Evening star., 1900-09-29
RETURNSWERE SMALL
Many Disappointed Oyer the Nome
Beach Diggings.
BETTER CAMP NEXT YEAR INDICATED
Rapid Progress f. the Improvement
Of the Town.
GOOD ORDER MAINTAINED
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star
NOME, Alaska, August 20. 1900
The throng that Joined in the famous
Oklahoma rush were restrained by execu-
tive order and military force until the des-
ignated hour when those lands would be
open for occupation. Upon the stroke of
| that hour mad mob broke pell nell over
an imaginary line, each impelled by fran
tic desire to secure a portion of the coveted
| soil. In the rush to the golden coast Of
| Nome there was neither executive inhibi
| ton nor armed interference, but nature
the elements-infinitely more powerful than
! men or nations, blocked the pathway of the
advancing columns and commanded halt.
| No sooner had the sea been released from
| it's icy fetters than the throng of fortune
seekers eagerly resumed their voyage north
ward, and for days and weeks were landed
| in thousands on the Nome beach. With
this horde of adventurers came thousands
of tons of materials and supplies. Tents
were pitched by the hundred and the city
grew as if by magic, until by the 1st of
July it looked as though one mighty sheet
of canvas had spread itself for three miles
along the ocean front from surf to tundra.
There being no wharf at Nome 1t was
| necessary to land passengers. baggage and
merchandise by means of lighters-a slow.
| inconvenent and costly method.
For more than month the prices of sup
plies were high and transportation was ex-
| pensfve. Restaurants charged $1.5O for
| ham and eggs Teams could not be hired
for less than $40 per hour. On June 30
paid S112.50 for two tons of coal. and
| little later several men refused to work
for me at rate Of $1.50 per hour Sufii-
cient lumber to floor tent 10 by II feet in
| size cost me $24.50 the beach, and
freghter demanded $50 for delivering it
| less than a mile distant In these cond1-
| tions what must have been the compenSa-
| tiOn of those who attended in the smallpox
| hospital?
In the midst Of this crush and confusion
| came the smallpox scare. l say scare
for the reason that we had only thirty
| cases and but one death There were too
| many people in Nome. A good number
| avaled themselves of the scare as plaus-
| able excuse for returning home, while
| many more who otherwise would have tar
| ried in idleness made haste to depart on
| prospecting tours along the beach and on
the creeks
| Immediately upon the landing of building
material substantial improvements were
| begun in the business portion of the city,
| and it wa; astonishing to note the CELEBRITY
with which ample and commodious struc-
| lures were erected. Daily small buildings
and tents disappeared to make room for
modern shops and saloons, which seemed
| to take spontaneous shape. Thus it is that
| today Nome has many buildings. furnished
and stocked in a manner that would be
| creditable to any community of equal size
Warm Days: Cool Nights.
| Until August / the weather in this section
| Of Alaska was all that could be desired.
| Sometimes it was a trif1e warm at midday,
but the nights were always cool-so cool
that one required three or four blankets, or
| even fur robe for comfort when sleeping
in a tent This perfect weather was an In
estimable boon TO the ''cheecharcos. 1T
ena bled them to land with their supplies
without serious loss or accident, These sup
plies were piled for weeks at the very brink
iys ttox and vat
to work destruction Tent life was reason
ably comfortable and healthful, and the
great ma iority had no other shelter The
almost continuous sunshine dried the tun-
dra and hillsides, thus making the paths of
the prospectors comparatively easy and
greatly facilitating the transportation of
goods and machinery. Since the 1st of Au
gust there has been considerable rain, and
when it rams in Alaska-well 1t rains. How
ever, the rains were welcomed as many
good claims Were lying idle owing to the
| utter lack of water for either sluicing or
| rocking severe storm August left
| number of small crafts wrecked on the
| beach.
In my Judgment. the health Of Nome has
| been good. withstanding the fact that
| little attention has been paid to sanitary
conditions. There have been some cases of
| smallpox, typhoid fever and pneumonia, but
| no epidemic. Capt. ID. III. Jarvis, resident
| of Washing on, representing the Treasury
| Department, acted as health officer of the
| camp during the smallpox epoch and it is
l astonishing that one man could DO so much
with the limited means at his disposal. He
| has acted with promptness, intelligence and
| courage at all times
The Postal Service.
Although the post office at Nome is still
| of the fourth class, twenty-three clerks
We're required to handle the local mail dur
ing the month of July. A free delivery
service with uniformed carriers was put in
operation in the business portion of the city
on June 81 Money orders issued during
| the month of July aggregated little over
| S136.DOO. The largest single days business
| in this department was transacted on July
D. and amounted to 50 252. 90. During the
| month of July the office received fifty-one
| pouches of ordinary letter mail, fourteen
| pouches of registered mail and 80 sacks
| of newspapers, and dispatched forty-six
pouches of ordinary and registered mail
and eighteen sacks of newspapers. The to-
| tai number of registered letters received
during the month was 1,230, and the total
number dispatched was 1,230. The sale of
| stamps and stamped paper for the same
period amounted to 81, so while the total
cancellations aggregated s1.293.91
The post office has just been removed to
| commodious two-story building constructed
specially for that purpose
Excellent Order.
To those of who have lived in the
cow camps and mining towns of the great
southwest the excellent order maintained
In Nome during the present season has
| been a marvel. This is all the more re-
markabe in view of the confused condition
| of titles and the epidemic Of claim jumping
| which has prevailed all summer. Wat a
| prosperous graveyard would have resulted
from similar conditions in the palny days
| of Dodge City or Tombstone! The military
| force under General Randall has been an
unobstrusive but potent factor in MAIN
tanning order and ayertinss bloodshed. The
revenue cutters have called a Nome occa-
sionally to inquire after the latest news,
and the gunboat Wheeling was riding at
anchor opposite the city early in July The
national salute fred by the latter ship at
| high noon on the Fourth of July was exc
cuted in most creditable manner.
Railway and Water Works.
Two enterprises of great Importance to
| the camp were rushed to completion during
| the early summer-a railroad and system
| of water works. The railroad extends from
the upper end of the city to Discovery
Claim on Anvil creek, distance of about
five miles. The system is a narrow gauge.
| No attempt made at grading The
| roadbed consists of inch boards dropped