The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1897-07-21
A Man Who Has Been There

To the Editor of the Los Angeles
Herald: If you feel disposed to publish
this letter for the benefit of those who
are fast catching the gold fever Of Alas
ka you are at liberty to do so. am
speaking every word from experience,
having put in several winters in the min
ing districts, where we had seven
months winter every year.
We usually had the first frosts the
middle of August. A year ago, about the
goth, the first fall of snow occurred and
severe frosts followed If enough snow
lies for sleighing in two days afterwards
no wheels are to be seen on any kind of
conveyance, and you are insured good
travelling with your sleigh till the first
or second week of the next April. Dis
pense with your boots and be we'll pro-
vided with moccasins, as you must wear
three or four pairs of thick wooden socks
or you are sure to lose your toes. A fur
coat, cap and mittens, or you are not
safe out of doors very long. Unless well
clothed you are sure to freeze through
before you know it--either feet, hands
or nose. / have several times had my
pipe in my mouth and the moisture has
frozen it solid. From October the mer-
curry goes gently down but is sure not to
rise degree till April. i have expert
enced it 70 and 65 degrees below zero, of
which state of coldness one-half OF the
southerners do not know the meaning.
Possibly they never saw snow; We;
many of them want to go to Alaska.
All can say is to advise those. who
have never had any experience in tbs
70 of at bax
repent the day they left their native
spot. For e strong reason, anyone
who is native of a warm country will
find his blood 10 very thin and poor COM
pared to that of one who is used to the
cold; consequently he feels the cold ex-
tremely and Is liable to be frozen through
in no time, no matter how we'll clothed.
l advise all tenderfeet who have never
roughed it either in the mountains or the.
backwoods TO stay at home, ard espe-
cially those who have weak constitu-
tons, as they are liable to get rheuma-
tism or pneumoEia. l have met lot of
fellows who left home to seek fortune
not one in twenty of them better than
old women-who could not use an ak to
fell timber for putting up the log shanty
and had TO experience with pick or show
ell They cannot cook or bake a cake,
and would not think of washing their
own clothes. Now, what use are such
men away from home, either in summer
or winter? Yet they get the gold fever,
which is liable to prove fatal in too many
cases unless they take my advice.
I am not speaking with prejudice, but
giving facts. l have seen the largest
rivers close their new ice the middle OF
November-rapid rivers, too-and have
been able to cross with teams the follow
ing day in safety. Those rivers have not
again floated ice till the third week in
April. All these assertions l can prove
to anyone by my diary. with dates.
l advise those bent on going to the
frozen region not to go till next year:
then only those well posted in mining
can make anything. and they are more
likely to get stranded than make for
tune. A man to make way must be
practical, strong and healthy ard able
to turn his hand to anything at times;
fix up his bunk if he can get boards;
make his bed with grass or anything
near to cover the boards. Then. in the
warm weather, he gets little or no rest,
day or night, owing to the mosquitoes.
1t is not all gold and honey unless
man is millionaire and spends for
tune to run the risk Of making another.
The majority who go will have to work
and live as pavvies.
Having had an experience with the ex-
IRENE cold, being used to putting up my
log shack doing my own cooking and
washing, and also knowing how to take
out gold with pan or rocker, would
not be afraid to start with suitable
partner at the proper time. If aryon e
desires to go and will reply to this let
ter in The Herald at once 1 will COM
municate with him to his benefit and
satisfaction. w. r. w.
Los Angeles, July 20, 1897.