The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-11-05
REPORTS ON NOME
General Randall Tells Of Condi-
tons In the North.
BEACH Is WORKED OUT
TUNDRA REQUIRES EXPERT
EECE AND CAPITAL.

Washington. Nov. 4-Brigadier Cen
eraI George NJ. Randall, commanding
the Department of Alaska. under date
of September. at St Michael, has sub
mitted his annual report. Much space
is devoted to conditions at Nome, which
he found on his arrival at a critical
stage 1t was difficult 10 obtain con-
victions by jury trial in the United
States commissioner Office. which en-
bOldeued the lawiess. Labor organiZa-
lions prevented men from working for
less than 81 an hour. he says, and they
We're the cause OF much restitution and
want, and destruction Of property.
Fully $4,000 persons arrived at Nome
in June. Claim-jumping was the order
of the day. Many property owners
were disposed to defend their rights by
taking the law into their own hands.
The arrival of troops prevented serious
disorder The military took charge,
thoroughly examined into all com
plants, and where the rights of prop
erty could be determined placed it in
the possession of the lawful owners.
Captain ". A. Bethel who acted as
judge advocate in three cases, is high
ly praised by General Randall
The sanitary conditions were placed
under the charge of Major Charles =.
Ebert. surgeon. The energetic efforts
of the military improved these condi-
tions.
Beach Worked Out LAST Year.
There were about 500 men working
on the beach at Nome with T1aChInery
a one time and many declined to sive
answers concerning the prospects for
gold while others admitted they We're
taking out only from 81 TO IS "a day.
The beach was practically worked out
last year. The tundra is believed to be
rich. but % would require larger cap
itaI to produce results There is a large
area of country which has not been
prOspected, where gold can yet be
found, but it requires men of expert
enCc to develop such a country.
General Randall says il has been de
cided to establish a permanent mill
tary station on the island of St. Mi
chael. He recommends the purchase Of
two stern wheel steamers for opera
lions on ti.c Yukon and that ali coal,
forage and building material intended
for Alaskan posts be started from Seat
tie not later than June Is, and shipped
in sailing vessels for economy. Also,
THAI a cable be laid from Seattle. via
Juneau and Skagway, to Valdez, con
nected with the tC.-graph line now
building over the all-American route
from Valdez to Port L ebert, and down
the Yukon river to Fort Michael When
this line is complete, General Randall
says, military headquarters should be
in southern Alaska or at Seattle.
He recommends a lifa-saving station
in the vicinity of Nome. He also rec
ommends that light houses with fog
whistles be established in southeast
Alaska, at the following places: Cape
Cox. near the southern boundary. Cape
Cimdnna, entrance from the north into
Congas NarroWs; Five Fingers. In
Frederick Sound. also a. fog signal at
TTuimak Pass He also recommends a
military reservation at Dutch HaThOr-
and COaling station, and thinks that
the need may arise at some future
time for erecting Notifications at this
place.
Esquimaux Are Starved.