Amador ledger., 1902-04-18

Expectation. Mans mind is prone to
grasp. hold, and shelter theories mold.
ed into fancies so extravagant and
erroneous as to create a glamoring i'm.
preston in the human mind, carrying
it away in ecstasy of fictitious delight,
but when the real comes, which il
often does, how strange the difference
The place that sprang into being
through the conception of the ideal
crumbles from stupendous grandeur
and drops with crash into the ruins
of commonalty.
The gorgeous picture they have
drawn in their mental vision fades like
glamoring shadow away. Upon this
mental theordrical hypothesis, mental
pictures of land of the midnight sun
becomes erroneous, extravagant, ridic-
ulous, and imperfect. To know is to
see, to see is to illustrate, then all
guess work passes into shadowy realms
OF its own, and certainty stands eman-
clpated as a fact before you. Nome
then, to those far off, is the ideal
Golconda of wealth and magnifcence,
but when you stand in the streets of
the city itself the fairy picture you
have nodded in your imagination be-
comes a vacuum of incongruity and
stands haggard and grotesque before
you. The place you see is cosmopoli-
tan, for every shade OF humanity is
represented therein. The latin race,
dark and sinuey, permeates this mass
OF varied humanity. The Scandinavia
ans find a habitation similar to that of
their own. The Laplander habited in
their pinkish blouse coming only to
their knees, below which is a skin
tight arctic stocking, Liliputan in
stature, and wearing jaunty red cap,
make them the target of jest and the
cynosure of all eyes. AS they go along
the streets carrying great load upon
their backs, supported by head strap,
and bending under the weight, a Curl
GUS crowd gaze at them with ali the
curiosity of person viewing mon
strosities of passing menagerie. The
Esquimaux is so common on the streets
that they fail to attract attention.
They vend their merchandise along the
city thoroughfare, and go with swag-
gering, unconcerned gait, and with
that nonchalance of all curiosity as if
they had lived lifetime amid the curl
GUS charms of civilization. Their type
in facial mold is Japanese, and when
they dress in American fashion, as they
sometimes do, so similar would they
appear that you would not know with
out being told but what it were a JAP
anese standing or walking before you.
Like the reindeer they are gregarous
in character. In summer they live
under their inverted walrOs skin boats
that carry them from place to place on
the sea, and shelter them from the fall
ing rain upon the land. In winter they
live in engloos, which are excavated
houses, with entrances enclosed almost
hermetrically, shutting out the cold
winds that sweep from the Arctic sea
with penetrating deadly force. Com
ing from their engloos habited in furs
when the Thermometer is so or go
below zero, they go in search of the
walros, and when they return they
dive again into their abode, leaving
the icy wind that has famed them for
hours and the sudden change, too often
produce pulmonary diseases, destruc-
tion and death. So rapidly is death
following their footsteps that decade
or two more will mark them with the
last of the Mohegans.
Nome supports no superb buildings.
From the ordinary building it drops
into shacks, and ends in canvas tents.
So deep is the mud in places that it
renders disgust, and merges on to the
ridiculous. In passing along the
streets-if l am permitted to use
misnomer-back from Stedman Avenue
l came upon a new wagon almost out of
sight in mud, four or five inches of the
upper portion of the wheels projected.
A play card fluttered above it, held by
a twine string, and reading, ''Claim
this wagon by right of discovery"
nr1t, ha int
with icy breath, bringing the ice and
freezing the surface of the ground, is
Nome in all its glory. Then pedes.
trians with braided boots or shoes go
in safety everywhere, without danger
of dropping to their waist in mud.
Nome sports railroad of the reduced
pattern. 1t is known as the Wild
Goose railroad and runs from the Spit
on the west side of Snake river to
claim No. Z on Anvil creek. Passenger
rates are 81, and freight $40 per ton.
Financially it is success, but in COM
parison of railroads in general it
dwindles into utter insigniicance.
When 1 first saw it, it made me think
of an incident of travel in 1875. 1 was
on the southbound train going to Los
Angeles. There were no sleepers on
the train and passengers could either
stay awake or sleep as best they could.
1t was II O'Clock at night, and 1 was
doing in my seat. l was suddenly
awakened by the hoarse voice of the
conductor saying: 'If you want TO go