The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1900-08-02
PANIC AT NEW NOME CITY
Beach Piled High With Varied Prop
erty of Thousands of PrOspectors.
HOPEFUL ARRIVALS BY SCORES
Equally as Many Disgusted and Discour-
aged Gold Seekers Hunting Means 10
EReturn to the United States.


lslAars ago who thought it possible
there would be another stampede Tor
gold within the nineteenth century to
compare with that to Klondike in
1897 and 1898? 1t is yet too early
to estimate the Importance OF
the discoveries of gold at this fag end
of Alaska, but at the opening OF the
Bering Sea to navigation a number
of vessels, both steam and sail, estl-
mated at from 1876 to $50 had started
or were about to start from ports on
the Pacific Coast loaded to their ut
most capacity with freight and pas
sengers for Nome and the several
points of lesser Importance included
under the general name OF Cape
Nome gold fields"
NAV 81 the steam whaler Alexander
arrived off Nome one month less a
day earlier than any vessel had ever
been able, on account of the ice, to
reach Port Clarence, the rendezvous
of the whaling fleet, few miles to the
westward of Nome. May 90 arrived
the .Jeanie, of the Pacific Steam
Whaling Co., the first of the gold
fleet, followed by half dozen other
vessels which by what whalers call
some ''fuke'' or other had succeeded
in getting through the ice. At Una
laska, the entrance to Bering Sea,
and a coaling place, by June Z, Is yes
sells had reported from the south.
At this date along with an amount
of freight that has not been estimated
14,Oo0 people have been landed on the
beach, to which number must be added
about 5000 people who wintered here,
and more than 2000 who came in over
the ice from Dawson and other up
river places. Nor has any boat ar
rived from the Yukon, with the
crowds that have taken that way OF
coming in expecting. when choosing
n that route to reach here sooner than
! 10y the all-sea route.
Between June II and this date
there has been lying at anchor mile
off the beach a fleet OF vessels mum
berine from As on the first date to be
tween 60 and 70 at this. and constant
" changing, the departures being
made up by those constantly ARRIVING
There are Government transports
cutters and men of-war: Australian
and China liners; steam schooner
and tug boats, schooners two to fouI
masted, barks and brigs, flat bottom
ed river steamers, barges rugged witt
pole masts, scows, lighters and steam
naphtha launches and row-boats b!
the hundreds, nay thousands, If thos'
of the latter now building ON thebeaci
may be included. Such shipping /
only seen in the largest ports OF tn
world, and even then not arranged t.
form so effective panorama.
What has brought this about? 81!
thousand people camped chiefly il
tents on this beach a year ago, o
whom about a thousand were taking
out fine gold with rockers from tn
sea beach, and coarse gold with sluic
boxes in several creeks a few mile
inland. The gold they took out il
it's total amount was about $2,0O0,O 90
or $500. 900 more than that taken ou
of Klondike in the first year working
Reports of some large fortunes, an
large wages made by number dul
ing short season of work: the reput
ed distribution of the gold over
large area, together with the facilit
for landing both goods and intendin
miners, as compared with klOndlk'
has made mining camp bigger rigf
x now than Dawson ever was, wit
characteristics similar, yet difTeren
There lacks some of the eXcitemeI
that accompanied the movement t.
ward Klondike. There has been L
Skaguay trail, nor hard journey ov'
the ice, carrying the provisions this
had to last a man a year; nor thu
dread of the unknown dangers ahea
to sift out the faint-hearted and tho
with insufficient means of livin
Seventy-five dollars for second elias
one hundred to one hundred al
seventy-fve dollars for first-cla
4 passage on steamer, has insure
~ delivery ON the beach, and now h
begun the story of hardship and I'M
fortune, sickness and sorrow as W.
Z as the rewards in store for tho
whom Fortune favors.
Nome City, as it appeared from Il
deck of the Valencia, on June II, W
low beach, stretching as far as t
eye could reach in both direction
with ranges of bare mountain benin
extending from the rounded hea
land eight miles to the eastwaI
known as Cape Nome, and extendi