose meat. and with
cut matches 10 light fires and thus
protect him from the bitter cold. Me.
Murray walked nearly twJ hundred
miles from the mead waters OF the
I, as" River to Tcsln. arriving there
in Semidelirious condition. Nc.
Murray was given care a. Teslin by
the men there IN charge OF Taylor
Il Erury's station and by them sent
- Atlin and on to the hospital at
" hitohorse.
Up 10 three weeks ago McMurIay
was in the heart of vast. unexpor.
ii territory about one hundred and
scvcnty-fivc miles nor,h Of Teslin.
iir has been there for five years.
making an occasional trip to Teslin
tor supplies. which he packed back
o his h' 'ldquartcrs near the head wa.
ters of the Dease River. McMurray,
besides prospecting. was trapping
and depending largely upon wild
game for food. His last trip to Teslin
was made early last spring. when he
had the misfortune to freezr the two
first fingers of his righ. hand
As result Of the freezing the two
injured fingers commenced To decay
abIu. the middle of the summer and
for a time McMurray feared that he
might lose his hand To remove the
dead bone, which panied him Intense
ly. he tied stout cord about the
loncs ot his two affected fingers,
tied the other end Of the cord to a
tree and actually had the hardihcld
90 pull off both bones AT the first
ipint This somewhat allayod the
symptoms of gangreuc and McMur.
lay. instead OF returning u ciyiliza-
ion for medical treatment, remained
in the will trapping and prospect.
ing
Three weeks ago he strlyed sever
al miles from his cabin visiting his
traps and when he returned he found
his cabin a blazing heap OF ruins IL
having caught fire in some way In
his absence. Every possession that
MyMurr1y had In the world. except
the clothes he had on. his rifle and
about twenty rounds OF ammunition
ana chunk of raw frozen moose
meat tina, was hanging in tree near
his cabin, had gone up in smoke
McMurray did not even have a match
on his person
Realizing that hc was in peril
ous prrdicamcnt, McMurray at once
struck out for Teslin, packing his
irol,u piece OF meat on his back II
was a terrible trip. The weather at
times was - and even 30 degrees
below zen, and a. McMurray had no
ma Ches he was compelled 10 keep
travelling through the cold nights TO
keep from freezing. Near the noon
tim" in the cay when the sun Was
high, hr would burrow in the snow
banks and snatch few hours of
broken rest Even then he suffered
biz crly from the cold and both feet
were frost bitten. His moccaslns
wore through and he was compelled
To wrap hi, drawers abou, his fee
only his ndomitable Irish pluck
kept McMurray going and at the end
~ six dlN's travelling he staggered
i'm O WhitchorSe, half dclirlous. and
almost wholly exhausted There nor.
'iouS of the bone were removed from
'hc palm Of McMurriys right hand
and II viii he several weeks before
he will have recovered from his trip
sufficiently to leave the hospital
MrMurray says he will return To
his isola ed retreat early next spring.
tie says h" has located no less than