The Cordova daily times., 1919-02-05
GIVES DETAILS
OF DEATH OF
RALPHPULVER

the list of victims OF the NOrtnIano
glaciers and snowslides. This time
a soldier boy who was making race
with death. Corporal Ralph Pulver
attempted the perilous journey over
the Portage Bay glacier and was
caught in huge snowslide one mile
over the summit. He had gone over
the top" and it looked as though 1t
would be but a few hours before the
journey Of six miles to the railroad
would be completed in safety.
Pulver, anxious to get home to his
sick wife and baby at Anchorage, ana
Private Joseph Robbins, returning to
his duties with the Alaskan engineer
ing commission at Anchorage, left
Valdez for Portage Bay on the morn
ing of Monday, January 20, with Capt.
Dune Stewart of the launch Sham
rock, intending to mush across from
Portage Bay to Mile 60 on the gov
eminent railroad, and from there
catch the train into Anchorage. Young
Pulver was caught in snoWslide one
mile over the summit at 10: 80 on the
morning of the 22d and buried alive,
thus adding one more victim to the
cold Alaska trail
Corporal Pulver and Private Rob-
bins had recently received their dis
charge from the service at Fort Lis
cum and engaged Captain Stewart to
take them to Portage Bay. They left
Valdez the morning of January 20, ar
irving at Portage Bay the same night.
1t was blowing gale, and Captain
Stewart induced the boys to stay on
the boat until the next morning On
Tuesday it was still storming, so they
waited over on the Shamrock until
Wednesday morning, when at $50,
the weather being fine, they started
of on their mush to Mile g. which is
about ten miles from the bay.
Before leaving on their mush they
told Captain Stewart if they did not
wire him before the 9th to return to
the Portage after them, as they were
afraid if a blizzard should spring up
they might have to return. Not re-
ceiving wire, Captain Stewart left
again for Portage on the afternoon of
Tuesday, the 2sth. Captain Hewes,
the post commander, also sent the
post launch Donaldson, with fifteen
men, to comprise a searching party
for the two missing men, Arriving
at the Portage Captain Stewart went
directly to Spaulding's sawmill, which
is in Passage Bay, six miles from the
head of Portage Bay, and there found
Robbins. Robbins then related the
story OF the accident. He stated that
they were mushing along in fine shape
and when about a mile over the sum-
NIT they started to take off their
snowshoes. Pulver got his off first
and starting on, was about 200 feet
ahead of Robbins. Just after start
Ing, about 1890 a. M, an immense
snowslide, about 200 feet wide. sud
denly broke loose, carrying the two
men down the mountain and burying
them from sight. Robbins, who was
caught In the edge of the slide. soon
uncovered himself and started al
search for his partner. He found one
o! Pulver's snowshocs sticking upl
through the snow, and commenced
digging with 1t. He scraped and dug
away until far into the night without
finding any signs Of Pulver. He then
started back to the Spaulding mill.
mush1ng all night and up until noon
OF the 23d, when he reached Spauld-
ings after a very trying time. Pas
sage Bay. by water, is six miles from
the head of Portage Bay, but along
the beach, the route Robbins had to
take, was all Of fifteen miles.
Captain Stewart brought Private
Robbins back to Fort Liscum, leaving
Portage Bay Thursday and arriving
at Valdez at 1880 Friday Robbins
was uninjured and feeling none the
worse after his trying experience.
Robbins said he had left the snow
shoe he found belonging to Pulver
sticking up in the snow, as a marker,
so that he could locate the place
where the slide occurred. Captain
Hewes requested Captain Stewart to
return to the Portage with Robbins
and a party of searchers from the
fort, including ten men, with Rob
bins as a guide, lef: SATURDAY. to
recover the body Of the unfortunate
man. The United States marshal's
Office is supplying the boat.
The launches Donaldson and Sham
rock arrived at Valdez on Monday
from Portage Bay. The party that
went to search for Pulver's body was
M IN