Tragedy in the Cascades
A well-known Seattle mining man perishes alone in a mountain cabin after a difficult winter journey.
Death from physical exhaustion in a lonely mountain cabin overtook Nils M. Roos, a well-known mining man of Seattle, two weeks ago. His body was discovered last Tuesday by E. M. Field of Chelan, who had grown concerned over Roos' prolonged absence. Roos had set out to visit his mining claim in the Cascades, traveling on snowshoes over Bridge Creek. It is believed he died shortly after clearing a massive snowdrift from the entrance of his cabin, as nothing inside was disturbed. Roos resided at 1909 Broadway in Seattle and leaves behind an invalid wife and two children.
“It was evident that Mr. Roos had died of exhaustion. He had shoveled away a great drift of snow which blocked the entrance to his cabin.”
The isolation of mining prospectors in the early 20th century often led to grim outcomes that went unnoticed for weeks, illustrating the hazards of early Washington industry.
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