The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1898-05-10
ANOTHER LETTER
FROM cAswELL PREwIFT.
Says There Are Few Good Claims
d Left In That Country.
He is Now Working For a Mining
Company at the Mouth Of
BEAR CREEK For 81 PER HOUR.
Longs to See the OIds Folks at
Home"
BEAR CREEK For 81 PER HOUR.
Longs to See the 0Ids Folks at

bedF mOtuer:
I have just received the first word
from you since 1 left home, dated Oc-
tober 4th, the same day We LETT Lake
Bennett. This not getting any news
from home is the worst part of the
whole countryside hardships / have
gone through can't compare with it.
l think 1 know your letter "off by
heart" by this time. 1 would have
written oftener but thought it useless
as 1 couldn't get any tidings from
you. You speak of two previous let
ters; l guess the Canadian govern
ment kept them for delivering one.
They do as they please, and the men
have to almost beg them for what
little mail they do get. This is the
first mail that has gotten in this win
ter. l hear there is some more on the
way.
Charley and 1 have been working
on a claim at the mouth of Bear
Creek since the 7th of February. A
friend of ours from Duluth, who is
also working here, got us the job. We
get 81 an hour and put in ten hours a
day. so by the time we do our cook
ing and get some wood it is bedtime,
and we are generally pretty tired; so
1 fold up my coat tor pillow and go
to bed-or bunk rather-for l havn't
seen bed in this country.
The men lay off Sundays, but gen.
orally collect in one cabin and spend
the time gambling. There are four
teen of us on this claim.
Charley and 1 spent this morning
wading in the snow up to our thighs
collecting a weeks supply of wood
We have to carry 1t some distance
Charley is now baking some sour
dough bread.
1 hear there is great deal of ex-
element on the outside over the finds
here. I can't see much reason for it
Eldorado and Bonanza Creeks are
good; Hunker is spotted, SO is Do.
minion. Quartz Greek is all worked
out. Bear Creek is spotted and
everything that was any good was
staked two years ago. 1t would be
folly to buy anything here without
first prospecting the ground, which ID
a tough job. 1t looks as though al
one time there was q river running
through the country crossing the
Yukon at Dawson from the Stewart
on through the Forty-mile country,
leaving deposits Of gold here and
there. Then came an upheaval form.
ing new streams. All the creeks
which head about the gold belt
which Is more than probably the bed
of this old stream, bear more or less
gold. Quartz mining I don't think IL
any good, for I don't believe there
was a whole quartz vein left; every
thing was broken to pieces. There
may be few left, but the only thing
1 have seen is q patch Of quartz here
and there, which has worn away I'M
til there is little left. This is q very
odd country. I have heard men say
that they have seen markings on top
OF the mountains that look like the
banks Of an old stream. % When the
snow is gone I shall stroll around the
country some myself. f.r.g $50
Peacock is prospecting about 81
miles mp Henderson. We havn'
heard from him since he left Stewar
river, but look for him down befor,
the ice breaks up. gHl islR
| You speak Of Lonestown and 1t
name in your letter well that woul,
be . good name for all Dawson, Jam