The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-04-03
FAMOUS ALASKAN
DIES IN THE COLD
It'll
"Cinnabar" Mcdonald One Of the
Well Known Figures Of the
d. North Meets Doom
tBY The A.socIated Prom,

II. Coombs menibSr y thu territorial
legislature which 4 meeting at Juneau
this month, arrived here recently by
dog team from Council, on Seward pen
ihsula and brought word Of tragedy
ON the lower Kusk kwim, involving
fight for life against desperate odds,
The hero, who died trying, was Dun
can HCinnabar" Mcdonald well known
miner, who had lived at Iditarod and
later at Bethel on the Kuskokwim. His
story was related by Mrs, Duke !.
Stubbs of Aniak, who ministered to
him in his last hours.
"Cinnabar" Mcdonald gained his
name by his repeated efforts to interest
people with money TO handle deposits
Of cinnabar on the Kuskokwim. 1t is
from this ore that the quicksilver Of
commerce is produced. Mcdonald found
il an uphill undertaking for while IL
is possible TO get capital for gold
mining, the average man with money
to invest knows little or nothing about
einnnhar aud views II nskanee. Me-
Donald wrote and talked and dreamed
about the mineral ne mad found and
the other miners finally called him
'aCinnabar.n 49,. -.
But einnabar is not good to eat, and
Mcdonald was forced TO abandon his
hobby from time to time TO mine gold
enough, at least, to keep him in sup
plies from. roadhouses between Idita.
rod and Bathel.
Some years back Mcdonald found
placer ground on Bear Creek, tribu-
tary to the Kuskokwim, which looked
rood. In small gullies nearby pay dirt
was found in various pockets, and this
year a man named Danny Bryce, after
four season Is work, broke into the pay
upstream. He went "outside,' with
a A. poke" full Of nuggets the size of
walnuts. Danny was silent about his
find, but in vague way il drifted back
to Bethel that he had gone out to get a
Hydraulic plant. F@s
iCinnabar" heard II and remem-
bered his claims. He knew well the
mining law, which provides that any
man stalking claim must do work on
that claim each to the amount Of $1Oe
60 hold II, and failure to have proof Of
such labor recorded within ninety
lays after the end of the year is con-
sidered evidence that the owner has
abandoned it; SO he hit the trail for
Bear Creek early in December TO do his
assessment work.
j About forty days later a trapper
living on the Bethel-Aniak trail, who
was keeping close to his cabin because
It was nifty below zero outside was at.
traeted by a strange figure crawling
~ the trail on hands and knees, his
Shiskers mass Of ice. 1t was Nc.
Donald, fighting for his life. His
lands and feet we're frozen and the
| tip Of his tongue was frozen to his
teeth. ,8
j The trapper, long in the wilds, pro.
duced two cans of coal oil and a tub
and proceeded 10 draw the frost y Out
of the frozen extremities Of his friend
Thawing out a frozen man is putting
aim through the torture of fire. The
pain il the same as though the frozen
part were held in flames, but II had Il
oe done. Thawing his face and tongue
vas a job for a surgeon but the trap
per accomplished 10.
When il was done and the injured
larts wrapped in mixture Of lard anC
,ther ingredients, Mcdonald made i
Known that there was something wron,
inside his chest and he must have !
ioctor. He signifed his willingness I,
BE taken to Aniak, a four-day trip, anS
away they went with the mercury how
ring around forty-fve below, tn,
hawed, I" Cinnabaro wrapped in man,
Jlankets and robes on a dog sled.
At Aniak, Mrs, Stubs took the cas-,
in hand and Arthur Willis took anothe
| n
Moore, another three-day trip.
In the meantime ttCinnabar'' fel
himself going. The frost had bitter
nto his lungs, and for that there is M
cure, He lisped with his ihjure,
tongue the story Of the nine days be
fore he reached the trapper's cabin.
Left claim all right, but prett,
.old. Second night colder; afraid ii
wash it, (sleep out). Moonlight, s
easy keep going. Lots overhows alonl
creek; had look out keep from get
ting in. so ff
f." Middle night moon lost light, eclipse
Eclipse got me. Afraid stop; misse,
trail; dark; stepped water. Ought d
quit right there, Dead then. but didn
like to give up Never quit eoinl
Saw sun rise seven times befor
reached trapper's, but what's use
Somebody else have to mine them Gin
nabar claims, -
=, He died delirious, mumbling abou
. his claims and the days and nights n
had spent ON the trail Rghting the cold
a The oncefrozen flesh Ind already bt
a gun 70 disintegrate, SO the kind
hearted men and women, and the doc
tor who had come a long. hard trail I
: '"rd n hnnd, hrd 20 put Aalathat wa
4 left of the once hardy frohtiersma
\ and prospector out where the mercuT
still stood at forty below, and the fros
had its way with cinnabarn MeDoI
aid. fFs
When Representative Coonibs passe
the roadhouse ON his way 70 Seward
! the remains of the frozen. miner wer
q cached ON n shed wihifino fnf tba v,,r; =,