The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-06-03

Affairs to the great crowd now en- route
to the new diggings ION approaching the
metropolis Of the gold camp" kurtz yes
terday remarked, 1.-The fortune seekers VIII
behold long line of curious looking cao-
ms, the winter abodes of the beach min
ers One hundred and ten Of these huts
string along the beach between Nome CITY
and the mouth of Cripple river, a distance
OF nine miles. Each cabin has from four
to eight occupants. Indeed there Is no
limit to the number Of the crude places OF
habitation. They extend as matter or
fact to the mouth of Shook river, more
than twenty-five miles.
THE huts were built OF beach dr1ftwood,
logs driven in from the sea and thrown
upon the shore by the tides. They are. ow-
ing to the peculiar nature of their struc-
ture a comparatively warm house Be
| tween the logs they are battencd with
mud, poles. rags and canvas. Dirt was
thrown UP almost shoulder high along the
| sides of the cabin Then the snow came
| covering the entire dwelling. The occu-
| pants threw water over the snow 1t froZe
| very quickly. forming a SHOW and Ice can
vas for the hut
"It was in these cabins that the miners
| prosecuted their winter beach mining OPP
| erations. They would mek the snow and
S ,1e sla of st the ' winter dumps Nearly ali
who prosecuted these methods made wages
| and some got far more handsome returns
IN one CABIN 4 saw tiTee men ia LWO udSS
| rock $3.50 worth OF gold from winter
| dump.
at was not until February that the
| winter operations on the beach began in
| earnest, although few continued to work
! throughout the winter. February witness
| ed the accession OF several hundred beach
| 2,oOO when we left In March. The miners
| had twofod purpose In erecting their
| cabins on the beach. They seem to labor
under the impression that to occupy the
| ground as a place Of abode gives them
better title or right to hold II FOR mining
1.-THE climatic conditions during Febru-
| airy were particularly favorable: The
first two weeks Of that month the , sun
| promise of an exceptionally early spring.
| Toward the close of the month 1t turned
| cold again and did not moderate until
| during the first days of March. With the
| return of a second warm spell many of
| the inhabitants of the district contended
| ever II they were right in their surmises.
| Still 1 am inclined to think that the
| spring season set in earlier than usual.
AS regards the Nome rush, doubt If
per cent, OF the people bound for the
| district have a proper conception OF the
| difficulties they will encounter. 1t Is not
country. for 1t has been pretty well DEM
| onstrated that there is gold and In pay
ing quantities all over that section Of
| have only begun when he lands on the
beach at Nome. He will find the country
| staked for miles and miles back to the in
| terror. So he must either go beyond the
| staked area or buy property. In either
instance he must erect a cabin on the
property and carry to II supplies and pro-
| visions with which to develop the mine.
| Here he will find his greatest difficulty.
| The very nature and topography of the
country make summer freighting In the
| Nome district next TO impossible Trans
| portation in that country must be done in
| the winter. In summer the ground Is
a.Ff nr.I atnlr thAtr
| bodies s the muck and mire and scarcely
| navigate themselves. much less draw bur-
dens.
''Thus far all the transportation of
| building material and miners supplies
| has been done during the winter months.
| II was TO this task that those in the dis
| trict set themselves last fall with the
| close of navigation. G. ID. Lanes manag-
| ers. the Alaska Commercial Company, the
| KimbaIl Company and the North Ameri-
| can Transportation 81 Trading Company
| put in the winter in the erection OF cabins
| and the transportation OF supplies, ma
| chinery and provisions to the creek mines
| Now they find themselves ready to be-
| gin development work with the opening
of the season. On the other hand the
| crowd now en- route north can hardly
| hope to accomplish much. save In the
matter OF purchases and locations until
| this, but they will find themselves CON
| fronted with Just such a condition upon
their arrival in the Nome district.
/
| the interminahle entanglements In conse-
| quence of claim jumping. lnnumerable
| claims particularly those known 10 be
| rich, have been staked from two to forty
| times. Litigation is slow work. and many
| a man Will give up in despair before he
| has run the gantlet OF the courts. The
contest will be waged with much feeling
| and earnestness, and many "A man now
| rich in what he believes TO be his own
| property sooner or later must step aside
In compliance with the mandates OF the
| law administered,
ASIDE from the beach operations there
| was not much winter development at
Nome Snow gulch was the only notable
| exception. From one claim on that creek
several men took out 5000 worth Of
| their cabin and sunk a hole and kept GO
| ing down through golden gravel. In fact,
! Il appears to have been all pay streak.
| After they got down twelve feet they be-
| gan drifting and found gold everywhere
| as far out as they could reach. The
| ground being hard frozen, drifting was
| carried on with comparatively little risk
| despite the fact that the operators had
nothing In the way Of brace timbers.
The announcement may come as sur
| prise but II is, nevertheless, a fact that
! Nome City is now lighted by electricity
| G.. n. Lane and his associates own the
| plant. which was put in operation late IN
| February. Many Of the saloons and bust
| ness houses Of the town are lighted solely
| BY electricity. and BY next winter this
olt Nome. The town presented a beautiful
| appearance during the long Arctic winter
| months II was novel sight this town
| r8diatinE an electric glare closer 20 the
| North pole perhaps than any other SET
| Element on the face 81 the globe
| The business outlook Of Nome was
/ particularly dattertng when Mr. Smith
| and left Following the close os uavlga-
/ ton Il vas very dun until towards the
1 holidays Then things picked up and
/ trade remained fairly good throughout
| the winter Along In February the men
I came ia from the creeks. swelling the
! population * the toxin 20 probably = -
| people They seemed 20 have gotten
| scent ~ the approach q the big crowd
| that would come from the states and
| wanted 20 be Ia town ready u receive
| them There are ! should say fully g1y9
! people IN Nome city and adjacent dis
/ tricts This number was being Increased
daily by Dawson and other Yukon ar
/ rivals We met fully 80 Daw son people
| N the trail between Nome and EQuala-
| kiet among the number 4 = Murray
| 81 this cltv Murphy had made "a record
| breaking trip from Rampant 20 Eunaia-
| klet 81 miles doing The distance Ia ten
| days He was then. March =, about 40