White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-04-10
BABBLINC BROOKS
nv THE DESERT

valley d0Q u SnTlSILudS Eve IRE al
Niger creek. During those days the
Starkweather families, some three in
number, were holding down the
Edenlike little homestead in Niger
creek canyon and their children com
prised the school. Mrs. D was
the teacher. When Christmas time
rolled around. on account of its e.
treme isolation. together with the
deep snow, Santa Claus could not
make the journey over to that side
of the valley and had to pass it up.
Rather than disappoint the little
ones George Starkweather and the
others of the elders conceived the
idea of making up some sort of a fake
Santa Claus in lieu of the real arti-
Gle, believing the innocent minds OF
the younger set would v be the
wiser. 1t is said thai such things
have been done with more or less
success elsewhere--generally more
SO than in this case. During the fes'
tivities Mrs. D. who was a dead
ringer for old Santa, beard, avoirdu-
poise and all. happened To approach
too near TO one of the candles on the
tree. Instantly she was ablaze.
Throw him out, daddy! Throw
him out daddy" all the baby voices
screamed in a chorus.
1t being a desperate case George
had 10 act, and in his confiding arms
the mass of flames was gathered-in
Infinitely less time than it takes to
tell it-and like the bat of an eye
was in the depths OF a huge drift
The kids had never suspected that
Santa Clans was a woman. but when
she came out of the drift the white
beard was gone except about hall
enough for n mutton chop, and
then for the first time the little ones
to their good fortune that
they had not asked that the real
Santa Claus be thrown out. AT the
time occurred the event by
the coming of Santa Claus lost
of its glamor with them. ap-
preaching. in fact, skepticism.
Angus Mcdonald says: NO; not
soin' t'pull out. I'll stick aroun' here
Ii, tn postoffce's discontinued, any.
now"
The much talked of exodus from
Ely and e%nvirons, far from being new
o Nevada, is so commonplace m af-
air hat yours truly has IL in his
loodle to get busy and write q book
bout the has-beens of Nevada
history of its mining camps from the
of old Virginia City. Humboldt,
'uscarora, White Pine. Eureka. Aus
in, Phoebe, Candelaria and all of
hem down to Goldfield, Rhyolite,
and others of the latter
avs. Many u former Nevada city of
,00G to 10000 inhabitants has per.
shed and faded from the earth, and
he wealth of anecdote regarding
heir rise and decline is something
tartling. When such cities go down
their jewellers grow few. many
arratives of the way they hang on
nd pass the time are amusing. They
lone could be strung out to fill a
nail order catalogue or two. l will
elate only one OF them here. but
ould tell dozens.
Over at old Belmont, more especial
y when buckboards were the mode of
ravel, a dweller would sit out in
ront of the only store in town and
ook down the road through a pair OF
ield glasses to speculate on the com.
ngs Of people in little strings of dust
hat could be seen at least two or
ihlt a "tths ou1h PooCtto /
would never get by until all the facts
we're pretty well passed around and
everybody in town had had his say
bout them. Likewise mail as II
in and out of the old post.
of the population TO furnish
entertainment. a part which is borne
)ut so valiantly here by picture
Ia a.t,a nta nnao N Esrulfah y. - urae |
tent 10 Belmont to look after a mine
which had been closed down for
years, and at n house where he was
boarding he was introduced TO q
young woman.
oh" said she as she bowed to ac-
the introduction. you are
gentleman who received the
mourning envelope. We were all so
He had. received a mourning en-.
though only an ordinary letter
In 1t, but 1t seems that the whole pop
of Belmont were sorry before
he even knew of it's arrival. And, II
the young woman's remark is not
misconstrued here. they would have
been much Obliged to have been ad-
vised of the contents of said envelope,
as well.
But Ely will never get down to
that form of amusement. Inside of
from three to six months the mines
and smelter will be operating again
and copper will be mined here 200
years hence on a larger scale than is
dreamed of at present.
Lee Marriott says: March cum in
like a lamb an wen out like a lamb
but April's cuttin' up like a polar
Just at this period in the drama
there is a great demand for neat and
reliable people who are going to stay
to occupy houses practically rent free
the consideration being enough cash
TO pay taxes and protection of the
premises from vandalism. During q
similar period in the '90s at Seattle
an eX-policeman inserted a somewhat
typical advertisement in the Post-In-
telligencer. City cops get all their
cigars, peanuts, popcorn and many
similar necessities free from dealers
on their beats, some even being such
talented artists as TO secure shoes.
clothing and about all the needs Of
themselves and families in that man.
ner. They grow to expect 1t. This