The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1895-10-12

ing Letter 10 their FRIENDS Here
Almost Four Months in Transit-StiIl
Melting lee to get Water in June
No Sunlight for three months In VIM
ter-Mrs. Arnett has not Seen Anoth-
er Woman since last Noyember-It is
to be Hoped they will bring Home a
Good Stake.
DAVIS CREEK. June, -, 1895.
Dear Sister BeHe;-You will see by
this that we have moved but not far. 1t
is only about ten minutes walk from
Pokee Gulch, The mail has come in
this Spring but we did not get one letter
from West Virginia we were very much
disappointed. There we're four hundred
men came this Spring and there is not
food enough for what is here, and no
way to bring it. One company is going to
put on another boat at st. Michaels, the
water gets shallow there and they have
to build fiat bottomed steamers to bring
provisions the rest of the way which is
eighteen hundred miles and they can
only make three trips year. The rest
OF the time there is ice. 1t is open Ocean
from st. Michaels TO San Francisco and
the Ocean steamers bring the provisions
that far but we are all right they give
man that has wife plenty for they
know he can't go out with her. 1t is
likely lot of men viii have to go to st.
Michaels and winter; everything is de-
cided bv miners meeting that is all
the law there is. | have not heard of
any shooting OF hanging, but they sent
one man out on the ice for stealing.
Thew gave him his choice, leave the
country or hang. He started for st.
Michaels on snow shoes, snow feet
deep on top OF the ice, and his grub on
sled to haul. He may have got in with
some Indians and stayed with them il
not he died. A man could not go eighteen
hundred miles that way. There was one
man burned to death in his cabin this
winter and one froze to death. There
was white baby born at Forty Mile a
few days ago, it was the first white child
born here and it died There were some
men drowned on the way. They cross
the mountains on snow and ice then
camp and build little boats until the ice
breaks up. One man had pick on his
load and he must have been coming
down a steep place and the sled run on
to him for the pick run clear through his
thigh, they took him back to Wilson's
Post and left him. The next party that
came in said he was dying. Poor man.
I think that is enough Of the bad
news, now for the good things are look
ing bright for US Lee has good ground.
think we shall be paid for all our trials
and hardships The prospects are that
if we live 10 come out we shall have as
much money as we will need for the re-
mainder Of our lives, and | don't see
why we are not as likely to live here as
any place. We are both well and strong,
have a good cabin, plenty to eat and
wear, of course we miss some things,
there are no cows or chickens here.
Down on the lakes there are plenty of
ducks, geese and swans. Rabbits are
plenty here some years, other game is
plenty. | suppose we are settled for
good so long as we remain in this coun-
try. We have one pup and are going to
get another in few days; they will
haul hundred pounds each, next win
ter. They are large and tough, the cold
don't hurt them, they have long hair.
| have done some sewing having earned
81 this winter. | get so lonely go out
and watch the men work nearly every
day. ! have not seen woman since
the 10th of November. Lee is ground
sluieing, that is bringing the water on
top of the ground and washing the dirt
away to within two or three feet OF bed
rock then they set boxes with water
running through them and shovel the
rest of the dirt into them, the water
washes away the dirt, 1t is called tail
ing and leaves gold in the boxes. Lee
pays his men $40 per day He runs a
crew day and night. 1t is day all the
time to my mind for it is never dark in
summer. | have to put heavy blue
curtain over the window and even then
| can see to tell the time by the watch
which hangs over my head The sun
sets little before midnight and rises
little after. | cannot be exact about it
because | haven't watched. But we
have enough night in Winter. We new
er saw the sun from the 10th of Novem-
Der until about the 2nd OF February and
it was not cloudy either. | don't think
Lee will have time to write he is very
busy, there has been big rain and it
has caused freshet; he has not had
time to sleep for three nights. They
came after him at three O'Clock this
morning. One OF the dams had burst,
but he got it fixed without much trouble.
There is man going to the post to-
morrow and | will send this by him if
it gets there in time to go on the first
boat you will get it sometime in August
When we come out we shall come by
steamer, they go down the river very
fast and it is the best way to go, but
they come up the river very slowly.
l have not asked much about your
selves. thought you would rather
hear about US.
We are anxious to hear from mother
and father and all OF you | wish we
could be there one night. | would make
my tongue fly and tell you something
new every word. One can't travel with
out picking up things worth telling.
Tell mother have something good to
tell her, can't write lit is too funny.
] forgot to say we shall have plenty of
blueberries in August and cranberries
soon after
l am trying to raise a garden it is
Just an experiment, have peas three
inches high and cabbage and lettuce
ready to transplant. | sent go miles
and was lucky enough to get potatoes
planted them and lots of turnip, beets
and carrot seed / tried hard TO get
onions aud tomato seed but could not
have radishes nearly big enough to
eat, but raised them in a box. 1t will
be great thing for us if the garden
proves a success, for that is what you
can't get. They bring few potatoes
on the boat and they are so cents per
pound. Unless one is right there they
can't get anything. The prospects are
from 10 cts to $500 in one pan of dirt.
Some men have taken out as high as
eight dollars this Spring. Still there are
men who have been here eight years and
are poorer now than when they came.
Well ii you write the minute you get
this we may get it this fall. Put in few
onion and tomato seed.
| have written this in great hurry
and no doubt it is somewhat mixed.
Yours,
LEE and ALMA.