Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1900-09-07
by the citizens committee, a steamboat
trip to Milwaukee. Thousands of Wis
itors are leaving the city hourly.
LIFE AT NOME.
ALL is NOT GOLD THAT GLlTTERs
DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE

DISAPPOINTMENT AT THE
CAPE.
Clayton Worst writes his father,
President Worst of the agricultural
college, as follows from Nome:
To describe the city is a hard task.
just imagine a wilderness of tents, log
huts, sod houses sheetiron, tin and
frame buildings. It lies along the
beach, is about four or five blocks deep
and just as long as you care to call it.
A mile and a half would take in the
principal business portion, though the
beach is covered with tents for miles.
First avenue is the principal street. 1t
lies up on the edge of the tundra run
ming parallel with the beach and built
up with two and three story frame
buildings, mostly saloons. dance halls,
etc. The saloons themselves are worth
going to Nome to see. They are mostly
run by Dawson men, are very elaborate
and must cost fortunes to run them.
Everything that ingenious minds can
conceive of, OF money can buy, is placed
there to attract a crowd and induce
them to spend their money. Every
saloon has it's orchestra. The one fur
nishing the greatest attraction draws
the crowd, and some of the methods
resorted to are truly novel.
The first month after the boats came
in Nome was a wild old place. Those
who wintered here had staked off all
the town lots and refused to let new
corners camp on them. The thousands
of strangers, each with his tent and
outfit had to camp somewhere, so they
began jumping the lots, Fights were
in order at once and hardly a day
passed that some one was not shot.
Might was rightuntil martial law
was established. One man went so
far as to shoot a woman, but that was
considered such a mean trick that he
got ashamed and left town. I saw
n shooting scrape where both parties
were killed. It seemed inhuman, yet
there was a strain of bravery, if not
gallantry about it that touched me. It
occurred in a small open space along
First avenue. Both men were armed
with 45-calibre revolvers. They faced
each other as cool as though at target
practice, and fired until one man
dropped. The other walked up to him,
fired two more shots into his face,
turned around and covered the crowd
with his smoking six-shooter, tine
blood streaming down his sides, he
backed into his cabin door and died.
The next night one of the spectators, a
young boy who had just landed, was
killed by a stray bullet. Since then
l make myself scarce when 1 hear a
s%ix-shooter pop. That, though, is
practically yer with now. Lots are
not worth scrapping over.
ouASAuSo oAO vi udlIy OICu11 Cl1CCs
There are thousands of heart-broken
people here trying to carr their pas
sage home.
will tell you of an incident l wit
messed a short time ago. 1t illustrates
daily scenes in Nome. Some poor fell
low had killed himself upstairs in Il
boarding house, and a teamster had
come to haul him off; the teamster
was accompanied by several helpers.
After carrying their man to the head
of the stairs they found it too steep to
carry him down with comfort, so they
stopped to figure. mo. ! said, won
der if he would roll?" No. 9 said
lets try it." No. 3 got him by the
leg and squared him around. No. 4
showed him off and down he came with
a. crash to the bottom.
Winter is coming on, and l am try
ing to decide whether to go to China,
Dawson or Fargo. Only an idiot would
stay here in the winter. There will
be no work.
Saw the Jensens yesterday and they
ire going home.
The portion of the day we call night
is beginning to grow darker already.
I have not seen artificial light for two
months.
This is tiresome work, writing in a
sleeping bag, SO l will call it quits and
tell you more next time-how we live
prospecting trips, adventures, dis
appointments, etc. Had a $3.50 p
ton on n claim which after we gave
it up and a strike was made on the
creek, sold for $4,000. Took a DAY
off to kick myself. We staked a claim
on a gulch neal by, which may be
worth something.