The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-08-12
He WANTS TOGETHONE
Former Salt Laker Who Is Dis.
gusted With Nome.
GIVES PLACE HARD NAME
BUT FEW PEOPLE THERE WHO
WILL MAKE MONEY.

| CndrleS j. Pence, formerly of this
city, but who undertook a pilgrimage
to Nome when the gold fever broke
out in the States, few months ago.
is thoroughly homesick, to say the
least. He has expressed his feelings in
letter to E. 3. Critchlow, Gods
country, U. S." as he puts it, and the
tale of woe that he pours out must
cause feeling of satisfaction among
those who wanted to go gold hunting.
/ but couldn't.
AS TO when the letter was written.
MI Pence was unable to say Regard
ing the date, he remarked at the he
ginning Of his letter, Il don't know.
NOBODY does here. Look at the post
nIdrk- maybe the postmaster keeps
track OF time. Mr.. Pence then saws.
Dear ed suppose "rafnbow chas-
ing mad to reach its climax. Aurora
DOreails chasing it is. Coming up on
the good ship Lane l tried to read
the Alaska code bill l succeeded
more or less-anG was impressed with
the numerous pre- visions in the act for
the care and disposal of insane people.
/ could not understand it at the time
put know now that the bill must have
Deen drafted by some one who had
spent season here. He was a hu-
ma Itarlah' but he had properties here
Tor sale or he would have provided in
the bill that the passenger lists to
Nome should form the charter list of
inmates.
He'll Is At Nome.
Like Beecher in his dream, I have
DSeH convinced that there is a hell.
Those who stay here will saw have
feet I
not warm enough to keep nv teeth
from chattering, and | will get aWav
before the frost in my feet reaches
my mar. L think l can do this bv
getting away next Saturday. july %
on the God-blessed ship Oregon
though some of my raven locks are
acquiring a wintry whiteness that
makes me hope the Oregon NAV sail
on Friday. san
SO many hopes were never blasted
before IN so short a time as in the
past tnirty days. A walk of five miles
dIOnS the beach,. e., about half the
settled or teLt-cOvered portion-mada
me reahze how many inspired gem
fuses COR genii, rather, for the Ara
plah Nights viii always seem tame
nereaIter) had been concentrating
thelr energies and dreams upon the
gold Of Nome. For miles the beach
IS covered with every possible device
Tor saving gold. There is a beach of
from 2OO 10 300 feet between low watar
ana tundra For the five miles Won,
e0uIo not lay strip of carpet from
the water to the tundra without inter
tering with one or more goId-savi 6,
machines. ms
Inere is everything from the gold
pan to the large dredges costing tlou-
SANDS OF dollars. At one Olace vhero
Irlehd was trying to set up a $4,000
humping plant on strip of beach he
mad bought while in Seattle. there
were nine different gasoline and steam
pants and about twenty rockers az
WORK within distance of less than
5VV teet. There are rockers enough ON
me Deach TO furnish cradles for all
me me paples TO be born in this end of
nell Tor generations to come.
Only a Few Prosper.
"Of the $4,000 OF more people who
came to Nome this year there are-or
We're day before yesterday-not over
aOO VINO are producing any gold. These
2VV or less were working for wages for
TWO comprehensive Wild Goose M g,
4. company and the Pioneer compsnv.
The new judge came a few DAYS ago
! ana yesterday, on an eX parte appIica-
ion OF d jumper, placed these prop
ertleS "a the hands of a receiver on a
bond of $1,000, and then left for ST.
Miehaels, so that of our %. 900 people.
not more than dozen will be pro-
duclng any gold till the judge has
returned and seen the error of his WAYS
which will hardly be in time for anv
substantial work this year.
The ground will be frozen in a
couple OF months on the creeks and
cannot be washed till next July. Had
it not been for this tie-up these two
companies would have done very we'll
for they have some-about the ONLY
rlch ground so far discovered in this
country.
For these few people who have the
eholce ground and the money to work
1t this is a good country. For the rest
or them who came it is and will con-
tinue to be disappointment.
will write you from San Francisco
With best wishes Yours truly.
CHARLES J. PENCE"