Letters to other family members

                         Cambridge, Mass.

                                           May 4th, 1899

My dear Ones:

     If the telegram I sent you this morning did not surprise you very much indeed then it will be my turn to be surprised.  As I wrote to Prof. Emerson on receiving his letter inviting me to go on the trip "it was the surprise of my life."  But meanwhile I forget that you know nothing of the wherefor or how of the proposed trip.  Thus it is:  A wealthy New Yorker, Mr. Harriman is taking a party of his friends to Alaska for a summer excursion, has chartered a steamer and has invited as his guests about a dozen scientists.  Of these Prof. Emerson of Amherst is one and being asked to take a younger man along as his assistant he invited me.  The others of whom I know so far are G.K. Gilbert and W.H. Dall of the U.S.G.S., Merriam, Chief Gov. Zoologist, two prominent botanists, and possibly Pres. Jordan and John Muir.  So you see the party will not lack of good company.  It is the intention to go from Seattle, to which place we go from N.Y. by private car.  We sail on May 28th, I believe although I am as yet but poorly informed as to the details of the trip.  The trip will be the regular one up the coast by the inside passage as far north as Cooke's inlet and St. Paul.  It is planned to be gone from Seattle 60 days which should bring me back here by the second week in August.  There is no trouble in my getting away on May 20th, as the work is over for the year on the 30th and as my lectures are finished already practically Eakle and Dr. Wolff can easily tend to the lab. work.

     Of course the chief obstacle to my going was my marriage which we had planned for the 21st June but as soon as Helen heard of the chance that was opened to me she said of course we would wait and let me avail of such a unique opportunity.  Nevertheless I did and do feel still much hesitation in  breaking up our summer's plans; but it seems too good a chance to let go by, and as I shall be back before the vacation is more than half over and it will still be possible to be married in August, it seemed best to accept.  I have asked several of my own and Helen's friends how it appeared to them and there was only one opinion that I should go.  I feel that I can anticipate what your answer to my telegram will be, based as it is on such meagre information.  Of course I have no time to wait for letter exchanges but did not wish to accept absolutely until I had heard from you at home.  My answer must be given tomorrow at latest.

     Another thing that my going involves is that I cannot be at Leslie Ransome's wedding as I had promised.  That is a pity but still as it seems to me no reason why I should not go.

     I shall write again and more fully as soon as I know more details.  Meanwhile with much love to one and all I am as ever your devoted,

                                          Charlie.

     Thanks for your telegram just received.  Helen joins me in much love.

                                           C.P.

                                           Sunday May 21, 1899

My dear Father and Mother:

     Your loving letters of last Sunday came to me duly and I was glad to have word from you again before leaving.  I see that I counted aright on your approval of my plans and recognized as I knew you must the impossibility of including Helen in the trip in any way.  I really begin to feel now that I am going away—my trunk is packed and gone to the station and tonight I take the midnight train for N.Y.  Monday I shall spend with Mr. Bishop's man, Dr. Lilley, in finishing up my work for him and on Tuesday afternoon at 2 P.M. our special train (if you please) starts westward.  It may be of interest to you to see just what correspondence I have had concerning the trip so I send you the letters I received which please preserve.  [These seem to have been lost.]  I hear that Keeler and Ritter are to be of the party which will be good news if true.

     I go away from Cambridge with the feeling that my year's work has been fairly well done and with the satisfaction of knowing that my salary next year is to be $1500, the highest that I expected.  This information is not yet official but came privately from the President through Prof Wolff so it is certain.  So now I can advance with my summer plans without the feeling of uncertainty that until now has hung over me. 

     The ladies plans for summer are fairly settled.  Miss Jeanette will be in Newport as she has been for several years, as companion to a Mrs. Bullard of Boston.  Helen will stay in or near Cambridge through July, either with her friend Miss Bûcher or in their own house with her sister Mrs. Kavanaugh who may come for a visit with her two children before the wedding.  Helen says she will find lots to occupy and amuse her in getting things ready for the house such as curtains and linen and then her own dresses.  There is a double advantage in this in that prices on all sorts of goods go down in the summer and Helen counts on much fun in shopping and bargaining!!

     Father the Borrow only cost me 4.50 at the cooperative.  Your V therefore so nearly covers the two books you sent for that you need not bother about the difference.

