The Honolulu republican. [volume] (Honolulu, T.H.) 1900-1902, 1900-07-11
ABOUT LIFE AND TIMES
IN Big CAPE NOME.
Growing Faster Thsn Dawson and
Klondike Prices For All Things
Still Prevail.


Still Prevail
Cape Nome, says Captain Lewis B
Butler. formerly connected with tins
Geological Survey. for years an expert
OF the California State Mining Bureau,
and = wideiy-knovn authority on the
raeiac Coast on placer mining, has
grown as fast as Dawson. and, because
il is so much easier OF access from the
outside world from the middle OF April
TO October, il will grow faster and be
finer town When ! reached Nome
last August the town had between 35o1
and 1000 men and about 1000 women.
Before l left there were more than
5000 men in Nome The town is at tbs
mouth OF Snake river, in the elbow
OF q wide turn in the coast line. Ship
ping cannot reach the shore, and every
body and everything that arrives a.
the town on a snip must be carried 70
shore on lighters.
The town has grown up right on the
beach, and last summer IL was an ex-
traordinary sight TO see several thou
sand men strung out in broken lines
along the beach as far as the eye could
reach, all working day after day as
hard as they could al shoveling sand
into the rockers and getting out the
golden particles. Day and night the
work went on, for in summer the
nights in the Arctic are almost as light
as in the daytime.
Nome is an organized city, with d
Mayor and City Council. The City Mar
shall, I believe, got $500 a month sal
airy when ! was there, and he was
threatening to quit the job unless ne
got $500. The city is very quiet and
unusually honest for new gold camp.
Compared with Cripple Greek and Vir-
ginia City in the early days. Nome is
a Puritanical, misunderstanding town.
Everyone is too busy there TO scheme
deyiltry, and too tired from gold wash
ing to raise much cane when night
comes.
An these Attic mining camps are
different from any We ever knew III
the States The climate is too severe,
the necessity for providing for fright
fully cold weather is too apparent TO
permit of ease-taking and debauchery
like that we have known in all West
ern gold and silver camps. a small
company Of United States soldiers, in
charge of Captain Craig, are stationed
near Nome, and they have kept in
check any turbulent spirits among
Nome's population.
The winding, lane-like streets OF
Nome are fianked by rude and hastily
buildings Of rough pine
boards, canvas houses, dirty, weather
beaten tents and cabins built in the
most primitive way, with rusty, bat
tered stovepipes sticking at all angles
side walls and roofs. A score
of cheap saloons, seven gambling
houses, three dance halls and very
crude apology for a hotel are the prin-
cipal structures in Nome. But you
must remember that there was not even
a tent there last February. In year
more Nome will have, without doubt,
population of $4,000.
Prices for everything run high IN
Nome. Coal was eagerly bought there
last October for $40 ton, and 1t sold
for S55 there even when navigation
was open. Rubber boots, absolutely
necessary up there, sell for SIS pair;
common shovels for SO; kerosene oil
for 81 a gallon, and flannel shirts that
can be bought for s1.20 anywhere III
the States bring 81 in Nome. The prices
for provisions vary with the seasons
everywhere in Alaska. Last summer
when navigation was open / paid $50
for five pounds OF sugar, and now that
Nome is cut off from the outside world
the price is SIS for five pounds Fresh
beef and pork sell for 81 and $3.50
pound; Goldfish for 20 cents pound;
-four is 80 cents a pound in summer
and 80 cents a pound in winter, can
dies sell for 60 cents each; oatmeal that
may be pretty musty, sells for 90 cents
a pound; and 12-pound hams, that may
be several years old, sell like hot cakes
at Nome for $40 and s12 each. Packed
eggs are a scarce article at Nome, and
I have seen them sell for % cents each.
Lumber is scarce, for there is no
timber within hundreds OF miles. 1t has
sold for $3.50 thousand feet. and could
not be had often at that price. Regu-
lar meals, consisting Of three or four
substantial articles of diet and pie
made of dried apples could be had st
from 50 to s., and by ordering fancy
dishes it was very easy TO make meal
cost $40. A bed in a tent without blan-
kets costs 81 night, or 81 if blankets
are furnished. Beer is sold at so cents
q glass -