Los Angeles herald., 1910-06-24
HUNTER Of COLD
FINDS HIS WIFE
John Schmidt Tells of Passing En-
tire Week on Log in an
Alaskan River
LOCATES VALUABLE, CLAIMS
Mrs. Schmidt to Return with Ad-
venturer to Frozen Treas
ure Fields in North

John Schmidt, Alaskan gold hunter
and survivor of a seven day adventure
on a log in a quicksahd bar of the
Talkeetna river, found his wife, Mrs.
Emma Schmidt, 522 Temple street, last
= night after each of them had given the
other up as dead and one of the hap
piest family reunions that ever oc-
Cured in Los Angeles was the result.
II do not believe it is you. cannot"
said Mrs. Schmidt, as the tears of JOY
sprang to her eyes. You have mus
taehe How different you look!' And
then they kissed and began to tell each
other how it happened, a story which
took many hours for its unfolding.
Schmidt's story was one of adventure,
while it has remained for Mrs. Schmidt
to bear the less picturesque agony OF
dreams of her husband struggling with
death in some lonely region OF the froz-
en- north.
LUCK AGAINST HIM
1t had been three months since Mrs.
Schmidt heard from her husband. one
year ago he gave up his work as
landscape gardener ana left Los AnSe-
les to seek a fortune in the gold fields
Luck played against him, and Mrs
Schmidt was compelled to find occu-
patton as laundresS and send him a
share of her earnings. Three months
ago the letters ceased to come from
him, and after q few weeks the wife
gave up all hope of ever seeing MN
again.
Schmidt says that three months ago,
discouraged by his i'll luck, he deter
mined to make a desperate effort to eX-
plore an untried field, to reach which
would mean all imaginable kinds of
hazardous trials. His eyes were turned
to the Talkeetna range. He wrote to
his wife that she need not expect to
hear from him for a long time That
letter, which would have explained so
much to Mrs. Schmidt, never reached
her. Then Schmidt gathered provisions
and started for the land which he was
confident would yield him untold guam
titles of gold.
LOCATES CLAIMS
He reached the land, found ore in
remarkable quantities, and staked six
claims But his lust was not satisfied
and he decided to make further eX-
plorations. He stored his findings at a
trading post and started on a trip down
the Talkeetna river.
At a point about fifty miles from
Mount Mckinley his boat was drawn
into an ice jam and crushed, with its
FIVE months provisions. Schmidt
Jumped for a log, watching his food
sink into the muddy water of the river.
The log fioated to bar, and Scnmlut
thought that at least he should not
meet death by drowning. But the bar
nroved to be composed of quicksand.
The log was stuck and there was no
way of moving in any direction.
schmidt had revolver on his hip,
and he thought of shooting himself
Then he happened to remember that
when the ice broke the steamer Ellis
would make it's trip up the river Not
knowing how long he would have to
wait. he determined to fight until death
claimed him through starvation. He
had a piece of an oar. Upon the END OF
IL he tied a piece of his shirt and
waited
WEEK ON LOG
From Sunday night, May q. until
Saturday, May 2S, he clung to the log:
ON Saturday morning he was rescued
hv the ellis Among the passengers on
the boat was Prof. Parker of Columbia
university, with his party of eight men,
on their way to Mount Mckinney. Ihe
steamer carried Schmidt to the trading
post of Talkeetna.
After his accident he decided to come
to Los Angeles to see his wife. lie
arrived at San Pedro Sunday on the
Admiral Sampson. Until yesterday
morning he was unable to find his Wife,
and had almost concluded that she
was dead or had left the city, when ne
read that she had heard that he was
here and LIlGl 6IlC WclS AOOhAA6 80 $4,000
AN ASTRONOMER
Schmidt is an interesting talker. He
is a university man, and his father
was for twenty-five years in the signal
service of the German army. Schmidt
is a student of astrology and astrono-
my. In government examination In
landscape gardening he made a mark
of SO per cent, and were 1t not for the
six claims in the north he would enter
the government service.
DR.. Cook, says Schmidt, has never
been at Mount Mckinley. He says
that to reach even the base of the
mountain requires months, and Cook
claims to have done it with one man
and provisions for ten days.
Schmidt has his ore with him, and 1t
is to be assayed here within the next
several days. He is going back to his
claims Just as soon as possible. When |
he goes the next time there will be no
wife behind to be worried because of
negligence of the mail man. She Is
going along.