The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-07-19
Howard Robinson Writes the News in
an Interesting Letter From
the "Land of Gold"
BEMMED IN BY ICE FLcBs.
Kenosha Gold Seekers Have Many Thrill
ing Experiences in the Northern
Gold Fields.-Meet Old Friends
Nome City, June 18th, 1900.


trip to the coast, which I made by the
Northwestern to St. Paul and the
Great Northern to Seattle, was full of
interest to me and all on our car mar
ve1ed at the wondrous f1atness of the
Dakota country, looked with all eyes
at the first Indian village and the first
cowboy, and passed through the noun
tains and the Columbia river district
with all the ''ohsH'a and ''ahs"an '1ook
theres" down in the schedule. We
reached Seattle eight hours late and
fastened to look up Mr.. Kehlor and
found him hard at work getting ready
to put our goods on board that good
ship Senator, which was to take us the
balance of our journey to Nome City.
Together Mr.. Keh1or and l spent the
remaining two days ashore in seeing
the town and finishing up what little
business remained to be done. AT
high noon on May 10th we cast off and
amid shouts and cheers, steamed down
the sound, stopped n hour at Port
Townsend and then were fairly off on
our long trip.
sea most of the way, although nearly
everyone had slight touch of seasick-
ness including myself and excluding
Mr.. Keh1or. After nine days of steady
pumping we woke up one morning to
find ourselves under half steam and
worrying our way up narrow channels
through a great field of ice. After a
day of this we came upon a/whole
fleet, steamers and sailing vessels
alike. We had struck the solid ice and
for about week we lay around up
there IN the ice trying tc find an open
ing. Once we TIED up to the ice and
all went ashore on it and many of the
other boats following our example, we
had quite time. There were twelve
boats tied up in line at one time ard
the place looked like a harbor in the
busy season. Every evening boatloads
would come from the various ships and
we would have little entertainment,
so the time passed quite rapidly
Finally, as our captain saw no imme-
date prospect of the ice breaking up,
and we were running low on provisions,
we headed south and pushing our way
carefully through the soft ice, after
two days and a half sailed into Dutch
Harbor in the A1eution Islands. Here
we found great many vessels of all
kinds, all headed for Nome and all
waiting for the ice to break up. We
stayed three days in Dutch Harbor,
wandering over the low, but snow
capped mountains and feeling good to
be on shore again. Here also we buried
an old man who died of pneumonia
while on our ship. He was a Mason
and'at the funeral were over 500 Masons
in line by actual count, all in their
white aprons, and making a very i'm
pressive scene. The man was quite
poor. but through his fraternity found
lots of help during. his illness and was
we'll taken care.of. A purse was raised
and sent back with the news of his
death to his family.
While at Dutch Harbor we met Mr..
Boyd, headed back to Dawson, where
he has interests. He was glad to hear
the news from Kenosha and we had
quite chat with him.
After two days in harbor a boat came
in and reported the ice breaking up SO
we fastened the work of coaling and
provisioning and started north again.
We met the ice sooner than before and
after FIVE days dangerous navigating
among the foes and bergs we dropped
anchor off the shore of Cape Nome
During our trip we sighted many
seals, few whales, and one group of
wa1rus. We also rendered assistance
to two boats that had smashed in their
bows bucking ice, breaking a passage
for one to clear water.
Two boats were wrecked by the ice
closing in on and crushing them. The
crew and passengers all escaped, the
government boat Bear picking up
one lot. The steamer ST, Paul came
in soon after us flying the e. 'ow flag
They had smallpox on boa ID nd were
sent at once to Egg Island, whe1 they
will stay for month in quarantine.
Now for Nome. From our boat it
looked like large army in camp.
Tents of all sizes and descriptions
we're planted along the shore for a
mile or more and several rows deep.
Very few buildings could be seen,
those of the three big commercial com
panies doing business all over Alaska
being most prominent These COM
panies, the Alaska Commercial Co.,
the Alaska Exploration Co., and the
North American Transportation and
Trading Co., virtually control the
commercial business of Alaska, each
having their line of steamers and
warehouses and stores in all ports or
! towns in Alaska.
They also own a great deal of the
mining lands, acquired by purchase
or by sending men out to stake claims
under power of attorney. This power
of attorney way of getting claims is
very unfair to the real miner and by
its use few sharp people have a title
to most of the good mines, and let peo-
l'ple work them on shares This, of
Fo<....9 ..,1; RI 4t1a screa1z ~ s..1c those