The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-23
NOME A STRANGE CAMP!
GAyBLTS0 AND CLASSICAL MUSIC
TWO or IT'S FEATURES
sud Unparalleled Another striking chsrao.
t,risuc since the Rains BeEsn-Unasuai
symptoms Of Civilization Better Things
rtpcctsd Of tho shines Next Year.

F,pect.d Of tho Mine, Nest Year.
NOME. Alaska, Aug 20. A certain man from
Montana, not CallON ~ 10 mining camps, ar
rived In Nome early In June, Ailed for Seattle
I'm the first week Of July and returned here
yca,erday. While visiting the outside he told
nj. friends and acquaintance all about this
camp. colid locate any place IN town worth
mentioning. aud came back With the swelling
SENSE Of Importance which some men feel when
the, ARE interviewed for the frat time by ii
repnrtar and s"e their opinions printed under
th, bv headlines. inst Returned From Nome.
He landed early in tho evening and spent three
hours ytinly trying to find the tent wher" he
Ind lived earlier In the season. He spent the
pIyht in a lodgi ng tent. and did not find his own
dwelling until tho nett day This merely
shows how things have changed In Nome dur
inY the last sN weeks.
The town is hardly recognizable as the place
OF n month and a half ago On From. and
Second streets some scores Of three-story bniLi-
ings have sprung up That dwarf into lnsiRnih-
canoe tue stately suorv-Gnd-a-ha business
blocks that overshadowed everything else "a
abort time ago. some " tho buildings are
painted Nsw street, have been laid out and
old streets have become more thickly popu-
lated. The dust of june and July which stirred
pnblic-spirited citizens Ia subscribe for a sprlnk-
ling cart ha- turned to profound and hopeless
mud The inhabitants are founderlng about
their dali, business In rivors NJ earth and water
where streets Onco we're. and inlprudent house
holder. are now lacking up their houses where
foundation. have been destroyed 10y partial
ritte la the eternal ice which underlies the
tundre. The rainy season has begun. Nome
ought 10 be- indicated bv II splotch Of mud on
th' rap.
TIE mud OF this part Of Alaska lie muddier
than anyWher, pl-e I'm the world. ~ the un-
wholesome mixture lay on a hard, compare
lively drv sub-soil. there might be- some hope
Sand and single from the beach would make
thu business thoroughfares passahle The
solid sheet u Ice underlying this mushroom
civ ia known 10 he az lrast riph'y feet thick.
and while almost constant rains melt awav the
upper surface me uIagmirc on top gets deeVer
and deeper II miners ever pray, they prayed
for rain last IN nth. and j came ~ II always
does in early August. Ii started sluioe-head5
on some OF the creeks where operations we're
temporarily snsI ended for want Of water, but
II made the inhabitaut- Of the town uncorl-
Portable For two weeks II has been lmTos-l-
bic for a team Of horses. selecting tho least
untavorable route. To haul a heavy load from
one end of the town 10 the other. II tbs team
took to the tundra back Of the town the mud
differed only in consistency. II is a slough Of
uF~lbuh WIN IhA'A WV "'
wheel, Ia sink 20 the hubs and further.
In the streets OF the town the mud Is thinned
with water which drains from the tundra,
o comm, dty In which swimming Is possible
and sometimes almost necessary Native dogs
and horses make a fine splashihg In II and II
the lucklesS passerby happens to find II place
10 walk heis stiIlcovered with mud from head 10
foot by the movements uf the animals II T.
nothing IN IsIal toge a splashinc OF mud full IN
the face because youfailto get at least fifteen feet
away from the procession Of horses and found
ering dog teams Unless property holders
Ia ebuilt boardwalks In front Of their houses or
tents there is no chance for the pedestrian, and
the dwelling Is likely to be flooded with dirty
water The mud approaches TO the very
foundations Of the building and splashes
at the doors for admittancs To cross Front
street on foot without rubber boots hp high
n native Inukloks requires the skill OF a civil
engineer A man attempted To cross the
street yesterday. got stuck fast In the thick
mud 50 that he could move neither foot and Was
rescued with the aid OF q scantling extended
from the side " the street. Then II was dis
covered that he had left one boot IN the mire
\ few days ago the rain ceased temporarily.
and Nome smiles with a dirty face When
the weather l., good in Nome It Il very good.
but. like the little girl in the story. when it il
NIti " - HNllll VI NV ~ w 'AoF ~"
sun has shone from a cloudleSs sky. the sea is
smooth. and the air has the keenly bracing
quality of Angus, in the Arctic Frosts have
been NJ nightlg occurrence in clear wea ther
for some time and the temperature il frequently
below freezing after the sun sets The season
Of perpetual daylight j. gone and lamps and
candles are nor unknown
Nome must for a long time stand unique
a. q mining camp The veterans Of many min
ing amps in Alaska and elsewhere tho world owe
Frequently SAY, This amt no mining camp
Which means that u violates all the traditional
notions regarding a settlement where men
who are seeking precious metals or ores are
congrcgated The camp is AZ once further
removed from civilization and more highly
civilized 70 begin with. the ratio Of women In
men is something like one 10 fifteen. and that
Is remarkable for a region two thousand miles
away from large towns or settled communities.
MANY NJ thes" women are Of IN" kind that
exert retn!uE and no, degrading influences,
A composite picture Of the male population
l. not the portrait Of a typical miner OF the
old days of california and Ieadville. nor even
ot the klnndiker OF 1897 and lSas Nome IL a
community where many men wear boiled shirts
and -tarched collar one change Of such
apparel it H. true. involves a laundry bill Of
si25, but the town l. full Of men who try To
hNa little better than The rest Of the community
by n how Of once white linen. Nearly all.
even tho women, wear rubber boots or heavy.
hiGh-laccd leather shoes. OF native mukloks.
There ere hundreds ~ men who once loaied
around tho waterfronts Of large Pacific coast
cities. and will be there again in a few
weeks or months. who look the same yes
terday. to-day and forever. They nev or work.
but some Of them steal. of course, there II
In tho population a large element OF the grizzled.
husky gold mIner-men who have been In many
mining camps in many countries. who have
joi ned the most famous stampcdes in recent
history and look Just the same whether
they have struck it rich or are looking for a
guhstakc. The best types Of this general
class are not seen on the streets ~ the town
every day. for they arr restless IN their energy
and de- not hang around the camp week In
and week out waiting for something to turn
NJ, a. hundred. Of men ar" doing in Nome
to-day. They are in the settlement for a day
TO huy provisions 10 carry ont to he creek
mines. to ~ out for a new stampede or prospect
ing trip, To push n few dollars over n roulette
table or to get the latest new from Topkuk.
from the BlueSlone or m" Casa depogra or from
the outside.
90. a...,. l., 81. ...... -. 49, $500