Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1917-08-08
LETTER FROM BLuEH1LL BOY.

LETTER FROM BLUEHILL BOY.
Friends in Bluehill will be pleased to
learn Of the whereabouts and work OF q
former Blnehill boy, Fred o. Hardin, now
employed as . civil engineer on q new
railroad to Alaskan gold fields. In letter
to his brother, William H. Hardin, now
in the office OF Cross Bros, granite, at
Northfield, VT, forwarded to THE AMER
ICAN, he writes:
KrrsAuLr RIvER, NORTHERN B. g. July 4.lsI7.
Dear Brother:
/ believe I last wrote you from Copper
Mountain some time ago, along in the winter.
expected to be there at least all this sum-
mer, and maybe longer, but circumstances
over which we have no CONTROL make it
necessary for that company to close its mine
down to q very small scale.
was not idle very long, however. was
home only two days when party called me
up and wanted me to go out on some railroad
work for them. had to turn the job down,
as they wanted me to 60 out the next morn
Ing. was not in position to do that.
A few days later the Taylor Engineering
Co. Of Vancouver called me up and wanted
me to 20 out for them They offered me o
fairly good thing, SO took them up, and the
result is that am away up here in Northern
British Columbia, only dozen miles from
| the Alaska border, and am working my way
toward the border every day. We are on an
eighteen mile piece of railroad construction
which, when completed, will be line from
the tide water at Alice Arm to the Dolly Var
den mine. Right now am twelve miles up
the line in tent, my Office chair is my bunk,
and the machine Is horsed upon O Black Strap
molasses box.
Evening Of July ST. did not get chance to
finish your letter last evening. The chief
called me up from town. SO had to quit and
| talk with him, and by the time was through
1t was too dark for me to do any more writ
ing. We have no lamps in this camp, SO have
to quit writing or reading when the darkness
comes on.
| 1t is now day later, tie 9Th, and il moth
| ing comes up think will be able to finish
your letter to- night and will send it out tor
morrow with one of the boys who is going to
town. l Just got started last evening when
| the chief came in from town, and Of course
| had to quit writing ana talk TO him OF the
work, so did net do any more on your letter
We are going to move camp again the FIRST
| Of the week, and will be IN better quarters in
| the next place; our next camp VII! pc al
Miners Greek.
We are having considerable rain up here
and it makes the work in the woods and
through the brush very bad. 1t is raining
| hard now and will mean wet cloth tomorrow
night. Such is the life of the engineer. SO we
| try to make ourselves believe that we don't
mind it, and keep right on going all the time
We expec. to have this piece of work I'm
| ished by the time inter- sets in. II we don't,
| it's q cinch that it won't get finished until
next summer. Winter comes to this part OF
| the country quite early, and it comes to stay.
/ wrote to Uncle Brooks few days ago.
have not heard from him for some time.
Guess he is waiting for me to answer his
last letter, suppo ~ you are quite busy
| this season, and are at it every day. How
| is Atwood standing the wear and tear OF
life. He must be q big boy now, and into
| all kinds OF mischief. Tell him that I saw
| big bear and two baby bears few days
ago, but was unable to catch one for him.
They scrambled off into the woods too
quickly, and the old bear did not seem to
be very friendly, SO l did not attempt to
follow. The bear are very plentiful around
here, all blacks down this way, but we will
soon be in the country of the grizzlys, when
| we get to a higher elevation.
suppose the East is all worked up over
the war now, and great excitement is pre-
vailing all through the country. | was read
ing magazine article few days ago regard
ing the shipbuiding on the Maine coast. 1t
certainly must be a change for some of those
old towns to be awake again after such a long
sleep. Bath must be lively place now, as
well as few other places along the coast. l
suppose all the farmers are busy with their
haying now, and the clatter of the moving
machine can be heard from all directions.
With love and best wishes to all,