The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-07-15
STAYED 8 DAYS IN NONE
and RE- TURNED IN DISGUST
Robert Francis, of Stateline, Utah, Arrives From
the Boosted Alaskan Gold Fields.
Tells Hard Story of Deception. Crime, HardShpS and Cen
eral Suffering in the Frozen North

The first man to return from Cape
Nome to Utah arrived in this city yes
terday in the person of Robert Francis
of Stateline. Mr.. Francis stayed in
Nome for eight days, but during that
period he saw enough to convince him
that the Amethyst mine, in which he
is interested in Southern Utah, is a
better proposition than any that he
could encounter in the Cape Nome re-
gion. During the time that he was in
Alaska he went over the situation care
fully and the story that he brings back
with him will make those Salt Lakers
who backed out of going at the last
moment pat each other on the back and
exchange mutual congratulations.
Smallpox, fever, no work, idle hands
and disappointed argonauts is the story
IN condensed form. with coal at SIS a
ton. cut of steak at 50, water that
causes a mans mouth to break out
INTO sores and bed upon the damp
ground under canvas as incidentals.
Robert Francis is no cOld-foot miner.
He is we'll known in this state as being
a man of conservative ideas and not
given to romancing and what he says
will carry weight. When seen at the
White House yesterday he said:
Not half that you now see in the pa
pers regarding the affairs at Cape
Nome is what there is to tell of con-
ditiOns there. 1 left Salt Lake for Sc
attic on June 70 sail for Nome five
days later on the San Juan After
spending eight days there l returned
in the same boat on June 30. I proba-
bly, left the place a little sooner than I
should otherwise have done on ac-
count of the rumor that Nome would
he
Diseases We're Prevalent.
When 1 left there were thirteen
cases of smallpox and twenty-five of
typhoid in the camp, with every indica-
ton or the number being doubled in a
rev days. There were hundreds of
men upon the beach broke with abso-
lutely not cent in the world and no
present prospect of their getting any
work, and just before we sailed for
home fully. 15O of them begged with
tears in their eyes to be allowed to
work their passage home. These fell
lows were left behind and what is to
become of them do not know.
1t was surprising TO see the men
that fiocked to Nome and We're still ar
irving daily off the boats. They COM
prised individuals from every walk OF
life, many of them never having done
lives. Then, too, the criminal element
was well represented with gamblers.
piekpockets and every branch of sure
thing propositions. During the time
that / was there there were seven men
shot over saloon and claim jumping
rows"
Labor Is Cheap.
Mr.. Francis was among the first to
get to Nome this spring from the Unit
ed States, and in speaking of the rapid
drop in prices of labor he stated that
when he got there teams were in de-
mand at the rate of SO an hour, while
longShOremen and carpenters were re-
specuvely getting 81 and $3.50 for the
same period. Three days later teams
dropped to $3.50 and the two classes of
labor were commanding a dollar an
hour each Meals, however, continued
TO keep up in price, with ham and eggs
at 81 and steak at SO. When he left he
said that there was estimated to be in
the neighbOrhood of 10000 men on the
ground This population slept upder
canvas and drank from seven-foot
wells the water from which was Shiny
and offensive to taste and knocked the
incautiOus drinker over quicker than
Valley Tan" The sanitary conditions
there he said were something frightful.
especially around the numerous canvas
saloons. Coming down to the mining
outlook, Mr.. Francis said:
Country Taken Up.
IF man thinks he is going in there
to start right away and dig gold he
will find himself grievOusly mistaken.
The whole country from Port Safety to
Cape York, a distance of eighty miles.
has been taken up as far as ten miles
inland right along that coast and stalk
ed OF just like streets. On the famous
beach the rockers there do not average
more than dollar a day and the gold
is so fine that 1t has to be gathered
with the aid Of quicksilver
The tundra lands inland are practic-
ally worthless. for they all have TO be
thawed out with coal at S75 a ton. This
is impossible for the average man. This
staple fuel at Nome consists of drift
wood that is piled up on the beach.
but it is so old that when it burns il
throws off no heat to speak of. Then.
too, the tundra lands are handicapped
from the fact that there is no water
there, nevertheless this district is all