The Oskaloosa herald., 1900-11-15

days at time, communication is abso-
lutely and completely shut off between
the ships and shore. Even under the
most favorable circumstances, the light
erIng of passengers and cargoes is ac-
complished at great cost OF time and
money. Old sea captains have no love
for the Nome coast. n good harbor,
therefore, is much to be desired on the
coast of Boring sea, and Port Clarence
bay seems to fill the requirement. The
entrance to the harbor is several miles
wide, making it easy to enter for sail
ing vessels Once in, the harbor opens
out into a magnificent bay fifteen miles
or more across, protected on the north
east and west by the mainland, and on
the south by a long sand spit running
out for distance of twelve miles. With
in 400 yards of shore vessels find a good
anchorage in from five to six fathoms,
while further out the water is deeper.
Ships can discharge their cargoes any
time during the summer months. Al
ready railroad is contemplated from
Port Clarence along the coast to Nome.
The route is feasible one, and tapping
the different mining districts will do
much to open up the country.
Generally speaking the character of
the people who were in the Nome rush
is not as good as that of the miners
who have gone into the Klondike. The
reason is obvious. 1t was a compare
lively easy matter to get here, while
the pilgrimage to Dawson in 1897 was
somewhat of difficult task. Yet with
all, there is very little trouble in the
camp, NOT SO much as one would expect.
The stories of murders and robberies
are mainly without foundation. True,
there have been several murders COM
mitted and few robberies reported but
in any city in the states there are also
found murderers, robbers and lawbreak-
ers. If one is looking for trouble, he
can find it here, and he can find it in Sc
attic or Chicago or New York. Dur
ing my three years experience in north
ern Alaska | never deemed it necessary
to carry firearms for personal safety; in
fact, | feel safer walking along the
streets of Nome or tramping over the
mountains in the mining districts than
l do walking the streets of Seattle or
Tacoma at the same hour of the night.
Hold ups are not an unheard OF occur
renee in any community. The people Of
Nome are not all Sunday school teach
ers; neither are they all cutthroats and
highwaymen. We are glad to say, how
ever, that large part of the worst ele-
ment are rapidly leaving Their voca-
ton has not been profitable.
1t is safe to say that business in all
lines has been overdone in Nome. There
are too MANY merchants and tradeSmen
for the number of miners. There is no
excuse for town of the population of
Nome at this time, nor has there been
at any time in the past. Half a dozen
of the large trading companies could
furnish all the supplies needed for the
camp and transact all the business in
cidental thereto. Hence it is that the
majority of business ventures in Nome
this summer have proved disappoint-
ment to those interested. 1t is not fair
to Judge the merits of the camp and its
capacities by the off-hand statements OF
people who are cutting their eye-teeth
in the commercial world, or by the ex-
perience of tradesmen and schemers,
simply because their efforts have not met
with success.
Nome is passing through its print
tive stage which every mining camp has
experienced Gradually the country will
be opened up through the efforts OF the
prospector, and claims turned into pay
ing mines, until in few years, north
western Alaska will develop into great
mining camp, which will add yearly to
the worlds supply of the precious metal.