Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1899-08-10
FAR OFF ALASKA.
Frank Brady Writes Much of In
terest of Life in the Land
of the Midnight Sun.
is NOT GETTING RICH
But Hopes to Bring Out Big
Stake Before His Return
Home in 1900.

DEAR FRIEND FRANK:-I am just in
receipt of your kind letter dated on
February II, and hasten to reply. Fer
the letter 1 will first thank you most
heartily, as yours is the first answer that
[ have received to at least half dozen
letters written to friends that I left be-
hind me in Langdon and had begun TO
think that none of the boys cared to
hear from me, or else didn't care to go to
the trouble of writing back. Yes, this
was the first letter that I have received
from the outside world since coming in
here over two years ago, and can tell
you there was joy in the camp when it
reached me. In fact it seemed to be one
of the greatest treats that I have had in
many long year. There is no one here
abouts that used to know back in the
States and the nearest that I have come
to meeting old friends was way back in
August, when party of five hailing
from Grand Forks passed through here.
I thought then that I would surely see
at least one familiar face, but they turn
ed out to be all strangers to me and I
did not even learn their names. In re-
gard to the Klondike and it yellow
metal that you ask me about will try
and tell you in as few words as possible.
1t is first of all a very hard proposition
and have just passed through one OF the
severest and hardest winters that [ ever
saw. The first snow fell on September
18th, and by the Goth the river was fro
zen oyer and winter set in around us in
dead earnest and continued in all it's Sc
verify until the first week in May. Tt
was May Oath when the ice COM
menced to move, causing an immense
amount of damage to river boats, three
of which wiltered here, but now lay
in the bottom of the river total
wrecks. At the time the river broke up
the ice was eleven feet thick, but on the
27th of March, at the time I took the
contract from the North American Min
ing Co., to cut hole through the ice on
the Youkon river it was 13feet AZ inches
thick. This may sound ishy to you
North Dakota people, but there are hun
dreds of good reliable men here to prove
that my statement is correct, and it is an
actual fact that there is plenty of ice all
the way from six to eight feet in thick
ness laying along the banks of the river
right now in the middle of June. Old
timers claim that this has been the cold.
est winter they have known for upwards
of ten years and the temperature for the
months of November to March showed
an average of 421a degrees below zero
A North Dakota blizzard is nothing more
than a sumner breeze compared with
what an Alaskan storm is like. Not only
have we the cold to contend with, but
three solid months of darkness when all
all work is done by candle slight, which
of itself is a strange experience TO anyone
who has been used to light and sunshine
to greater or less extent during every
day in the year. 1t was on STEP atrick's
Day,-March 18th when Old Sol first
peeped over the great mountains of the
Youkon after having been in hiding since
December II. The sight gladdened the
hearts of about 5000 miners who saluted