Feature Article on Charles Hess.
Topic: GOLD RUSH & PEOPLE
Written by Rich Wallace in
January, 1995
GOLD RUSH LURED SIDNEY ATTORNEY TO ALASKA...Pg 2 |
| After passing through the
mountains, the men came upon a region filled with lava formations which generated
sufficient heat to prevent the streams from freezing. Falling snow formed large arches
over some of the streams which concealed them beneath. While traveling in this area, the
men met up with two other dog teams. Because of the snow depth, the teams went in single
file to break the trail. On the second day, Hess had just finished taking his turn in the
lead, so one of the other teams pulled out to the front. No more than 10 minutes later,
the team and the driver suddenly plunged through one of the snow arches and disappeared.
The man and his dogs were never seen again. Charlie and his companion had traveled almost three months and endured unspeakable hardships in the wilderness when they finally arrived at Good Hope Bay. In the words of Hess: "We found no gold at the other end of the rainbow. It was a wild goose chase. I dreaded to even think of my return to Nome." After a week of rest, the men began their return trip. The dogs started back as of they knew the trail homeward. Hess was much less certain. He did develop a keen appreciation for the extent to which his life depended upon the well being of his dogs, however. When the men stopped for the night, the first order of business was always to feed and care for the dogs. If the dogs' paws were sore or wet, they would be tended with great care. Although he trusted his dogs and their sense of the trail back home, Hess was able to confirm they were headed in the right direction by occasionally spotting along the trail deposits of tobacco juice he had expectorated earlier along the way. The juice had frozen immediately into shards of brown colored ice. The continuos wind had blown the surrounding snow away, allowing the ice shards to be visible for as much as a quarter mile away. These spots were the only evidence that Hess was passing back over the same trail. After almost a two month journey, the men arrived in Nome. It was late spring, 1901. Hess later remarked, "All the gold of the peninsula would not have induced us to repeat that fearful trip." Thankful his life and health were intact, Hess returned to Sidney without his fortune in gold. He resumed the practice of law in Sidney at 815 North Ohio with his brother, Andrew Hess. Andrew had gained notoriety for his successful defense of Buddie Shang, who had been charged with murder. Charlie was elected Justice of the Peace for Clinton Township and served for many years. Charlie Hess was a striking figure because he always wore a black cape around his shoulders, concealing from others what they might regard as a handicap, but what he never did. An accident in the printing business as a young man took a toll but did not deter him. Charlie Hess confronted the challenges in Alaska just as he had faced the challenges of everyday life - with just one arm.
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Charles Hess