Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-10-17

Baker City Democrat as follows:
Goldfields, New, Sept. SO.-Ac-
cording to promise l send you a brief
summary of this camp also for the
information of my friends. Goldfield
lis the magic word in Nevada and also
in the mining world. 1t is situated
in Esmeralda county nearly ESQ
miles south of Reno and 2S miles
due south of Tonopah. The eleva-
tion is a trifie over 500 feet or some
100 feet higher than Tonopah ac-
cording to the measurements of the
government. The camp lies in a huge
basin surrounded by lava capped
hills. There is no vegetation of any
description except few palms,
which the prospectors call GOSH
uas. They are a cactus of different
heights from four to eigth feet with
a straight stem and a head like a
| cocoa nut, surrounded with leaves
like a bayonet. This is the only
kind of vegetation in Goldfeld. The
soil is fine sand and gravel. All the
colors of the rainbow are depicted
in the formation of the hills from a
glistening white to a deep crimson
red. The city itself contains a pop
ulation of some $1,000 besides a
floating contingent of some three or
four thousand that come and go.
Each train is crowded both ways and
there are two passenger trains
day. The railroads by Divine right
owns this earth and the people.
The depot is located a mile from the
city which gives the hacks and ex-
press people a chance to exact so
cents for a package and so cents a
fare for passengers each way and
there is no escape. The Tonopah
railroad is one main street and such
a street can not be parralleled In
any other city on the face of the
earth. Every known description of
commerce, immortality and vice is To-
Gated upon it from the school house
and church to dens of infamy. The
mines are strictly in the city.
Thousands of tents dot their surface.
In fact a furnished house in Gold
fields consists of tent with board
flooring, a door in front and a sheet
iron stove. Rents are high. Busi-
ness houses renting from $3.50 up to
500 per month and none for rent
as business is humming in every
line. An evening in Goldfield will
not be forgotten for a long time
Thousands of people jostle each
other and elbow their way along the
street which is crowded with a surg
ing, restless mob of humanity from
all parts of the earth. | noticed In
distance of three hundred yards
three different gangs of orators with
immense crowds listening. One was
negro socialist with a banjo for
an orchestra, was shouting for So
cialism, showing the whites of his
eyes and his glistening teeth of the
Goulds. Carnegie and other mil
lionairs to the admiration of his au-
dience. Next to him was a tenn
perance orator who was giving the
rum fiend'' the scrap of his life.
The next was the Salvation army,
composed of four Swedish ladies,
huge drum, a small organ and a
guitar. The two elderly ladies, the
captain and the major were screech-
ing the number of years they had
fought satan when an old prospector
stepped to the front and tried his
hand at the Highland fling. This
brought down the crowd and elated |
the prospector who was preparing to
respond to an encore when the drum
major pounced on the prospector,
pinned him by the neck and paraded
him before the crowd as one OF
satan's Oldest boys full OF rum and
deviltry. The crowd yelled its ap-
proyal. A few rods away was a
dance and gambling hall simply
crowded 10 sunocation. and such
gambling; such piles OF
shining bold and silver. The limit
here is s12.5O 10 $50 but there is
really no limit in the games. We
saw Diamondfield Jack lose $4,000
in gold in twenty minutes on craps.
Strange as II may seem. not a wom'
an is seen OF allowed inside OF these
halls except the Salvation army
women for the purpose Of taking up
their collections. have seen Dia-
mondfield Jack on the train between
two heavily armed guards and wear
ing an Oregon Boot" on one leg go
- O.. fka uanFfanffarv IN ha hung