Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1898-07-06
B. N. w. T.,
WINDY ARM, Lake Tayish,
May 10, 1898.


about the size OF your Walkers pond,
which leads into Tayish lake. We camp
here because there is plenty Of timber
for boat building, etc.
We arrived April II, and the next day
began cutting our logs and building our
saw pit. In just one week we had sawed
eighty-nine boards or over 500 feet of
lumber, enough for three good boats.
We have our skiffs all ready to start for
the frozen North as soon as the ice leaves
the lakes, which will not be for at least
couple of weeks. Everybody tells us we
have the best shaped and the best built
boats that have been made here. We
made two for our outfit and small one
for running up rivers, prospecting, The
largest one is thirty-two feet long, one
twenty -eight feet and one eighteen feet.
The two larger ones are four feet wide at
the bottom and three feet deep.
We get no news Of any kind here, and
know nothing of what is going on in the
outside world. We heard there were ru
mors of war with Spain, and they may be
lighting now for all we know.
This is beautiful spot to camp, right
in the deep woods. 1t is daylight nearly
all the time; the only part Of the day it is
anything like dark is from II midnight
to a. m. AT a. m. it is broad daylight.
At II p. m. it is the same. There is no
time that one could not see to read a
paper by the nat ural light.
There is no snow to speak of within a
mile Of our camp, but back on the noun
tains snow is waist deep, and in places
fifty feet deep. Snow slides are frequent
and interesting to watch-from a dis
lance. Millions of tons of snow, ice and
rocks often come sliding down noun
tain with roar, and go for miles, carry
ing everything in the path, trees, rocks,
etc.
GAME AND GUM.
The timber consists of hemlock, spruce,
fir, pine, cotton wood, poplar and balm
of-gilead. There is plenty Of game here,
such as bear (black and brown, caribou,
moose, mountain sheep and kgrouse. |
have been so busy have not had chance
to hunt much, but l intend to do much of
it now while we are here. | went out one
day and got eleven grouse as large as our
common hen, and one mountain goat Cor
Sheep. | left camp at a. m. and was
back at 80 a. m, in time for breakfast.
The sheep was fat; all said it would
| weigh 125 pounds dressed, but it is about
all it is worth to go for them. l think
/ must have climbed all of one and one half
miles up steep mountain, SO steep in
some places | could barely get a foot hold.
/ Shot him with my rifle NJ gave me,
and tell you it is ''dandy". l have
never missed thing | aimed at with it.
| That sheep WAS ali of onefourth mile
away, and think he never kicked after |
4 fired but tumblcd down the mountain to
the lake. | can pick grouse's head off
every time with it.
! would like to mount Sleeps head if
| | could do it here; they have beautiful
| horns, curling almost twice around. l
want to meet nice, big black bear next
time go out. | want some bear meat
and skin. We have plenty of fresh
was fine after having nothing but bacon
| for about three months.
Birds are plentiful and such beautiful
ohes-none of which | ever saw before.
They sing night and day. Flowers are
springing up i'll he woods, but none such
as we have east. There is a pretty blue
flower which grows in profusion in the
woods in clusters of six or eight and is
shaped like pond lily. 1t is very beau
tiful.
Talk about spruce gum! Well, you
never saw anything like it. went out a
little while last Sunday and picked
pounds of it. 1t hangs on the trees in
Jumps varying in size from pea to a
hens egg and as clear as crystal. The
slightest touch breaks them off. You
shall all have chew of Alaska spruce
gum when get home, if nothing more.
DoMEsTIcATED.
| have done a good deal of washing
since we have been here. l had dun
mage bag full of soiled clothes; we had no
chance to do much in laundering on the
trail. Now l am "dandy" at washing
and mending, but please don't give this
away to my good wife.
have done no cooking, am the boss
Mr.. Prim is captain Of the partyl, so
get out OF that, but the rest OF the boys
are good cooks and give them week e
turn at it. We have enough OF every
thing and have had to buy nothing. One
can buy small pig for -, but do not
know how good it is. We have plenty OF
flour, bacon, beans, corn meal, rolled oats
rice, split peas, dried apples, prunes, APP
ricots, figs, etc, etc, besides sugar, tea
and coffee.
Such eating! l never ate so much II
my life. 1t is nothing for me to eat s
large loaf of bread, four or five large slices
of bacon, beans, sauce, ETC., for one meal
l doubt if you would know me, am fat
healthy, beard grown long, and tanned al
black as ''nigger', and twice as dirty
can't seem to help it. DON'T worry about
me; l am all right. Tell my friends ! an
as fat as pig, and as full of Klondike al