     All our sunshine has turned to rain and the last few days have been cold overcast and dreary.  This morning is the same, heavy showers falling at intervals.  We should be glad of the sun again.  Still the moisture is needed for the spring as a whole has been dry and crops are suffering for water.  it seems a pity to leave Cambridge just now when it is at the height of its spring verdure and beauty.  But I look forward to crossing the plains in the spring of the year—always before I have seen them dry and bare.  I do not know our route beyond the New York Central line—I guess the Union Pacific and then Oregon Short Line but perhaps it will be a northern route.

     The Jaggars will probably give up their apartments in Cambridge next year and go into Boston.  Tom will therefore wish to keep the Perkins room and will take the book cases etc. off my hands so I can have new ones made to fit the places in the "Room" as Helen calls our house that is to be.

     I am cold and stiff and will break off this rather incoherent letter to go and get some breakfast—my last meal in Memorial by the way unless the unforseen happens.  I expect you will say to that last however that lately it has been the unforeseen that happened with alarming regularity and to that I must give my assent.

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                                           11 P.M.

     Only time to say goodnight.  With much love

                                          Charlie.

                                           New York—May 23rd 1899.

My dear Ones:

     This must be but a hurried note to say good-bye.  I begin to feel at last as if I were going to make a journey, the excitement of the last preparations and the saying of farewells to dear friends having brought it home at last.  I left Helen Sunday night with a brave smile on her face but I know there were tears behind in both our hearts and it was far from easy to go.  I had a short call on Mrs. Almy Sunday and she paid Helen a well deserved tribute of praise.  "There are doubtless other girls who would have said 'go'.  But I know of no others who having said so would not indicate by word, look or deed to any living being that she was otherwise than wholly content—or that the giving up of her dearest plans was other than a pleasure".  Such or nearly so were her words and the truth of them was absolute.

     I have had the satisfaction of finding Mr. Lilley well content with my work on the jade; and also Mr. Kunz.  The latter had written most of the material which I rewrote and arranged and I feared he might feel I had taken undue liberties with his material.  But he expressed instead lively satisfaction that I had produced so much order out of his chaos.  I received $150.00 on account of this work and expect another hundred when it is all complete.  This is my wedding present to Helen and she says it will all go into things that we can enjoy together in the house and some of which she hopes to get while I am gone.

     Kunz is the gem expert for Tiffany and Co. and he showed me some of the glorious stones which fill their safes yesterday P.M.  Oddly enough too the head of the house came in while I was there to whom I was introduced.  The atmosphere of money about the place was not unfitting as a preparation to my luxurious journey.

     Helen said Sunday eve as I was helping her wash up the tea things "This is a funny contrast to your special train."  Still more in contrast perhaps is the fact that last time I went west 2nd class!!  Father you should have seen Mr McGinnis eyes pop open as I told him where and how I was going to travel and of the men in whose company and employment I was in New York.

     I dined with Lilley and Kunz in pleasant style at the St Denis and spent the evening at the latter's house discussing the jade article. 

     I must try to write no more for the present.  I rather count on finding letters from you in Seattle.  My further address so far as I now know will be Sitka, Alaska care Harriman Al. Exp.  I will advise you further when I can.  For now farewell with many messages of love to one and all from your devoted

                                          Charlie

                                          Seattle, July 30th 1899

My dear Ones:

     As my telegram will have already told you we reached here safely early this morning.  I believe I was the first to get ashore, going with Curtis to seek the mail that should await me at his office.  And sure enough there it was—your unfailing wekly letters father, and greetings from Mother, Lizzie, Whit and Mary.  My Cambridge packet did not reach me till several hours later but its news was good like that from you all and I was greatly cheered by it all.  The greatest news of course is that from Edgefield and I must send my first and warmest love to the new Helen.  But how shall I manage to answer all my two months letters in so short a space.  I must have time to get things in order and connect them with my own existence which has been so cut off from the rest of the world. 

Well the great trip is over a grand success from first to last.  The ship carried out the plan which I wrote you from Kodiak.  But I was not aboard of her most of the time she was north.  I had a chance to camp on the mainland of the Alaska Peninsula which I seized in 15 minutes notice and was in camp from the 8th to the 18th July, having time to work out a fairly complete study of a region of rocks not before found in Alaska so I felt that I was well repaid for the loss of the interesting trip to the gates of the Arctic Ocean. 

