The Nome nugget., 1959-03-16
By FRED LOCKLEY
CThird InstallmenD

day or two of each other we would put in long hours. For instance, reported one morning at o'clock at the paper tent for after the first few weeks large tent put up the postoffice in which the papers were cased by night crew, a day force being on duty to hand them out We worked out several sacks of papers from the cases between am. and 6. We spent the forenoon in making letter and paper delivery; at noon the mail was landed from a steamer which had ar rived from Seattle. We worked all afternoon look ing through the newly arrived mail Before we had finished all the pouches of "outside" mail the Dora from St. Michael arrived with several sacks of local mail that is Alaska mail, including Daw- son and other Yukon River points. By the time we had completed the Dora's mail it was supper time The acting postmaster took both carriers to his boarding place, and served a regular banquet, including ice made from condensed milk. We went back to the office, routed our mail in the paper tent and at 10:30 pm. we started on our delivery. We through by midnight. It did not seem out of place to be making midnight delivery where the daylight was con- tinuouS, and where the streets crowded at midnight at monday, it would seem at home where nighttime implies darkness From 4 m. until midnight-a work-day of 20 hours. Of course this exceptional although on several occasions we worked IS or 20 hours. Usually, however, from 10 to 12 hours constituted days work.
 Whenever we had leisure on account of the arrival of mail steamers, would go to the paper tent and work out papers We built de- livery wagon from pair of bicycle wheels mounted narrow steel axle, surmounted by large dry goods box. Putting several hundred pounds of papers routed in bundles of convenient sze would make paper delivery several times week. remember day when the rains had conr menced and the streets were knee deep in mud. We were both pulling the cart when it got in mud hole up to the hubs We tuggng away to eXtricate it when man, probably newspaper correspondent came up to us and said, Hold on just moment boys, I want to get a picture of lo1;1y Lo 111aIt t0 the proprietor of the Arctic Pharmacy who took a snapshot Of us.
 We often wished our comrades in the service could take glance at routed our mail. As there was in the postoffice we took it to our tent across Snake River In lieu of table and sat cross-legged the sand and gravel floor of tent, and would gold pans, boxes and other makeshifts substitutes for For routing table would cots. If made inadvertent move the carefully laid piles of letters would, with accord slide toward the center of the cot, and I would find the mail for the Customs House genially frater- nizing with that of the Gold Belt Dance Hall, the S.Y.T. Co.,, gravely intermingling with the mail for the Yukon Saloon.
 It took but day two for the knowledge that free delivery had been established to be- known and appreciated. Orders for the de- livery of mail poured in by the We had to ''book" them, place each new name in our route book alphabetically arrange and verify the address given so as to place it in its proper position our route map, and then get their mail from the general delivery. We soon had about 1,200 patrons apiece, and in addition to remembering their names so that could take the letters for them from the incoming mail rapidly glanced at each letter before passed it on to the box clerk, or casing clerk, had to keep track of the changes of address which were constantly ring What added materially to work the fact that not only the individuals and firms were in constant motion like the bits of glass in kalei- doscope but the places of business themselves likewise not exempt. Tents gave place to frame buildings overnight When we presented ourselves with mail for the mining broker whose office the previous day had been tent, we found he had folded his tent like the Arabs, and quietly stam- peded to some newly discovered district or likely creek
 One such instance comes to mind out of dozens of similar experiences. My comrade in the service received orders to deliver the mail for the Red