Rensselaer Democrat, Volume 1, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 May 1898 — A Klondike Letter. [ARTICLE]

A Klondike Letter.

The following letter from the gold fields is from L. D. Bond, a former Jasper county boy who is now’ on his way. to the Klondike, and was written for the Remington Press. Monday, April 4, 1898. —This is Monday noon and I am going to write and let you know lam all right, for I suppose by the time this reaches you, you will have read all about the great snow slide and the great loss of life. Weil, it was pretty bad but we were miles away from the worst and safe and dry in our camp, though we could see the snow break away and come roaring down the mountain side. I am alone this morning, the other boys are at work and I am staying with two of the St. Louis boys that came in the same party with us but do not belong to our crowd. They were -caught in the slide and taken out for dead but were brought around again. Ono in about half an hour and the other was unconscious for three hours, but we brought him too and took him home with us and today he is nearly himself again. He was buried ill 20 feet of snow for about two hours. Thirty-five men have been taken out dead up to noon today and no one knows how many more there ar.?, nor where dm y ar ', aad it never will be known until summer comes and the snow all go *s. It is a pretty tough story but I tell you all the facts as known up to noon today so you may know just what to believe. We are i safe. When it began to get bad I last Friday, the day I wrot ■ you I last, w?. quit the pass and skipp d I for this place and did not leave 'again until we went to help J. g out the dead and those n?r. ly n A'good many were revived although half were dead. Among i them one woman who had been : dug out once before in the morning. The ones that were caught were those who were trying to. rush ! things along in a fearful blizzard. It is estimated that four feet of snow fell in thirty-six hours, that is. on the mountain, it rained where we were. In a day or so we will be over and away from wh‘ re this all hapI pened and out of danger of snow i slides, etc. lam making bread • today and have to cut my own 1 wood to keei> up the fire.

LUCE D. BOND.