Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1900-07-12

mining interests at Nome, and while
he was in Alaska last summer, Mrs
Thomson was employed by a music
company of Madison. He re-
turned last fall, and, together
they spent the winter in Chi
cago, going to Alaska again as soon as
navigation opened. They sailed from
Seattle May II. She writes from
Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to her friend,
Mrs. w. w. Harrington, her impress
sions, and says: This is the 18th
(June) and we are still at Dutch Har-
Dor" she writes. There is talk of US
leaving sometime tomorrow. If it
wasn't that we ought to be on our
way 1 should not care if we didn't
20 for two months Dutch HarbOr is
a delightful place at this time of the
year. Today is perfect-warm and
nice The snow is rapidly disappear
ing from the lower mountains, and the
flowers are bIossoming in abundance.
| never saw such lovely ViOlets as
grow here. Some Of them are almost
as large as pansies. There have been
thousands Of people here all picking
flowers more or less and there seems
to be no decrease in the supply. The
varieties are chiefly violets, buttercups,
coWslips and a white flower resembling
the strawberry blossom, only much
larger. 1t has a very peculiar name,
which l can neither pronounce nor
spell Then on the mountains grows
a sort of myrtle, which has a beauti-
full flower, cup-shaped and pink, which
afterWard yields red berry about the
size of a cranberry, which the natives
eat. These, together with brake and
moss, constitute the flora of this
part of Alaska. There have been %
boats in here at one time, so you can
imagine the crowds of people. We
have on board, including the crew, $40.
There are six buildings in Dutch
Harbor In the one dwelling house
lives Mrs. J. A. Garfeld's daughter
M0llie Her husband is in some sort
OF business here and so they live here.
There are one store, three warehouses
and a hotel. But the mountains are
what make the place. They are mag
niiicant with their snOw-White crests
seemingly reaching up to heavens
gates. | wouldn't care for nicer place
to spend the summer Prices of sup
plies are but very little higher than
at Seattle and some things are just
the same. OF course prices will so up
at Nome We have had nothing to
G Of or
anything that the good Lord has any
thing to do with, but if he will forgive
us for coming on this boat Wen
never offend in the same way again.
On the home trip last fall DR.. Wilkin-
son, as leader, and the passengers con-
tributed toward handsome gold
watch and presented it to the captain,
endeayoring to show him their APP
probation Of the excellent service
giyen them. Since coming this far
DR.. Wilkinson left the boat and took
passage for the remainder Of the
journey on the St. Paul Really l
couldn't describe it on paper Finally
things got so bad that the passengers
held an indignation meeting and hand
ed in a set of resolutions to the cap
tain, aud since, then the meals have
been improving and the dishes are
washed at any rate, but often times
the bowls are put on the table unwiped
and we have to either wipe them on
the edges of the table cloth or bring a
towel to the table and wipe them on
that There are a great many influen-
tial men on board and the boat will
get pretty well advertised. Mr.. HoI-
lock, city passenger agent for the
Northern Pacific, who is being sent
north in the interests of that com
pany, has written some warm letters
to Chicago, and DR.. Whitehead, banker
and government assayer and a whole
lot of other men l might na me, have
entered complaint, SO we will get some
satisfaction out of the return trip
knowing that few if any will patronize
the y. A. 7. company any more. But
we have had lots of fun too. We have
ball games every day. Each boat has
a baseball team and so things keer
lively. l just came from the bal
grounds. Our boys played the boys
from the Olympia. The game was
ended rather suddenly, because of one
strong Olympian breaking the bat, the
only one here, but the score was 6 tc
in our favor. But the most fun of al
is the clam bakes. There are any
amount of CLANS and musseIs to be haC
and all one needs is some butter and 6
few potatoes, onions, crackers, pickles
and anything else he may want ant
he can fare like a king. If one does
not care for clans a nice little picnic
lunch after long tramp on the
mountains is delightful.
This is a beautiful harbor. At on,
time since we have been here thert
were Sc boats lying at anchor, al
loaded to the utmost capacity. Som
were United States boats, revenue cut
ters, but the most were boats ladel
with people bound for the only plac
we hear about now, Nome. We got il
here on the first day of June and hav
been waiting for our turn to coal u
ever since. But the time has beel
pleasantly spent, roaming over tn
mountains, attending baseball games
clam bakes and numerous othe
frivolities very unbecoming peopl
bound on such a serious GRAND as COL
hunting. Every boat sports a bal
team and some of the games between
rival boats have been very exciting
I wouldn't ask nicer spot to spen