On Sunday (17th) I went to S.S., got acquainted with Mr. Couch & some others of Gate City. At 1:00 we went on over to Hoquiam. There we found out that Tom was working on the Elk River for Lidle in their logging camp. We got a job there to work in M C’s logging camp for $2.25 a day.
Jesse doesn’t say if Cousin Tom Allen is the person who sent the letter bidding the Bench Brothers to go to Hoquaim, but maybe it was. It isn’t clear if they actually saw Tom when they arrived at Hoquaim.
Hiram Clifford Couch is 30 years old and was born in Washington. Although he isn’t easily found in the 1900 federal census, his parents Ebenezer and Mary Couch as well as his siblings are living in the area.
According to the inflation calculator, $2.25 a day in 1901 has the same buying power as $66.91 in 2019.
