Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-05-19
DR.. HALEY Training Down.
SINCE GOING TO ALASKA HE CAN
SCARCELY CAST A SHADOW
he Is 30 THIN.
The Doctor Says Charlie Dobyns Pulled
Up Stakes and Left For Home
Others Are Doing the
Same-Halley Will
Tough It Out.

Through the kindness OF W. o.
Powell, of Benton City, the LEDGER
ls enabled to give its readers the fol-
interesting letter from DIR. j..
]. HALEY, now in British Columbia, to
A. F. Romans and others of the Doc
friends in this vicinity:
LAKE LINDERMAN, B. O., April o.
A. F. ROMANS AND THE REST OF THE
BOYS: never get any letters, but /
thought / would write you anyway.
are now located at Lake Under
man, at the head of navigation. Part
of our goods are down on Lake Ben
nett, ten miles below here. We cut
our logs to make our boats about three
miles above this lake. We want to
haul our lumber down on Lake Bennett
to make our boats, If we can saw IL
before the lake gets too soft. Two
men can saw out about 100 feet of
plank a day with the whip saw and it
will take about 800 feet to make our
boat. We will not get out of here
before the last of May or the first of
June.
There will be from 5000 to 5000
boats 60 down the river when the ice
breaks up. We will look like an army
hunting for new worlds to conquer.
We have been here about two weeks
and we are II miles from the Chilkoot
Pass. This is the first camping ground
this side of the summit.
When we crossed the pass there
was enough eatables on top OF the
summit to feed Audrain county IS
months and o coming up on the
other side. All those. goods had to be
hauled down on sleds by men and a
few dogs. There would be from four
to FIVE thousand start from here each
morning for the goods and they would
average $50 to 400 pounds to the man;
SO you know they would haul 1t pretty
fast.
There are four out of five men on
this route who say If they were at
home they would stay there. You
know I wanted to get out and lose
some of my flesh and get some exper-
fence. So you can tell the people that
1 am losing the flesh and getting plenty
of experience. / think in another
three months can wear John Barker's
pants and have room to spare. Ihave
been on this trail about 45 days and
/ have lost at least 80 pounds and al
that rate in 100 more days I think ]
will be trained down for a horse race
Charlie Dobyns has sold his outfit
pulled up stakes and left for home
When he knew any of us we're writing
home he would tell US to tell the PEG.
pie for Gods sake not to come to thil
country, and I am thinking like Dobyn!
now myself.
Tom Moore told me to tell you al
that he thought a man was some kline
of big fool for leaving civilization
and coming to this country. 1 can say
that l am glad I am here and I an
going through.
Imet. a number of men on the rout,
who made the trip to California in ~
and up to '53 and have been in ever!
gold rush since, and they say all tn,
rest combined r not equal to this.
talked with one old miner and b,
said this rush was the greatest calam
| ity that has struck the United State
since the civil war. You can wall
around where the tents are thick an,
you don't 60 far before you Q
notice of an outfit for sale-going bacl
| home.
There will be 20 or % per cent of tn
Purcell crowd that will turn bael
before they get there. I have as goo
opinion of the gold regions as / di'
when I left home and l believe If
man will go in there and stick to it h
will come out all right, but it is al
bosh about the $15 per day wages
There are men here on this trail VIII
have come out from Dawson City t
pull freight. They came 600 miles TO
the job and / am certain they did no
quit any $15 a day job to come OF
here to make a horse of themselves
The crowd il not coming in here nov
in such a rush.
Tom Moore and 1 have had sor
throat and been off our feed for a fe,
days. Edgar Douglass is the only on
in our crowd VINO is any good. Las
week Tom Moore went with him T.
the summit after our goods and
knocked him out; the next day Irv
Holman would 60 and it would knoc
him out, and I would try it. Edga
Douglass is always ready to go and
never hurts him the least. He |
always ready to eat or work.
Idon't think there is any card play
ing going on this side of the summit
They have not enough energy to play
Write soon and give all the new
Write to Lake Bennett, B. O., care G
Dyea Trail. I send this out by Nj
Motley, who is going home.
Yours Truly,
j. J. HALEY.