Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1901-12-13
Letter From Alaska.
CIRCLE CITY, October %
Editor of the Led GER

writing "a few lines to my many Jack.
son friends through your paper After
having met my partners, Peter Zellel
and Carl Mackie, in San Francisco, we
Immediately proceeded to buy our three
years outfit for Alaska, and decided
that one of us should accompany the
freight-of which we had six ton-via
Seattle, Nome, st. Michaels, and III
the Yukon to Circle City, and the
other two to go by rail to Seattle, and
from there, via Skagaway, Dawson
down the Yukon. 1 was chosen to &C
company the freight and take the
longer route, via Nome. So after g
stormy voyage of six days, arrived
in Seattle on the 9th day of June, 1901
On going ashore, 1 did not walk half g
block before met my jackson friend,
S. Pauley, also on his way to Circle
City, but delayed there on account o.
his hydraulic outfit not having arrived
from San Francisco. We spent q
pleasant evening together. Next
morning 1 met my partners, French
Pete and Charley Mackie. They hav.
ing arrived the day before my arrival.
The steamer st. Paul, of which was
passenger. had to call at Seattle for
passengers and freight. Twas astonish.
ed at the business activity in Seattle
For its size, it almost beats San Fran
cisco. and some things are cheaper than
in Frisco. We left Seattle at noon:
Pauley and my partners were at the
wharf to bid me adieu.
On the 10th of June we arrived at
Unalaska to take a supply of coal, and
the oath OF June found us anchored
within one mile and a half OF Nome.
We arrived at O. clock in the evening,
but most of the passengers were not
landed until the next day. Shortly
after our arrival l sat down to write
letters, which l intended to mail in
Nome the next day. When 1 had fin
ished writing looked at my watch; il
was few minutes after one O'Clock in
the morning, and was writing all the
time without any light, as it is day
light for weeks about that time of the
year. AS 1 left the smoking room,
whore l was writing, a surprise awaited
me in the shape of sunrise. In all
my life [ never saw such a beautiful
sunrise as that just coming up behind
the mountains of Nome. The sky was
mass of burning gold, here and there
shaded with brilliant colors. forgot
letters aud everything, and just stopped
there for 10 or Is minutes. And this
was about the only attractive and beau
tiful thing I've seen in Nome. l made
up my mind to have good look at the
town after break fast. AT 9 o'clock |
stepped ashore in Nome, and found the
streets crowded with people and cover
ed with deep mud. Weather was cold
and windy, and about noon drizzling
rain came, which made it even more
disagreeable. Apparently everybody
was busy, as they were rushing by each
other in hurry. Gambling houses
and saloons were also doing a little
business. but L could see only a little
mining, and that | found as | was
walking along the beach.
, About a mile apart we're two men
with rockers and one group of three
men with one rocker, which was stand
ing in hole about 10 feet deep, where
some water had gathered. At the
rocker stood an elderly gentleman with
pleasant and friendly manners. His
two partners were about Is or 20 feet
away, shoveling some fine sandy gravel
into two buckets, which they carried
to the rocker when filled. The rocker
had amalgam plates. and as L could
see no rifles nor canvass 1 asked him
how he managed to save his coarse
gold, and he said there was none.
What little there is left in the beach
sand is as fine as flour. L, asked him
how it paid. "Welll" he said, ''yes-
terday we made $40 between the three
of u.s." 1 thought to myself, there are
better diggings in Amador county. l
went back to the crowded streets again,
trying to find somebody from Amad
county, probably Dan Murphy or Geo.
Poggi, but Nome is big and 1 did not
succeed in finding anybody. 1 was told
that they expected the ground to thaw
out in two weeks, when every body
would rush to the creeks, but it was
longer than two weeks before it thawed
out, as it was freezing in Nome on the
fourth of July.
And what barren country around
Nome; not tree in sight, not even
enough wood to cook a meal on the
trails. The good ground is all staked
within $50 miles of Nome, and if a new
conner really would find anything
worth having, he'd be swindled
out of it, as so many have been. To-
wards evening l went aboard the St.
Paul again, glad to get away from
Nome. Even business is overdone in
all it's branches.
We sailed the next morning, accom-
panied by strong and cold wind, and
rain. Although it is only Is hours
travel from Nome to St. Michaels, we
were not landed there until the 5th of
July, having ran across lot of float
ing ice, and within 5 miles of ST.