The Bemidji pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minn.) 1896-1917, 1900-07-05
LETTER FROM NOM e.
Earl Carson Writes Interest,"
ingly About His Trip to the
Land of Wealth and Cold
Destination Not Reached.

The following letter Is from Earl
Carson, who is on his way to Nome,
to Judge and Mrs. Carlson:
BEHRING SEA, June 8.-We have
been within $50 miles of Nome, but
could not get through the ice. We
have been cruising around here for
the last six days; now we are on our
way back TO Dutch Harbor, which is
about 900 miles from where we were.
We started back yesterday noon.
We will get to Dutch Harbor June
10 and will probably stay there a
week. IT was all nonsense TO leave so
early, as boats never got to Nome
earlier than June Is. We have seen
millions of acres of ice, some pieces
as large as a house. Here the sun
sets at 10 a. m. and rises at 2. a. M.
There is only one hour OF darkness.
1t lis now 3 o'clock p. M, and it is 8
O'Clock there. I have not been sea-
sick at all. FL. and Snyder both got
sick. Snyder is in bed now; he gets
sick every time it gets a little rough.
We had one pretty big storm. The
waves washed clear over the boat.
We are on a good seaworthy boat,
but it is nothing but a freight boat
with small rooms on second deck-six
berths in each room. There is only
room for one man to pass at time.
There are 400 passengers on board.
There is no heating plant in the boat.
and it is as cold as winter. 1t showed
the night before last and freezes every
night. A person has to keep on the
move all the time to keep warm.
There were a dozen other vessels up
where we were trying to find an open
ing through the ice; some went back
to Dutch Harbor; some are still there.
There will be an awful jam at Nome
when these boats get there, and they
all get there at the same time. We
left Seattle at 5 a. M, May "a, so
we have been out now 10 days, and
the chances are we will be out 15 days
longer. The time is going very slow.
It is an old thing now. 1t would not
be so bad if it was not SO cold. We
are all in good health, only when El.
and Snyder are seasick. am very
attentive to them. / do not allow
them to eat anything but crackers and
water when it looks stormy. We will
probably see Carlson and the other
fellows at Dutch Harbor, as the Cleve-
land is anchored there. We have
seen several whales. We saw some
walrus at st. Paul island. This
island is all covered with snow.
will close, as there is nothing more to
write about at present Your dutiful
son, Earl.
June 10, a. m.--We arrived at
Dutch Harbor last evening. The
steamer Jany was up and unloaded
60 mules from Nome, but could not
get clear in. The Cleveland is up
there also, which followed the Jany
in. She is especially built to buck
ice. The Jany carries report out
that We were lost in the ice, but is
wrong. as we did not enter the ice.
Some of the boats got damaged by
ice. We will stay here two or three
days before going back. There are
eighteen or twenty other ships here.
This harbor Is only about one-hah
mile each way and is pretty well
filled up with ships. There are high
mountains all around il. Coming in
Iport it looked as if we were running
| into solid wall OF rock; but there
was an opening about big enough to
llet two boats pass. We say a smok-
| ing volcano one-half day before we
entered the harbor. 1t looked to be
about five miles away, but was fifty or
sixty. There is no town here only a
store, hotel and coal sheds. The
steamer Santa Anna got on fire and
burned up most of her cargo. Good
bye. You will probably hear from
me next in Nome. We are all IN
good health. EARL.