Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-05-12
THE COPPER RIVER CROWD.
A Letter From o. p. Jones to His
Family-At the Top of the Summit
Long Time Getting Up.

The following Is letter from o. P.
Jones to his family:
COPPER CITY, ALASKA, April H.
We are now about 30 miles up the
trail, just about the top of the summit.
When we reach the summit we can go
whizzing for 15 miles, all down hill;
can haul 500 pounds to the sled. We
are all doing the hardest work of our
lives, and we sometimes come in con-
tact with the heaviest snow and wind
storms you ever saw. Only yesterday
we had to leave our sleds loaded on
the trail and walk 5 miles into camp
without them; the wind was so strong
that it would almost blow a man off of
his feet. Snow is about feet deep on
the level, but 1t bakes solid on the trail
SO that You can get along very nicely,
even with a horse.
We bought one horse and paid si65
for him. We have refused 1876 for
him, but just as soon as we reach the
summit we expect to sell him. 1t is,
from what we can learn, about IS
miles from the summit to lake. There
we will make a boat and cross the
lake and GO down a river to Copper
River; then we will begin prospecting.
There are about 5000 people on the
trail, all in sight of each other. We
have pulled our goods up six different
benches of the mountain side where
we had to attach d pulley at the top
and run a rope 400 feet long through
the pulley and then pull our goods up
ON sleds by this means. We have
certainly had great time, Unit"
saw, all in one day, one of the big
gest snow storms of the season, the
air filled with mosquitoes, butterflies
were flying and spiders were crawling
and at the same time snow was from
to feet deep and great mountains
of ice reared their heads hundreds of
feet high on either side of us. Now,
just think of it. A wonderful country
| is Alaska.
Wood is the most difficult problem
we have to contend with. There is
not tree for 40 miles along the trail
and the consequences are that every
body has to carry wood for cooking
purposes the full 40 miles, and some
times we are compelled to lay in camp
for or days at time on account Of
storms, this making it take consider
able wood. We ran out of wood once
during a storm and had to pay $40 for
Just enough to run us two days. How
ever, if we can have about or 10 days
of good weather we will reach timber
on the other side. Boats continue to
arrive loaded with passengers. The
woods will be full of people up here
before fall.
We occasionally hear of rich finds
on Copper River, but do not know
how true the reports are. There are
several sick men on the trail. Two or
three have been sent home on account
of bad health. 1t is very hard on peo-
pie to lie down and sleep on the snow
and ice night after night and no way
of avoiding it. Our party all keep
we'll and are very anxious to reach the
timber where we can throw US up a
log cabin. We have been right be-
tween the mountains ever since we
landed-a long narrow strip of glacier,
80 miles IN length, beginning at the
beach and gradually rising higher and
higher until it finally reaches the top
of the high mountains. We are very
anxious to get to the top, where we
can get down hill pull on things.
| Yours, ETC.,
o. P. JONES.