The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-09-06
WILL HAYS RETURNS
Back From a Six Months
Trip TO Cape Nome.
is A RICH COUNTRY
What Prospectors Find in the
Famous Camp.

VIII Hays, who left here March IA last
with his father. ex-sherif W.W.Hays,
for the gold fields of Cape Nome. came
back last night. He came through on
the Rock Island yesterday morning and
went on home to HaysviIle for short
visit and returned here last night He
will take up work in the Western Union
telegraph Office today.
I'm burning up with this heat" he
said, as he sat in Johnsons cigar store
with a handkerchief around his neck and
hopping his face constantly with an
other.
Replying to questions concerning the
climate of the Nome country he said the
| thermometer stood about 60 to s. de-
grees in the day. time and the nights are
very cool.
"It's\a fine climate, or was what time
we were there he said ITS very
pleasant during the day and cold enough
to need cover at night or when the sun
goes down. There wasn't much night
| during the time we were there. The
|
| as early as 2;9o or o'clock About two
hours OF sun set and all the time then
you could see the reflection Of it. After
| o'clock in the evening you can look
right at the sun without any trouble to
the eyes,
| Going, they sailed from Seattle on the
Nellie G. Thurston, a vessel owned by
| John Pacey, who once worked in the
postoffice and Kansas national bank
here. Pacey was slim when he left
Wichita ten years ago. He is big and
robust now and looks, Mr.. Hays says,
like an aristocrat. He owns a big store
in Nome and another in a mining dis
trict fifty miles away, and owns three
vessels that make the trip from Seattle
several times q year. Pacey is getting
rich. The captain Of one of his vessels
grounded one of his ships early this sea,
son and deserted her. The cargo was
damaged $4,000 and it took 1920 to fix
up the ship. Pacey stood this loss with
out any inconvenience. He has been IN
Seattle for eight years and does all his
business from this point. It cost SIS fare
from Seattle up in May. but fare were
as low as SO when Mr.. Hays left on his
return.
Nome is a town Of 10000 people, said
Mr.. Hays, or was up until about the
time we left. Ten thousand of the peo-
pie VIII go away this fall. The camp
can not support more than 5000 people
Three thousand had made application for
help before we left. They didn't have a
cent and night coming on. Night is win
ter there. 1t was just getting dark when
we left and begun with rain storms.
The rainy season had been on for some
time when we left. Then it gets cold
and the snow storms are something
fierce. The criminal element had just
commenced work when we left. The
night before we left there were eight
robberies that I heard Of and when it
gets dark it will be an awful place in
Nome. The burglars cut holes in
mans tent and chIoroform him. They
slug and do most everything. No chance
to get them. Now that's just the be-
ginning of the six months Of darkness
they'll have BY and bye the govern
ment will get this element under control,
but 1T viii take some time. That is one
reason so many are leaving now, and an
other reason is that one can not get
around the country when it rains on ac-
count Of the tundra This Is greenish
yellow moss that grows all over the
country and there is no telling how deep
il is in some places. l saw horses mired
so deep in it that they couldn't be re
leased and had to be shot Most places i
this moss is only two or three feet deep. |
but you can't tell when it's deeper un-
til you get into it. Another thing that
causes people to leave is that everything !
on the creeks for fifty miles Is staked- /
People who stayed there last winter took |
dog teams and went all over the coun-
try doing nothing but stalking claims. /
They have to do a hundred dollars /
worth of work on each claim each year, /
and while they can't do it they /
can hold. their claims for a year
You can stay in Nome with fair con-
veniences. They have several thcee-story !
buildings now and as fine restaurants as
there are anywhere in the world. A meal /
when we arrived there, June J, cost s., /
but you could get very good meal when
We left for 30 cents"
How about the reports OF smallpox -
There vas smallpox there but II very /
mild form L anybody died u It there
were only a few. Typhoid fever IS had /
there"
How does the Nome country loob?'
IT'S rolling ABOUT Nome. Looks green /
and nice at distance, like It would he /
the best place in the world FOR cattle /
Back about thirty miles from the beach /
You can see the mountains shooting Up /
Ike they do in wyoming
Are there any animals there7"
Nothing but mosquitoes. They wear /
snow shoes and put in good time. When
they get 70 you they begin to feed and /
its awful sometimes.
Any laundries there?"
YES. there were steam lsuudries and
some people patronized them. I didn't !
took bar Of soap and went down 70 the /
creek and washed my own clothes. We
i.6a't dress ~ much N Cape Nome
Back from Cave Nome fifty miles near
Topkuk. Mr. Hays says, the country IS
rich. This land IS claimed BY the big
companies who keen il guard
I'd. TWO men vent !R,o 4 place near