The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1900-07-26
IN THE GOLD COUNTRY .
South Carolina Girl Writes or Life
at Capo Nome.

South Carolina relatives that draws
new light on tho social life Of that
country, besides containing much III
tcresting information on other sub
jects. The letter, written on June eth
chronicles the end OF the hibcrnatiny
seasons, the arrival OF several steam
whalcrs with freight and passengers,
and tho advent Of fresh meat The
first oranges brought ashore sold ior
81 each. The steamers brought lum-
Der, which caused the price at Nome
to fall from 800 per Thousand feet to
$3.50.
"Lot Jumping" says NJ iss Courtney,
"Ens been the hane Of our lives since
the now people began to arrive. MANY
people who have spent tho long winter
in this prison OF leo and acquired their
town property by purchase, have been
forced to hold it with shotguns.. Scv.
cral shooting scrapes have occurred
since the influx OF people from Dawson
over tho ice. Real estate values arc
away up, some property selling for
from $3.50 to $500 u front foot. Twelve
deputy United States marshals have
been appointed to prevent forcihlc
seizures by newcomers and when this
| force becomes insufficient United
States soldiers will go to their assist.
| anCc.
"Somo twelve or fifteen hundred
people made the trip from Dawson
over the ice. Tho distance is about
| 800 miles as the crow flies. Fully
forty women 'mauched this entire
trip. One man came through with his
bride on q wedding trip. The nights
were usually spent in 'iglows' (E:quimo
| houscs). The condition Of these plac"s
is usual y OF unspeakable squalor and
| filth. 'MauChing,' however, is not SO
| n i1icnlt 81 n nnI ~ "a (r pu &c h n ntsi Il
| world imagincs. n jaunt OF hun-
dred miles is nothing at all even for a
| woman in this climate. You do not
Efccl eXhausted-only stiffness the first
few days. Several dog teams went
through holes in the ice while making
the trip from Dawson. .nnd the unfortu-
nate owners lost all they possessed.
"There are some half dozen rich
mining districts along this coast, and
there Is no doubt that tho next year
will sec five or six thriving towns
spring up within a radius Of 300 miles.
Indications are that Nome will be the
metropolis OF the Bchring sea. Olher
towns will DC built as soon as cargoes
Of lumber arrive. There is plenty of
room for spreading, fortunately, for
late arrivals at Nome. In this there
is great advantage over the Klon-
dixie, where everything is concentrated
at Dawson.
"Ophir creek, 100 miles up Fish
river, is declared TO be the most mar
velous creek ever heard Of, the extent
in richness Of the pay streak being
greater than anything previously
known in the history OF mining.
Much excitement also exists over now
strikes on the beach at Top Il ok,
about sixty miles down the coast
| Owing to the frozen ground but little
work has been Gone in the sand. The
kOok. .lt0k district, adjacent to Port
Clarence, Is another marvclOusly rich
district.
"Wc are pleased that the beach still
remains open to the miners, and that
the 'graltcrS' failed to gObble this part
| OF the public domain. None need come
mere and sulcr starvation or fail to
realize enough to take him back home
whilu the beach remains open TO the
public. 1t has been n g0d-scnd to
manufacturers. There have been some
| rich strikes on the tundra also. This
is the ground between the sandy beach
and the mountains, covered with short
vegetation, locally known as 'nigger
heads One poor, misguided proof
reader converted tundra into the
timber adjacent to Nome. Nou can.
not fully appreciate this mistake per-
haps, but We can, since timber In this
locality Is an unknown quantity.
'EXisting conditions mere the past
winter made il impossible for women
TO stake claims in person., those owned
by women, as we'll as many owned by
men, have mostly been staked by
agents. There wero no road houses,
and no wood. 80 1T was difficult enough
for even the strongest mon tn brave
the awful tempests that were OF such
frequent occurrences.
"Thcro has been absolutely no sort
OF social life or recreation OF ref ned
nature here all winter. We attempted
whist parties in small way, but were
so often prevented going out by snow.
storms that We abandoned this.
"Wo do any kind OF honest work
here without shame or sham. # Is
sort OF badge OF honor for q woman to
| work though she does not realize the
| fortunes that might be imagined. The
other class are the favored ones. These
people are given advantageous infor-
nation as to strikes, and it is they
who make the fortunes you read OF at
home. 1t Is possible, however, for u
good woman to succeed here, but she
has pretty hard time Of it, and strug-
giles pretty much unaided. There are
lew HAPPY, exceptions among the
men, and IN these Instances they thor
-
good, true woman. Still, conditions
arc hard, and it is q desolatc sort OF
existence at best, though woman ia
not subject to impertlncnce from even
tho worst class OF mon.
"Thcrc Is one woman here-the most
notorious OF the town-formcrly OF
Chicago, said TO be- worth 500, 600.
She Is several grades below the semi
respectable Is very shrewd business
woman and made quite Is bit Of money
spcculating In real estate, coal and
lumber tho past winter. In business
ehrewdncss do not think she has her
compccr here, and it really secms to
be bad that greed for gold has led her
to place price on her honor. IT is a
high price, however, and she has bank
ruptcu a good many men. While Hit
crate, she i5 handsome and stylish and
exceedingly attractive to men Of all
grades, at least out here. She gives
swell little dinners, which are atLcnIcd
by the legal lights and Cnlcials OF the
| town, She mannDpl with bpr uSnpl