Amador ledger., 1900-10-26
Something About Nome.

April 30, 1900, Dan J. Murphy of this
place and Jack Shaw of Calaveras
county, left San Francisco for Nome,
Alaska. The vessel on which they
took passage was delayed three weeks
at Dutch Harbor, and they did not ar
rive at their destination until June 9th.
The delay was caused by ice, which
hemmed in the ship and took it adrift.
There appeared to be no great danger
and all on board enjoyed themselves
with music, dancing and social games
as best they could during the tedious
delay. AT Dutch Harbor Mr.. Murphy
met up, as they say in the South,
with former resident OF Nome who
had left his partner in charge of a
house and lot there. He gave Messrs.
Murphy and Shaw written permission
to camp on his lot until they could
make more permanent arrangements.
Therefore, on landing at Nome, they
repaired to the premises and presented
the written permit to the occupant.
Judge of their surprise to learn that
the partner left in charge had, months
previous, sold the house and lot,
pocketed the money and skipped out,
and since then the property had
changed hands no fewer than five
times. This is an Illustration of how
matters are run there. The slightest
opportunity is taken advantage of to
get anOther's interest. Another in
cident will further illustrate the woeful
lack of honor in that region. On
board the vessel with Mr.. Murphy was
young man who left his partner at
Nome and returned to Seattle or San
Francisco for supplies. He sent some
S4OO worth of goods to his partner by
schooner, which had proceeded him,
and had other supplies with him.
When he landed at Nome, he learned
that the S4O0 worth of supplies had ar
rived all right but his partner had
converted them into cash, sold the
claim and departed for no one knew
where. But the worst feature there, is
the conniving of those in authority to
GUST newcomers. For instance, Muir
ply and Shaw and two or three other
gentlemen associated with them, took
up claim and expended some $3.50 in
development work, when they were
ousted by parties who claimed to have
tled on the property month ahead of
them. They knew this was false; they
knew that their fling was, as matter
OF fact, thirty days ahead of these
claimants, but the record was against
them and they had to vacate. An
other scheme is to leave your building
on skids, and gradually move it, work.
ing little every night, until it occupies
an adjoining claim and then swear you
built it on that claim and oust YOUR un-
suspecting neighbor. Notwithstanding
ing ttese draw backs, Mr.. Murphy, who
returned from Nome last week to spend
the winter here, speaks encOuragingly
OF that country and believes it has a
great mineral future, but he does not
advise going there unless one has sur
plus funds that he can afford to lose
Tor the large majority of all gold hunt
ers In that land spend their money and
get little or no return for it. Capital
there, as elsewhere, gobbles up the
best, and the poor must be content
with crumbs from the rich mans
table;" and there are not enough of
them to begin to 60 around. Nome is
located on, the Behring Sea little west
of North of the mouth of Snake river.
North of the town is the Tundra or
tiat marsh, resembling in some re-
spects the tule land in San joaquin
county, which stretches to the East
and North for distance of four miles
to Anvil creek, on which is located the
Discovery" claim, now owned, with
many other good ones, by Lane, who
has built a narrow gauge railroad,
four miles in length, across the afore-
said Tundra, to his mine. The foot
hills begin at the Discovery claim, and
resemble very much the hills encount-
cred as one leaves the Livermore val
ley. Considerable gold has been, and
is being, found in various parts of the
foot-hill region, and the farther from
the sea one gets the cOarser is the gold
he finds. Quartz lodges are being
prospected for in these hills, but as yet
no ledge of note has been found. Mr..
Murphy witnessed the destructive
storm that threatened the existence of
Nome, but the water did him no dam
gge, as his habitation was well back
from the shore line. His interests
there are in the hands of a faithful
friend, and, if reports are favorable in
the spring, he will probably return.