Arizona silver belt., 1900-07-19
CAPE NOME.
An interesting Letter from the New Alaskan Gold Field. It Was & Disappointment. The Beach
 Nearly Worked Out.


 "A, 1900, was received by Frank L. Gates, last Saturday;
 Iarrived here about week ago, on the whsler Thresher. from St. Mich aels My trip of 2000 mi es down the Yukon, was something to aforementioned for lifetime. Iwould not repeat it, in small boat, for all the gold in Alaska; that speaks voume,s don't you think so.
 I'll tell you about it som,, day, as have not got paper enough to it on. Between the extremely cold weather bowling head winds, storms md starv- ation, I came near ending my exist ence in the bottom of the mighty Yu- kon river food for the spring run of salmon.
 But here l am, still on top, with the most crazy, howllng, excited, strug- gling mass of humanity, that man ever saw, on all sides of me. Doctors, law yers, merchants, clerk, hatchet and pencil miners, Jews, Gentliles, Chin ese, Japs, Greeks, Turks, Dagos and Esquimaux, all huddled together in tents, for SIX miles up and down the beach, facing Behring sea. just as thick as they can be packed together. l doubt very much, if such scene was ever recorded before in the world It is impossible to describe 1t with paper and pencil.
 There are II ships of all kinds un-
  loading passengers and freight, night and day. Thousands of tons of mer- chandise, of every description, lumber, coal and every kind of new tangled gold saving machine that human mind and skill could invent and put together strewn along the beach, men and women, and quite number of chil- dren, barber shops, blacksmiths, bakery shops, restaurants, lemonade stands, doughnut foundries, boat builders, teamsters. and with tugs and lighters, the continuous shrleking of whistles, and the doleful sounds of steam sirens and the ship bells-one can close his eyes and imagine that h. itself had been turned bottom side up, and that some one is scratching 1t on the other side. It is sight never to be forgotten, once seen.
 While the weather Is nice small boats by the hundreds are engaged in bring ing impatient passengers to shore, as we'll as baggage. The transport Ohio. with 1900 passengers is quarantined at Egg Island, off St. Michaers with a few cases of small poX on board. How l pity the poor devils on that boat, crazy to get to the new Eldorado. Anchored of barren island and not even d. lowed to go ashore to hunt gulls' eggs, That Is what I would call tough luck.
 Three vessels have been wrecked here this spring. The brig Alaska went ashore, and part of her hull lies out abouu 300 feet from shore, while the rest of it is strewn alond the beach, The others rode out the storm, but had all their tops and rigging destroyed, and one of them dragging the anchor, was picked up by the cutter Corwin, and sold, cargo and all, for salvage. The ship Hunter went ashore of Cape Romanoff, just above the north chan nel eff the Yukon, and went to pieces, cargo and all, passengers picked mp by the City of Nome.
 There is no harbor or shelter of any kind here for ships, and all steamers have steam up night and day, ready to head out to sea, should storm come up What the sailing vessels would do in that case I do not know.
 The beach, as far as this vicinity is concerned, is worked out, or nearly so, and the Chechakos will have to hunt new diggings. The whole country is staked by power of attorney, and some parties have hundreds of claims hold ing them for speculation.
 A steamer is just pulling out for Frisco, and every ship in port that has n whistle, IS giving her farewell sa lute. The noise is simply deafening and that occurs every tune one goes, which is every day, while others are 
 am camped one and one half mile below town on the beach, This IS a bum town for restaurants, as no regu- lar hotels exist, all short orders and eggs, one boiled potato. bread and butter, with one cup of coffee, Sl, and eggs selling at 50 cents per dozen and Checbako potatoes at cents per pound.
 had my first mess of spuds in two years on the whaler, also my first taste of fresh cabbage; am eating eggs and spuds three times day and, holy sailor, how I enjoy them. Oranges and apples are three for p cents, all drinks 25 cents. Coal is S60a ton. There is not stick of wood in the whole country, except drift wood, and that is mighty scarce and very vet You have to keep the oven full of 1t all the tune, in order to get dry wood for your next fire.
 It IS all interesting place. this. Wages are Sl per hour for long shore and other work, carpenters get Sl 50 per hour. I have not been up on the creeks as yet, but l guess there are few good paying creeks all right enough. c. D. Lane is big owner of creek property. Lucky Baldwin's outfit was landed few days ago, as saw it piled up on the beach One sa- loon man shipped a $l00, 900 stock and fixtures, took look over the town, and refused to have his goods unloaded and will take them back with him. Lot jumping IS in order and since l came