Beschreibung:

Title: Autograph Letter Signed by American metallurgist J.C. Nicholls describing assaying work in Korea at time of Russo-Japanese War, with original photographs Author: Nicholls, J.C. Place: Kuk San Dong, Korea Publisher: Date: May 4, 1904 Description: 5 pages, on rectos of 5 sheets of thin paper 25.3x20.3 cm. (10x8”). Plus 6 original silver photographs of Korean people, etc., with ink captions on versos, 5 are 9.5x11.5 cm. (3½x4½”), the other a bit smaller. Original envelope, stamp removed but postmarks present and red seal with Korean characters. Very interesting letter from an American metallurgist working for the Oriental Consolidate Mining Company, based in New York with extensive operations in Korea. J.C. Nicholls writes to a Mr. R.L. Oliver in Oakland California, with the letter then forwarded to New York. He describes in some technical detail his work and the operations of the company (“…I have been doing assaying nearly all the time… For nearly a year I was at one of the company’s camps called Chittabalbie… While there I did assaying for two stamp mills and three mines and also attended to bullion work… Also, I have to reduce the zinc slimes from the cyanide plant… The company has five mills at present with 200 stamps in all…”), and then turns to the Russo-Japanese War, which had commenced some three months earlier, and of which the Korean peninsula was a focal point: “At present there are about forty white men on the concession. At this place there are six. A few months ago there were several American women here but at the outbreak of the war between Japan and Russia all left the concession and most of them returned to America. So far we have not seen much of the movement of either the Japanese or the Russian armies… About 200 Russians were at Anju scouting but the Japanese arrived and they retired to Wiju… Later however the Japanese moved their lines forward until it included this concession and a pass from the Japanese officer was necessary in order to travel between camps. About 10,000 Japanese passed through Mai Bong on their way to Wiju. They had field guns and well built pontoons in sections. The seem to have gotten most of their forces up to the Yalu… Both the Russians and the Japanese who have come in contact with the Americans on the concessions have been very respectful and seem to desire the good will of America…” The photographs are captioned “River Boat”; “Shoeing a Donkey”; “Devil House”; “Korean Bull Carts”; “Korean Women”; and “Korean Woman.” Lot Amendments Condition: Last page of letter with some darkening and wear at folds; a few photographs with slight silvering in emulsion; very good or better. Item number: 225253