The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-07-04
CAPE MONIES CHAOTIC STATE.

w. C. Kurtz, one of the two latest ar
rivals from Nome, says that city will
present strangely chaotic condition of
affairs to the great crowd now en- route
to the new diggings. ION approaching
the metropolis of the gold camp Kurtz
yesterday remarked, the fortune seek
ers will behold q long line of curious
looking cabins, the winter abodes of the
beach miners. One hundred and ten of
these huts string along the beach be-
tween Nome City and the mouth of
Cripple River, a distance of nine miles.
Each cabin has from four to eight oc-
cupants. Indeed, there is no limit to the
number of the crude places of habita-
ton They extend as as matter of fact
to the mouth of Shook River, more
than twenty-five miles.
THE huts were built of beach drift
wood logs driven in from the sea and
thrown upon the shore by the tides.
They are, owing to. the peculiar nature
of their structure, a comparatively
warm house. Between the logs they are
battened with mud, poles, rags and can
vas Dirt was thrown up almost shout
der high along the sides OF the cabin.
Then the snow comes, covering the en-
tire dwelling The occupants threw
water over the snow 1t froze very
quickly forming a snow and ice canvas
for the hut.
1T was in these cabins that the min
ers prosecuted their winter beach-min
ing operations. They would melt the
snow and ice, and with the water sluice
"a Ian ora a1 Gf tho win lIIp1
Nearly all who prosecuted these meth
DDS made wages and some got far more
handsome returns. In one cabin l saw
three men in two days rock three hun
dred and sixty dollars worth of gold
from a winter dump.
"It was not until February that the
winter operations on the beach began in
earnest, although a few continued to
work throughout the winter. February
witnessed the accession of several hum
dred beach miners. increasing the num-
Der to fifteen hundred or two thousand
when we left in March, The miners
had a twofold purpose in erecting their
cabins on the beach. They seem to la
Dor under the impression that to occu-
Ply the ground as place OF abode gives
them a better title or right to hold 1t for
mining purposes.
las regards the Nome rush, ] doubt
If five per cent. of the people bound for
the district have proper conception of
the difficulties they will encounter. 1t
is not SO much a question of the rich
ness of the country, for 1t has been pref
ty well demonstrated that there is gold
and in paying quantities all over that
section of Alaska. But the fortune
hunters troubles have only begun when
he lands on the beach at Nome. He
will find the country staked for miles
and miles back to the interior SO he
must either go beyond the staked area
Or buy property. In either instance he
must erect cabin on the property and
carry to it supplies and provisions with
which to develop the mine. Here he Will
find his greatest difficulty. The very
nature and topography of the country
make summer freighting in the Nome
district next to impossible. Transport
tation in that country must be done in
the winter. In summer the ground Is
soft and mucky. Horses sink to their
bodies in the muck and mire and scarce |
y navigate themselves, much less draw |
burdens.
aside from the beach operations
here was not much winter development |
1t Nome. Snow Gulch was the only no. |
able exception. From one claim on |
hat creek several men took out eighty |
thousand dollars worth of gold during |
he winter, They erected their cabin |
md sunk a hole and kept going down
hrough golden gravel. In fact. it APP |
'ears to have been all pay streak. At |
er they got down twelve feet they be-
IAN drifting, and found gold every
where as far out as they could reach.
The ground being hard frozen, drifting
vas carried on with comparatively lit
lie risk, despite the fact that the opera
ors bad nothing in the way of brace
imberS.
THE business outlook of Nome was
f1attering when Mr.. Smith