Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-09-09
MORE: KLOND|KE.

Arvin Kells, one of the young men
who started for Alaska from Grand
Rapids with the Orrin Gray "nine, +"
has sent home a letter to one of his
friends, which arrived this week. A
portion of the letter is of personal char
acter, and the rest we have been per-
mitted to publish. The epistle is dated
Dawson City on Yukon, n. w. T., July
I, 1897, and among other things Arwin
says:
eve had good trip and very good
luck coming in here. We arrived the
29th Of June. We foated over all the
rough water excepting the "White
Horse" and Pomp Gray and | would
have run that. but the old IMAM would
not let us. He and Mahoney walked
around all the rough water. 1t took
Ponip and myself just one minute and
seven seconds to 60 through the canyon,
which is three quarters of a mile long.
We heard that there were nine more
fellows coming from home, that they
were back at the summit and would not
get here before fall. Did not learn who
they all were. Well, you wanted my
description Of the country, it won't
take many words to tell it it. 1t is the
- country white man ever got
into. The mosquitoes are SO thick that
a person cannot see much more than
ten feet ahead of him. You might
think this is fishy, but it is a fact and
they are as big as Il common bird.
always thought that | was as hardy as
they made them, but have learned that
. am not half as tough as thought |
was. Am not sorry that | came out,
but would not advise anyone to come
out here. Pomp and | have got job
working for Billy Chapel. We are to
get SO per day until he opens up his
mines, then we will get SIS per day.
Mahoney, Pomp and myself just came
back from 35-mile packing trip. The
place where we are going to work is So
miles from town and the trail to it is the
worst | ever heard of, personis either
climbing hill with bis load or wading
a marsh half up to his neck in the mud
Chapel sent a guide with us to show us
the way out to the place and the chump
did not know any more about the trail
than we did, SO we got lost for day and
night. Think of being lost Fourth of
July and the night following. We were
away from here five days and five
nights, walking nearly all the while.
There are two dead men and one
dead boy in town now. The men died
with fever and the boy they just found
in the river this morning, he was miss
ing for fifteen days. There are many
men here looking for work, but not
much work for them just now They
say, however, there will be lots of work
this winter. Most of the mining is done
III the winter. If you ever hear any
body saying there is lots of game here
you tell them that they speak falsely
for we have not seen a thing so far. I
am not busted yet. Have got IS, that
ID pICtlN SOOu. Illllh l. GILL Cl6dG Il
nice sum this winterif have my health.
Had the rheumatism on the way in and
thought | was going to die, but came
out all right. This is quite place
there are seven or eight saloons and
two dance halls. They support brass
band of ten or twelve pieces.
| am baking bread today and tell
you it is out of sght-because it is in
the oven. We start on another packing
trip tonight. Salmon have Just started
10 run up the river now. | saw an In
dian bring i'll three salmon and get $40
each for them. There is a doll rack
here. 1t costs so cents to throw three
balls and every time you knock down a
baby you get Il cigar. The Hudson boys
hired their boat run through the rough
waters. They will work about three
miles from Pomp and | on the same
creek. The lIudson's are two of the
best boys in our crowd. Will write
again when hear from YOU.
tours as ever, A. kELLs.