Caught Out un Dali River
Prospector Freezes Fatally
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John C. Leonard, ah oldtimer of Dawson, died at Rampart,
Saturday, Feb. 19. of blood poison resulting from freezing. He
was buried Feb. 22.
With Jake Anderson and another man whose name cannot be
learned Leonard was prospecting on Dali river. They were caught
out in the extreme cold the last of January and were unable to
reach their camp. Both Leonard’s feet and legs were frozen solid
up to the knees. Other portions of his body were also frozen.
His companions brought him to Rampart, but his case was
hopeless and he lived only a few days after reaching that place.
He was about 56 years old. Allan Jordan, the mail carrier, who
arrived from Rampart last Friday, said Leonard and his compan
ions are well known and that Anderson is acquainted in Tanana.
BLOODY ENCOUNTER
WITH GRIZZLY BEAR
The Dawson News has the particu
lars of an encounter had b.v James M.
Christie with a grizzly bear Oct. 26
last on Rogue river, in the upper
Stewart river country, in which Chris
tie was terribly injured.
Christie and George Crisfield had
established a camp on Rogue river fur
a winter’s trapping. The bear had
robbed their cache and Christie set
out on its track. There was consider
able snotv and the man wore snow
shoes. After going several miles, he
suddenly heard a crackling of brush
and saw the beast, upright, coming on
a run. Christie fired two shots, the
second being at very close range. The
first shot struck the bear near the
heart and the second in the head. The
man leaped from his snowshoes and
tried to dodge-in'to the bushes, but fell,
and the bear pounced upon him and
tore him with its claws and closed its
huge jawfc over his head. Christie
then forced his arm between the bear’s
jaws with all his might. At that mo
ment the bear fell dead.
Christie’s two cheeks were severed
from the cars to the mouth, and his
lower jaw was broken and fell against
his breast. His scalp was cut through
and thrown back like a cape. His
cheek bone was fractured and his right
arm broken. Eight or ten, ugly cuts
had been sustained about the face, and
one or two smaller cuts and bruises
about the body and legs.
The blood was pouring from Christie
in streams. He swathed himself in a
flour sack and made his way home, a
distance of seven miles. Arrived there,
his partner Crisfield was found to be
absent, and tlie injured man had to
build a tire and attend himself as best
he could for several hours before he
returned.
After a day or two Crisfield packed
Christie on a toboggan, hired two In
dian helpers and started for Ferrill’s
trading post, 50 miles away. They
camped in a tent at nights. The In
dians became superstitious and wanted
to quit, but Crisfield drove and threat
ened them, and after four days the
little party bedraggled and worn,
struggled into the post.
Mr. and Mrs. Ferrill soaked off all
the matted cloths, washed the wounds
H. L. HEDRICK,
GENERAL
BLACKSMITH
AND MACHINE SHOP
Horseshoeing Repairing
Near Cor. Campbell ave. and 2nd St.
Rear of Yukon Saloon.
with antiseptic solutions anti clean wa
ter, wrapped the wounds with antisep
tic bandages, and provided everything
possible for Christie’s comfort.
Christie iay a month in bed at Fer
rill’s, where he received every atten
tion. After the snow was deep and
Christie was able to be about Mr. Fer
rill started for Dawson. Cristield helped
■ break trail to Mayo, 100 miles, and
then went back to the camp at Rogue
river.
Christie’s most serious injury is to
his jaw. The fracture has healed so
that the jaw will not close, and masti
cation is not possible. Physicians at
i Davyson have advised him to go outside
where specialists can undertake the
delicate work. The broken right wrist
is not healed, and will be reset at
: Dawson.
Christie came into the Yukon in 189S
j anil has trapped most of the time since
! on the upper Stewart. He came from
Carman, Manitoba.
' Cause of Aurora Borealis
Neou. a newly discovered gas, is the
cause of the aurora borealis, according
to a statement made by Dr. W. L.
Dudley, of Vanderbilt University, of
Nashville, Tenn., before the division
of physical and inorganic chemists at a
session of the Association for the Ad
vancement of Science which met in
Boston not long ago. Dr. Dudley
showed what he said was the only
sample of neon in the United States.
It requires over a hundred tons of air
to get a pint of it.
Dr. Dudley lias discovered that the
riction of neon against mercury in a
^Crooks tube produces a yellow light,
and when held near a wireless coil
Hertzian waves will illuminate the
gas. Dr. Dudley's conclusions are that
at the magnetic poles of the earth,
neon, under high pressure because of
cold, is acted upon by magnetic cur
rents, thus producing the aurora bo
realis, a phenomenon that has always
puzzled scientists.
CREEKS SHOW PAY
AFTER LONG TIME
The Dawson News reports much
active mining and good pay on Black
Hills creek. It also tells of rich pay
being found on a number of claims on
Scroggie creek.
These creeks are in the lower Stew
art river country. They were stam
peded in 1897-’9S, and have been pros
pected off and on ever since, but are
only now reaching the producing stage.
With only desultory prospecting it
may take a long time to prove the
character of a creek.
DON'T THINK MUCH
OF THE IDITAROD
Frank Gray, writing to The
Leader from Opliir City Jan. 20,
says:
I told you I would let you know how
things were in the Iditarod. I made a
round of the whole district and guess
you know me well enough to know I
understand this raining game. Bar
ring pay on three claims on Otter
and one on Willow nothing can be
shown. So I quit in disgust and came
here. There are about 200 men work
ing here on Ophir and Yankee creeks
and a few more on Little and Gaines
creeks. Over on the Kuskokwim about
thirty prospectors are working on
Fourth of July and Moose creeks—but
very little prospects in sight. I wish
you would drop me a line and let me
know how things are in the Gold
Mountain district, and my partner and
I might backtrack to there, as we
don’t care to invest our coin in a prop
osition here and would not think of the
iditarod, as I believe at least a thou
sand holes have been sunk there with
no results. I see many from Fairbanks
here, all living in hopes and wishing
they were back.
