Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1914-04-11
miles in our run from Fillmore to Gar

miles in our run from Fillmore to Gar
rison.
On Saturday, September z, we
started for Ely and had the pleasure
of paying at Osceola, up in the gold
mining country Of Nevada, the highest
price for gas on the trip-57 cents
per gallon. 1t was worth it, though,
and the fellow who sold it to us earned
every cent he got for it. This town
is over 100 miles from Milford, Utah,
and over 40 miles from Ely, Nevada,
and hauling freight is hard, expensive,
horse-mule-a nd-man-killing business.
From Salt Lake City to Sacramento
the route is just one succession of
mountain and valley riding. The
mountain ranges all run north and
south and it is simp'y a question of
finding a gap in the ranges, climbing
over it, making a run across the val
ley-anywhere from four to twenty
mile understanding up another range
and then the same thing over and over
again.
We arrived at Ely, the famous min
ing town, at 4:30 Saturday afternoon.
Secured rooms at 81 per-50 cents
each-and good restaurant meals at
50 cents each. After cleaning up we
hunted up Mr.. G.. S. Hoag, official A.
A. A. man, to who we had cards of
introduction. He piloted us to the
University Club, where we met the
active men of the town and spent an
agreeable evening. AT 10 o'clock we
were invited out to see Texas
Tommy" dance, supposing' it was to
be given in vaudeville theater.. A To-
cal car took the men of our party to
section of the town where at a
glance we could see we were in the
tenderloin district Of genuine mining
town. The car stopped in front of a
saloon and we soon found ourselves in
side of a typical dance hall of the
western variety. A bar occupied the
fro part of the room and extended
around half circle to the left. The
rest of the room was used as dane
ing floor with raised platform in one
corner for the musicians-piano, vio-
lin, picolo and trap player. Back Of
this were small drinking rooms with
tables and chairs. The place was
crowded with men, and women of the
scarlet variety. After each dance the
women gently, but firmly steered their
partners TO the bar, where everybody
drank something no matter what
water, ginger ale, lemonade, beer or
whisky-mostly beer. Each round for
two people cost 80 cents and the bar
tenders handed over % cents of this
amount openly to the woman who led
her victim to the bar The place was
noisy, but not disorderly, and there
was no drunkenness at that hour of II
o'clock. The women almost without
exception were very communicating,
smoked cigarettes necessarily and
talked tough. Their actions were
tougher than their talk and amOrous
contortions with their male partners
were the rule. 1t wasn't ba-a-d; 1t was
cheap, nasty vulgar, lOwdOwn and dis
gushing. Men, even miners, must GER
tainly be hard up for companionshlp
when they spend time and money in
such places and think they are hav-
ing a d. of time. They thought
they were showing us tenderfeet some
real life" of the west. 1t was tame
and uninteresting. The dance of the
Texas Tommy by young man and
woman imported from Frisco, was
good. The dance was not as lewd as
we have seen in some of the preten-
tious eastern vaudeville houses.
Sunday morning, September g, we
started from Ely at 7:45. The run to
Eureka was about SO miles up long,
steep grades and with more or less
tire trouble though, we arrived at a
o'clock in the afternoon. 1t being
Sunday and long run TO Austin. our
next important point, being through
an uinhabited section, we decided to
put up. We stopped at the Brown
hotel not any too modern, but &C
ceptabe to weary travellers, at 81
a day rate. That evening the pro-
prietor brought in local musical talent
and we were entertained by really
good singing by Mrs. King, whose
voice had been trained. She was ac-
companied by an elderly gentleman
on the piano and before the evening
ended we were all singing old time
familiar songs. The natives fiattered
our vanity by surrounding us with adj
miring glances and comment and we
retired happy.
Monday morning. September 3,
bright and early, we started at 1:l5
after filing up with gas at AZ cents
per gallon. Twenty miles had been
covered when one of our companion |
cars went bad at the springs. With |
what tools we had the springs were
fixed up out there in the sage brush |
valley and on we went toward Austin
Striking more or less sandy roads, |
we had some slow. gear work and as
we neared the top of slight hill our
car suddenly stopped short! Out of |
gas! and there we were with 81 miles |
vet to 90 before we could reach sup |
ply station. We bought and paid for
a can of gas at Eureka, but we failed
to pour il into the tank! Foolish, care
less people. Four of us and the most |
important factor of auto supplies left |
behind! We Gods, but were were a |
bright lot. Each blamed the other for |
the oversight, but that wouldn't start
the car. Our companion car had
caught up to us by this time and by |
dripping gas from it we had enough !
to continue on our journey. We were /
nearing the summit of the last range |
before getting into Austin and felt |
that if the gas we had borrowed would |
hold out until we reached the top we
could coast down into the town. Every |
additional rise i'm the ground made us