By V. G. Grant in the Dawson News
The following incident in the life of a Yukon prospector was enacted here on July 23rd, and in which wonderful assurance and stamina were shown by the unfortunate victim which is seldom surpassed.
The victim of the incident was Thomas J. Keating, an old-timer of the '98 trail to the Yukon and former partner of the late Thomas H. Hinton, well known in Ottawa in former times. Keating has for some time been prospecting for gold on Mount Hinton,
(named after Hinton), about ten miles from Keno and on July 23rd very early he and Dan McAskill left for the place for the purpose of viewing the prospect Keating had there. Mac luckily had a .30 Springfield rifle with him but Keating had only a small axe. They arrived at the find at 6:30 a.m., and while Mac remained at one point, Keating moved some 1,000 feet, and after Keating had stopped, what was Mac's horror to observe a large grizzly sneaking upon Keating.
Mac was unable to shoot for fear of hitting Keating, but started to the place. It seems that Keating, who is partly deaf, could not hear Mac yelling to him, and the first thing he knew was the bear swiping him a bad blow on the leg, smashing it and throwing him to the ground and then mauled him fearfully. All the time this was happening Mac was hurrying, but on his arrival at the spot the bear had chased her cubs to safety - two one-year-olds.
Mac found Keating in an awful shape, helpless and covered with blood. The bear had not only broken his leg in two places, but had torn his scalp down on his face, two gashes at the eyes and torn his right ear and face; also hit one of his breast nipples
and gashed his stomach. As Mac was doing what he could for Keating the victim said, "Look out, old timer, that bear is sure to come hack to finish me," and Mac, looking up, saw the bear a short distance away, coming toward them, growling. Mac had no time to shoulder the rifle but fired from the hip, breaking the bear's paw with the first shot. Then another shot in the head, and, when only a few feet away right between the eyes with another and last shot, which finished her bearship, the bear falling at their feet - a close call for both of them.
What a predicament for Mac, with a man helpless and ten miles from assistance, and all he could do was to make Keating as comfortable as possible on some moss which was between the snowbanks, and make a fire and then hurry to Keno, and by 10
a.m. he had sixteen of Keno's residents hurrying to the scene of the accident.
They arrived there at 1:30 p.m., and found Keating stil conscious but nearly frozen, as it was above timber line. They found him in an awful shape; his eyes closed with blood; and a couple more hours would have finished him. They built fires with wood they carried with them and warmed him up. He asked the boys, "Am I worth patching up? If not put a bullet in me." But the boys encouraged him as much as they could.
They then placed him on a stretcher they had brought with them and, as
Keating is a large man, 200 pounds weight, had their work cut out for them. They had two men at each end and two in the center, and every five minutes had to change carriers. The
road was over the roughest hill imaginable, full of rocks at the commencement, and it took two men ahead all the time cutting out a trail. By 6 p.m. the relief party, with the victim, had arrived at Hope gulch, where the wagon from Keno met them, with the doctor who had arrived on a hurry-up call from Mayo, forty miles distant.
The doctor was only able to give temporary relief from his severe sufferings until they would reach the hospital at Mayo, which was made in a truck from Keno by midnight.
Now, where the courage was shown was that Keating all the terrible trip
from Mt. Hinton to where the wagon was met gritted his teeth and never once complained; only when crossing the creek asked for a drink of water. Readers of this tale, try to picture to yourselves this man lying on an exposed bleak high mountain for eight hours and dreading the arrival of grizzlies every minute, as grizzlies are very plentiful there, and not a murmur of complaint. Very few persons could survive it.
The relief party had a hard time and when they got back to Keno, about 10 p.m., were completely all in, all day carrying a 200-pound man, and no food with them. They had no time to eat any as when Mac got to Keno with the news they rushed away en
masse. All Yukoners will go through the most desperate trips to help each other.
McAskill, who is the popular corporal of the Mounties stationed at
Keno City, travelled fully fifty miles that day over unbeaten trails, and Dan, as he is more popularly called, is liked by every person. He is a powerful man who can easily handle two good men by himself.
By 'phone we learn that Keating is in very bad shape and may lose his eyesight, but we hope that, with his good physique, he may pull through in good shape.
