The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-01-03
FREAKS OF THE GOLD RUSH

When a gold discovery is made in
some remote place, the curiosity
seeker can find amusement in looking
over the queer stocks of goods that !
different people select to take into
the land of gold, out of which to
make a stake.
A number of Blackfoot men went
to Cape Nome in the spring of 1900,
and they we'll remember the strange |
interest with which they watched the
docks from day to day as their yes
sci was being loaded with things
consigned to the gold coast. 1t |
seemed as if almost everything from
royal robes to little fishes was in the
cargo and written upon the manifest. !
The price of transportation of freight
was dollar a cubic foot, but thet
steamer reserved the right to charge |
by the ton for the heavy freight and
right carefully did they sort it up
to see which method would get them
the most money. Gasoline engines
and hydraulic pumps of which there
were myriads, went by the tof, |
while the man who was shipping |
several dozen empty barrels paid by
the foot. The girl who shipped two
tons of krout paid by the ton for it
was condensed and heavy. The man
who shipped mammonth derrick
found them measuring each piece
from out to out and charging for
the greatest dimensions even though |
it eventually received other mems
shipments in the "interstices''
The steamer company collected
the freight in advance, took insuran-
ce on the vessel, and had so much
money out of the deal that If it had
put to sea and never been heard of.
they would have been the gamers
by building and equipping it for the
one outgoing trip.
The following article taken from
the Mackay Miner shows how one Of |
the residents of Lost River made al
bad guess as to what would be al
good stock of goods to have in an
Idaho mining camp long ago.
Recalls The Past. " |
The gladstone effect of the benign |
winter weather now prevailing, and
the atmosphere of good fellowship
incident to the Christmas season, was
considerably augmented by the APP
pearance on our streets of the kindly |
face and genial presence of our old
and respected fellow-townsman, J.
D. Daniels, who came up from Salt
Lake, accompanied by Mrs. Daniels
to spend the holidays with his son.
Dave, and daughter. Mrs. Azzie
Woody and families. The presence
of Mr.. Daniels on the street, recalled |
to the old times the days when J. D:
first came to Lost River. Mt. Nc |
Caleb was then looked upon only as |
the tailings of a good-sized badger |
hole, and Lost River wasn't lost at
all, as it had just then been found.
Where now is a continuous reach Of
cultivated farms, was then only an
unbroken waste of sage brush, and
the only sounds Of life that broke
the brooding stiffness was the weird
ululation of some lone coyote, Sink
ing steadily through the remote re-
cesses of the primeval solitudes.
One of the first prairie schooners to
navigate this vast inland sage brush
sea, was that piloted by J. D. Dan
ieIs. who brought load of boiled
shirts and razors around Cape Horn
from Wales to SELL to the pioneer
gold dust prospectors then panning
out fortunes on Salmon river. But
those we're the days when the male
inhabitants of this region used al
razor or donnned a boiled shirt on