Jensen, Utah, Dec. 28, 1909

Dr. Wm. J. Holland

Pittsburg Pa.



My dear Dr. Holland:

I am succeeding in getting nearly everything to come my way. I know of but one serious need now and I feel quite sure I can manage to get that soon.

We are having extremely cold weather here now. I do not think that the thermometer gets up to zero except in sheltered sunshine. It has been as low as -34 Fahr. We cannot very well work around bones with paste and plaster as it freezes immediately, but we can go on with the excavating and sinking down nearly as well as ever if we can get giant powder. The rock is so hard in places that it is useless to try to do much without it. We still have some and I hope by the time we are out we can get some more. They do not keep it in stock anywhere here -- I understand they are not allowed to have more than 25 lbs at a time in Vernal.

I have secured 1400 feet more of lumber and we have about 3500 lbs of plaster.

I can borrow the chain-block at the dredge and with that we can lift any block we will get out.

I have let the boys lay off during the holidays so none but I are working this week. We think we have things now, if we can get powder, so we can make things hum and keep humming when the boys return. We have lost little or no time but there has been so much unavoidable preliminary work.

I do not suppose that you will venture out this weather. I never spent a winter in Utah and suppose this is exceptional. I have not seen such steady cold since I was young, but as I said we do not suffer. It is still and we could not find a better place to work. We may have better weather in Jan. I cannot tell. They say there is usually a Jan. thaw. Then it begins to warm up in Feb.

Is might be best to have Stewart look up the dynamite problem. I think we will need over 100 lbs before spring. If it cannot be sent by express you can probably do little at that end. But I feel quite sure I can manage it here.



Yours sincerely,

Earl Douglass