The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-09-08
In CAMP FIFTY MILEs WEST
OF DENVER, on JAMES PEAK,
AuVust q 1891

August 81, 1881, }
DEAR FATIIER:-I sent you u postal lit
tie more than week ago, We arc highe
up on the mountain than then. Our eleva
ton now IL more than 10000 feet, Wear
on the side OF james Peak, whose SUNNI
towers still about 1000 feet above us. w
are now on what is known US the Cont
mental Divide, or the ridge from which
streams flow in both directions to the Miss
issippi on the east, and to the Pacific Ocean
on the west. We are going farther West
tomorrow or next day, and pitch our tents
in the middle Park, D." an immense Basin
like prairie or level place west of the divide
not SO high up us We are now. It's eleva'
ton is about 5000 feet We will be out
here abOutsiX weeks longer, and after that
10 not know were we will go. Back TO
Denver though, suppose. hope we will
nOt'stay ont hero in the mountains all win
ter, Because, il there Is rs much differ.
ence between the temperature Of winter
and summer here, as there is In the East,
We will freeze.
| came out here in the middle Of August,
the hottest part of summer, and have been
slecpingunder six blankets every highland
keeping hot fire in tho tents during the
day. II has showed every day for week
now, and every morning when We get up,
we have to break through quarter OF an
inch OF ice before we can wash our faces
Does not that seem incredible for August?
have gotten used to snow drifts, 10 that
they are no longer curiosity to me. | had
q little fun (P) with ono the other day.
had togo point beyond one CnClined ut
nm angle OF about 1872, and concluded that
] could save time by going across the top
OF II instead Of going around below II,
but | started across the top and landed ut
the bottom, 100 feet below, at almost the
salne instant Of time. Hereafter will 90
around. II there had been Il perpendCu.
lar cliff ut the bottom Of this-One like
there Is with most of them-I would not
be writing this now. We have Il grand
view from here. Between us and the
prairies there nre forty miles Of intervening
Well, we can see across this
and 100 miles Of priries besides. The
plains look for all the world like nm ocean
spread out below us. Upon It's surface the
Platte River Is plainly visible, winding
away towards the east, PtkI's peak looms
up In the southeast, plainly visible in spite
OF the 100 miles of intervening space. /
say space because we are above almost
everything except space. Gray's and
Longs Peaks are also easily seen from
here, ] Oln at present engaged IN the
capacity Of topogrnpher, and will probably
be Mt that for tue next two months or SO.
! suppose you have sent my Oycrc0at Gro
This, ut lcast hope no though | have not
received 1t yet. This is q terrible country
Tor pneumonia. 1t is said TINT wien per-
sons tOke pneumonia up here they often die
before they Gun get down from the noun.
lain. You see the atmosphere is 40 light
that the lung have to work twice MS hard
rs down lower, and il they arc innamed
they can't do ii. want II avoid ii II |
,an; that is why want the OverCoat. |
wish you would send me n couple Of good
by mail. All these fellows out
here get their underwear from the East by
mail. II I was In Denver would not ask
you to do this, but am out here, out Of
civilization, where can't get anything.
J., G. u, |