     I cannot give you the details of the trip now.  I kept a journal which has already gone to Cambridge and shall return to you in due course.  Suffice to say that our luck and good weather lasted all the way back—we had superb views of the St Elias and Fairweather Mts. last Sunday and Monday, returned by the inside passage as we went and tied up to the wharf in Seattle this morning with 3 tons of coal left in the hold.

     I wish I could tell what our plans are from here on, or say that I was coming to Berkeley.  But no one knows what we are to do.  Not till we reach Portland tomorrow can I tell for only then will Harriman know.  We may go there in the steamer and our train will probably return over the route by which we came.  But all is uncertain.  Of course you will understand that I do not feel justified in the expense of leaving the expedition, for a visit with you would have to be limited to 2 or 3 days at best since Helen is anxious that we be married not later than the 15th and I am hardly less anxious.  As soon as I know positively however I shall let you know.  I have telegraphed Helen I will be in C. not later than the 10th and she is to set the date and make final arrangements.

     I have been splendidly well from start to finish— have done much more than I hoped to be able to do and have had a trip of a lifetime.  I must send this off to catch an evening mail so will close with warmest love to each and every one from your devoted

                                          Charlie

                                          Portland, Aug. 1st

My dear Mother:

     In my hasty note of Sunday I did not have opportunity to answer your birthday letter nor to send you special greetings.  I wish to thank you especially for the lovely and useful wedding gift you have chosen for Helen.  I am sure nothing could keep you more constantly and more lovingly in our minds than such a gift which shall be in constant use and to me especially it will ever recall our lovely days together in Dresden should my memory ever need a reminder.  When Helen's last letter to me was written it had not yet arrived and she was in high expectations. 

     I hardly know what I should do amid the many plans that present themselves to me as we approach Portland.  The plan for Whit and Mary to go on to the wedding fairly takes my breath away and I naturally wish more than ever that I might come to you and then make the journey with them.  Even as I write I do not know what I shall do.  We are going up the Columbia and are to reach Portland at about 6 this evening.  Then I hope to find  out if I am to have the chance of seeing you.  I fear not for I do not feel it would be right for me to leave the excursion and incur the large expense of the trip across.  I hope the setting of the date of the wedding will not prevent Whit and Mary coming.  As far as I know the reason for choosing that date was the fact that the closing of the Summer School on that day would be the signal for the departure from Cambridge of a number of those who had before been asked to assist at the wedding and they could hardly be asked to wait longer than was absolutely necessary to insure my being there.

     I fear I shall be able to give you but a poor account of the money you sent me to make purchases for you.  I kept waiting in hopes of finding better opportunity to buy things and then lost the best of them by not going north.  Such baskets as I saw in Sitka—and they are almost the only things worth buying—were ugly and expensive.  Furs I was most uncertain about.  At first I resolved to get none atall and then on second thought it seemed to me they were very characteristic tho' my ignorance of their value made it a poor business for me to go into.  I got two bear skins—of which I send you the smaller.  I hope it is something which you can make someuse of tho' I have my fears.  It is a cub Kodiak bear and I suppose you could get one as cheap or cheaper in S.F.  The other things seem hardly worth sending—the two little berry baskets I found in Sitka—the curious bag or pocket of the seal intestine is characteristic Aleut work but was bought in a store—the bead covered bottle which was thrown in with something else in bargaining is a sample of the sort of work of which the Sitkan Indians do much, especially bead embroidery on moccasins etc. all hideous.  In the package you will find Father's book—Life of Borrow which I have read with much interest altho' it was not so good as I as first expected.

     For myself I have little more than I sent you.  Two or three curious Indian pipes—baskets similar to the ones I send and a pair of paddles for a canoe.  The one thing of value is a pair of old carved silver earrings very curious Indian work—a present from the Lieut. Emmons I met at Sitka.  I found no jade for Mr. Bishop, missing the only chance by not going to the Bering Sea where also all the people purchased many curious things from the Esquimo and to Unalaska where are found the really beautiful Indian baskets.

                                          Portland 7 P.M.

     We are here and I close in haste to send this note tonight.  The package of things is sent by Wells Fargo to Berkeley.

     Good bye with much love

                                          Charlie