Letter from C. A. Earle Rinker to his mother, July 2, 1908

M.J. MONNETTE, PRESIDENT R..J. SHOEMAKER, SECRETARY THOS. H. CONDON, VICE-PRESIDENT LINCOLN DAVIS, TREASURER MOHAWK LEDGE MINING COMPANY GOLDFIELD, NEVADA July 2, 1908 Dear Mother:- Your letter No. 11 af the 28th just recd. Now that is the limit for you to go out in the field and work. I was sorry to hear that for you have no business out there at all. I am glad that you are feeling as well as you are though. That heavy work won't make you feel any better and you had better let it go undone. No I did not get to see the eclipse. Did not know anything about it until the whole thing was over. In fact it was the next day and I read of it in the paper. Hope you and Daddy will go to that picnic. It would do you both good. The Baby is still alive but the devil only knows how long it will be. They are making arrangments now to put in machine drills and go through in a hurry. They are not shipping any now but the prospects look pretty good. I may come home on a special yet. I worked two shifts yesterday pulling water at the Ledge. I run the engine part of the time and let the engineer do my work. We took turn about and rested each other. Commmenced work at seven in the morning and worked until 11:00 last night. If they start up there again I am going to try and get a job on the hoist. We pulled 260 buckets yesterday. Had a little trouble too. There is a business called the crosshead which I have explained to you before, that goes up and down the shaft with the bucket and is also used to carry men on. This business got out of the track that it runs on at each side of the shaft and I had to go down and put it on again. We had been pulling water all day and the falling water had got a circulation in the shaft and the air was good. I took the new Karns down with me to hold candles while I worked. The water was running down the shaft clear from the top where it had spilled out of the bucket on to the timbers. It was just like being in a water spout. Karns thought it was something fierce. We had to make two trips. The first time we got stuck a little below the 300 foot level and went back to the top. Then we tried it again and went clear through to the bottom, 500 foot level. Wish Daddy could have been here to go down with me. I think he would like it after the first trip. There is something exciting about it that I like. We had slickers (water proof over coats) and hip gum boots so we did not get wet. I have had a little extra work here in the office today. John started to work on the mill again Monday and Tuesday I helped Myrta and Cary move. Carl is papering the house today. Carl was 30 years old last Tuesday. It is hotter than the dickens here today. Say if the Baby makes good and they put on more men I will be in line for a job. If it don't I will come home if nothing opens up in the next few days. I want to see Calif and take the boat up to Seattle from Frisco and then over the Canadian Pacific to home from Seatle. We are all well. Hope you are all O.K. Earle