Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1905-03-14
NO BAD MEN IN NOME.
But Il Took Nerve to Wear the First
n.~.. c,,;x - O Rail- There

The bad man with the revolver, who
used to shoot up" the old camps, is
picturesque character that has never
appeared in Nome. There were two
or three shooting affairs the first sum-
mer, says Alfred H. Durham In the
Cosmopolitan, but they were OF The
character that might occur in New
York, London or Paris, not the mining
camp variety, at all.
The most remarkable thing about
Nome is the rapidity with which II
acquired the luxuries Of civilization
It's electric lighting system and Its tel
ephone service are excellent. Its large
greenhouse supplies fresh vegetables
and flowers the year round at reason
able prices. There are numerous
clubs, the most important Of which Ii
a secret society, the Arctic Brother.
hood, whose clubhouse is in every
particular all that a clubhouse should
be, from the bowling alleys to the cafe
The three churches are the largest
buildings.
The first winter Of Nome was char
acterized by what might be callec
high finance, truly a commentary or
the mental trend of the day. Every
body tried to corner something. Te
corner things was In every particular
legitimate, and to neglect an opportu'
nity was to court ruin.
The price Of coal under artificial
stimulus went to $50 ton; lumber
commanded $500 a thousand feet be.
fore the winter broke. Castor oil could
be had in large quantities for so cents
an ounce: eggs brought so cents each
The most successful corner was thai
Of fresh milk. There was only one
COW in the city; the owner thereof
cleared $1,000 on milk, and sold the
cow in the spring for beef, realizing
$500 more. Beer brought unheard Of
prices. To take advantage Of the higf
prices expected the following winter
poultry yards and dairies were estab'
lished and a brewery built, and thus
The social life of the town during
the first two winters would have fur.
nished the student Of sociology an In.
teresting chapter, comprising as it die
the formation Of -four hundred" 6
fast set" and the like. At a charity
ball held early the second season
wore the first dress suit ever exposed
to public view in Nome. Needless tc
add, I was the most uncomfortable
centre Of all eyes. Judge Clark finally
broke the ice by shaking hands with
the "man who had nerve enough tt
wear a dress suit in Nome"
1t was a most amusing thing to SET
the dress suits appear after that. Be.
fore the winter was over 1t was rare
indeed to see a man at a function ir
anything but evening clothes. Where
they came from has never been salts.
factorily explained to this day.
And the thing that brought all this
about is gold. Nature hides her treas
ures in strange places, and puts
through strange PAGES us that seel
for it. Everybody in Nome has g
claim: everybody expects to strike II
rich sooner or later. Enough enthu-
siasm, optimism and ambition are gen.
Grated in Nome each year to supply
the carthage, the universe-could
they be bottled or dried. The first
mining was done by placer methods
right on the sea beach. At first one
man could make as much as $50 a day
by the simplest methods. Each inch
Of beach. one might say, has beer
worked over by the hand methods, and
now the whole beach is being sys-
tematically sifted again; this time gas
olene engines and mercury are assist
ing.