68 ALEXANDER AGASSIZ 



passed in cutting ice to get at foundations, and the ex- 

 tra cost of securing the large pits is at least $10,000 

 per month simply to keep them from falling in. We 

 can only spend more money and get straight, and if we 

 stop we are swamped. I know it is a hard road to travel, 

 but I could see no other. We must raise money for 

 Calumet and make that get Hecla out right. It is pretty 

 hard to be in such a fix, but we must face the music, 

 though I must say I get fearfully blue up here at times 

 all by myself, and feel often like choking anybody who 

 crosses my path. 



Daylight is, I trust, coming ; as soon as this old mill 

 gets going we shall be 0. K., moving ahead as fast as 

 possible, but when anything is wanted must go to 

 Houghton and now a trip is a thing of two days. Snow 

 is going fast and I shall be glad of opening of naviga- 

 tion to get letters a little more regularly and quickly. I 

 would give a great deal to have two days' talk with you 

 about everything here. 



Yours, 



A. Ag. 



A few days later he writes : — 



"I wish you could manage to run up here for a few 

 days. It would be worth a hundred pages of letters. 

 You might bring Annie and Chicks up, for if I have 

 to stay here till close of navigation without budging as 

 things look now, I must try and arrange matters at the 

 hotel to have them here till close of navigation. I think 

 I can do it and it will not cost any more to live here 

 than at home if they stay till November or end of Oc- 

 tober. I shall write Annie about it so that she may be 

 ready to move at a moment's notice, but I don't want 



