The Daily state register. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1870-1872, 1871-05-21
AN ENGLIsHMAN IN ELKc.

AN ENGLlSHMAN IN ELkc.
\ work untitled Westward by Rail"
has been received from the publish
ing house of Appleton Il Co. 1t is
written by w. L. Rae, an Engli>hman,
and originally appeared i'll the form of
letters to the London Daily News.
| About one year and a half ago he ven
tured across the continent, II his
account of what he saw and heard
along the line of the Pacific Railroad
forms IL very readable chapter. We
take the following extract from Iae>
description Of the own of ElkO. and
of the Elko Independent newspaper.
We reciprocate the regrets Of the dis
tinguished traveller in his failure to
call at the office of that Journal. We
should have been glad to have met
him. and might have thrown a little
light on some of the mysteries which
bewildered his understanding of the
process by which Il newspaper could
be published SO far away from the
hub of the British Empire:
In the midst of the Humboldt plains
is the town of Eiko, at which the train
makes a long stoppage. This Is one
Ofthe mushroom towns which abound
to the west of the Rocky Mountains.
1t contains three thousand inhabitants.
What Sacramento and san Francisco
were twenty years ago. Elko is said to
be at the present 1t Is laid
out in streets, and these streets are
lined with shops and dwellings. As
names. Commercial street. Main street.
Railroad street sound we'll. while
First. Second. Third, Fourth and Fifth
streets convey the notion of an Amer
lean city of size and Importance. But
it is one thing 10 read of those streets,
and another and cry different thing
to walk upon them. They are Is much
entitled to the appellation OF streets rs
are the spaces between the booths of a
country fair. Nor are the shops.
houses and public offices at all more
imposing than the booths erected in a
night for the business of Il dav. The
thoroughfares are neither paved nor
macadamiSed. They are as primitive
in character As the pathways between
the tents on Wimbledon Common
when the volunteers are encannped
there. The foot passenger walks
among alkali. and rs he moves along
he raises Il cloud of dust which whitcns
and damages his clothes. and eNcori-
ateS his nO>trilS. over the fronts OF
shops constructed of wood, canvas or
a combination of both. are signs init
mating that everything the pedestrian
wants is to De had within. If he en-
tiers One of these pretentlOUS "stOrt>
he Will find thai with money, II
plenty of it. he has at his command
whatever he can desire. from a box OF
pills to 4 bottle of champagne, and
from a cigar TO a pot OF backing. On
the outside of >ome hutS is a board
with the Inscription that a LAWYER or a
doctor can be consulted within. one
ofthc<e houses hasthe>e words painted
above the door in large letters, ''Otfi,e
of the ElkO independently \ news
paper office in such a locality specially
attracts the attention of anyone to
whom newspaper offices are places of
personal interest. | regret that the
time at my disposal was insufficient TO
visit this home of journalism in what
was little better than ii wilderness. |
was fortunate enough, however. to
succeed in procuring a copy OF the
Eiko independent. 1t is published
twice a week; it is printed on good
paper; its leading articles are quite as
well written as those which grace the
columns of an English provincial
newspaper, while its advertisements
are fraught with instruction of Il new
and curious kind. That the price OF a
COPY should have been one shilling
surprised me less than the fact that
the journal was published at all, and
was supported by the small popula-
ton of this primitive town.
One of the advertisements was very
noteworthy. 1t was worded as fol
lows: ing Gen, Chinese Doctor, Sill
verstreet. between Fourth and Fifth,
EIko, will attend professionally to all
who nay require his services. Hav-
ing been engaged in a steady practice
for several Years, he is prepared 10
notice. This was not. as skeptical
readers may suppose. an advertising
trick. Chinese doctors are not ShaniS
here. but living realities, and in their
own Wav, useful members of society.
Not less curious than the advertise
ment OF the Chinese doctor, whose
.steadv practice for several years had
prepared him ''to cure all Diseases
was that of a firm of druggists. This
firm intimated not only tina it was
ready to supply all drugs and to pre-
had on hand "a large stock of paints,
oils. window glass. castor oil; also a
large assortment OF fishing lines and