KEEPING WARM
ON THE PRABRSE
Kansas City Star: A St. Joseph
patrolman who was formerly an
Indian tighter told how the sol
diers used to keep their feet
warm by pouring whiskey in
their boots. “We were escorting
a wagon train across the snow,”
said the patrolman,“when it was
30 degrees below zero. Of course,
we were fixed for it. We had the
‘Nelson A. Miles’ overcoats,
which are lined with pelt and
button snugly under the chin;
warm gloves and our boots were
two sizes too big in order to allow
us to wear heavy knit woolen
socks. The quartersmaster is
sued us rations, including whis
key, before we started.
“I was astonished to see the
lieutenant in charge pull out his
bootstrap and dump half a bottle
of whiskey in one boot and
the remainder in the other.
He said it kept his feet warm,
and I tried it. The other man on
our wagon drank his and we
started. That night my feet were
perfectly dry and warm. The
soldier who drank his portion
suffered frozen feet and had to be
sent back to Fort Snel.'ing before
the winter was over. I soon
learned it was no unusual thing
for the soldiers to pour whiskey
in their boots.”
MORE TRANSPORTATION
FACILITIES NEEDED
Washington, Feb. 14.—111 a re
port made to the secretary of the
interior Walter E. Clark, governor
of Alaska, says that increased
transportation facilities for the
Yukon and Susitna valleys and the
interior of Alaska are needed, and
the future development of Alaska
will depend upon the all the year
round easy communication between
the coast and tire interior. Gov,
Clark says theie seems to he ample
business reasons to warrant the
construction of railroads from the
coa-t to th^ Bering river and Mata
nnska coal fields, and to the copper
mines is the Alaskan range ot
mountains.
Population of Canada
An estimate of the population of the
several provinces of Canada at the end
of June, 190b, has been given out by
the Canadian census department, as
follows:
Maritime provinces 1.037,112
Quebec. 2,088.401
Ontario.2,619,02.)
Manitoba. 406,268
Saskatchewan. 341,521
Alberts,. 273,859
British Columbia. 289,516
Unorganized districts. 58,309
Total.7,174,071
At the present time it is believed the
total population of tho Dominion is
between 7,500.0(H) and 8,000,000.
Miss Marguerite Betties has organ
ized a class which is given dancing
lessons twice a week under her tutor
ship. The exercises take place Tues
days and Fridays at A. B. hall, begin
ning at 7:39 p. m.
Job Printing at The Leader office.
NINES OF THE HAND
AND THE WORLD’S 6CLD
While returns of absolute accuracy
are not obtainable, it is estimated that
the world’s output of gold for 1909 is
not less than $450,000,000, about $16,
000,000 more than the record reached
the year before. Discussing this inter
esting subject a Canadian bank circu
lar says:
“There is every reason to expect
that the world’s product will increase
annually for several years to come.
The probable life of the mines of the
Rand has been the subject of much
speculation in mining circles, the con
I census of opinion being that these
[ great mines will contribute largely to
I the world's output of gold for at least
I a quarter of a century. At this time
! there is no indication of a decline in
the gold prtduction of the South Afri
can fields. On the contrary, the out
put from this source is growing from
year to year. The greatest feature in
the life of these mines is represented
I by the depth at which they can be
i successfully worked. In the mines of
nearly all other parts of the world
1 beat increases one degree Fahrenheit
for every 55 vertical feet of depth ob
; tained, while in the mines of the Rand
. tlie increase of heat is only one degree
; Fahrenheit in 265 vertical feet. This
; physical condition will admit of the
i successful working of these mines to a
I great depth, and will much prolong
I the period of their productivity.
“There is a popular impression that
! much the greater part of the annual
i gold product is used in coinage, but
J this is an error, as only about 45 per
cent, is used for monetary purposes,
balance being consumed in the art®,
the manufactures, and hoarded. Not
withstanding the great increase in the
production of gold in the last 28 years,
the demand is constantly growing, and
the principal countries of Europe have
adopted measures to conserve, as well
as to increase, their holdings of the
yellow metal."
The Leader is on sale at the Tanana
postoflice lobby.
CLEAN AND REFRESHING
BATHS
All Hours Wednesdays and Saturdays
Williams' New Barber Shop
Front St., Tanana.
Neatly-Printed Stationery
ADDS MORE DIGNITY AND GIVES GREATER SATISFACTION IN YOUR
BUSINESS CORRESPONDENCE THAN ANY OTHER ITEM OF OFFICE
EQUIPMENT.
The Leader Furnishes That Kindi
AND SOLICITS A TRIAL ORDER. OUR PAPER STOCK IS THE BEST
OBTAINABLE. TELEPHONE US YOUR WANTS IN THE STATIONERY
LINE, OR FOR JOB PRINTING OF ANY KIND. SEE OUR LINE OF
LETTER HEADS, BILL HEADS, ENVELOPES, ETC., ETC.
High-Class Book Binding
Mr. Ernest Llndbolm, the most artistic book binder in Alaska, will
“hang out" at The Leader office during the next few weeks where he
Is prepared to bind your new books or re-bind your valued old ones