THE NOME DAILY NUGGET
GEO. S MAYNARD. Editor
RUSSELL G MAYNARD, Manager.
Published every evening except Sunday by The Nome
Publish.ng Company, Nome, Alaska.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Delivered by carrier in Nome, Little Creek and Sunset
Creek, for $2.00 per month. By mail postage paid out
side of Ncme and vicinity, $1.50 pe month.
Entered in the Post Office in Nome as 2nd Class Matter
MEMBER OF ASSOCIATED PRESS
(CITY OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER)
Former Nome
Man Tells Trip
On Bering Sea
(Continued From Page One)
we would not freeze. We huddl
ed together as close as we could
and tried to keen warm.
“It had turned very cold in
the meantime, and ice had be
gun to form on the ocean. The
third day we were fast in the
ice and a howling blizzard was
blowing. The people in the town
of Solomon said it was one of
the worst storms of the winter.
A Jap froze to death on the trail
that night near their town.
“We were not wishing for Pa
nama hats, BVD’s and duck
trousers. Instead, we huddled
more closely together and beat
a devil’s tattoo with our teeth.
The launch was ruined and
would sink the minute it got
loose from the ice that was hold
ing it up. So we took the dory
and fixed two ropes on each side
and. with men on the bow and
stern, we started over the .new
formed ice for the shore.
“We could just see the top of
Fourth of July mountain, back of
Solomon, and we made for that
point. As far as the eye could see
was ice, and the tide and wind
had piled it up as high as houses
in many places. The dory wras
heavy and the going slow as we
did not want to break through
and get wet Then one does not
make fast time when pulling a
big boat over the ice hummocks.
But we had started for shore and
that was something.
“When I went aboard the ill
fated craft, I supposed she had
some provisions aboard. She had.
One case of cream, two cases of
fruit and 50 cents worth of hard
tack. Among the freight was a
barrel of bottled beer and a keg
of whiskey. I was taking about
ten pounds of stevk with me for
my brother Jim We put the meat
and hardtack in an oil can and
with the aid of the torches cook
ed it up and it tasted fine.
‘Our water gave out and we
opened the barrel of beer, but
it had frozen and broken all the
bottles but twenty. So, when we
left for shore, we had cream,
fruit and beer. Let me say right
here that beer may be all right,
and I guess it is. but I would
have traded the Pabst Brewery
and the whole fame of Milwauk
ee for two minutes with my head
attached to the discharge pipe of
McKucick's spring. We were not
as strong or as ambitious as
well-fed men would have been
still it was a game that had to
be played to the end, and it was
one in which to shirk meant you
were not only untrue to yourself,
but cheating your fellow men.
“We were not over 18 or twen
ty miles from shore, and the fact
that we were 68 hours coming in
will give you some idea of the
going The first night after
leaving the launch we laid down
side by side with our coats over
us to see if we could get a little
rest and sleep. In a couple of
hours the engineer awoke and he
was all wet. The ice the dory was
on had gradually sunk down and
the dory leaked. We were all
more or less wet and after bail
ing the boat out we started ag
ain.
“The ice in some places would
hold us up and we would pull
the boat over it; then we would
find a place where it would not
hold us up and we would shove
the dory up on the ice and all
walk forward and break it down
and then repeat. This was very
slow work. Then we would work
in to where we could break the
*
ice with the oars and we made
better time. It seemed to us the
tide was carrying us out as fast
as we were working in.
“We finally reached a place
where the ice had broken up and
had leads through it, then we
could row some and wre felt as
if we were making good time.
“The night before we got to the
shore we could see lights flash
ed from Topkuk Point, and we
thought it but a few miles away.
We were sure we could hear dogs
barking—it was seals. Our spir
its rose high and we worked
harder than ever and daylight
came to show us near the shore
and we were all happy. But
somehow. I don’t know nor
could anyone explain, we'got in
to a current that took us out
miles before we noticed it. It
was discouraging, but we soon
otruck a lead thru the ice and
made good progress. Then the
lead closed and we were in slush
ice Our stock of provisions was
getting very low and we were
nearly dead for sleep, and some
tired. One of the men gave up.
His hands were worn quite a,
good deal and he was not used
to hard work anyway. Kind of
tough to see a man give up that
way, so we patted him on the
back and talked to him like a'
Dutch Uncle. No use. We had
to reverse'the dory, as the bow
was all cut from the ice. We
worked thru the slush ice and
got into another good lead, and
this took us near to shore. By
this time we were getting weak
and light-headed and our minds
were not working very good. We
would imagine all kinds of diff
erent things. I know I was row
ing, or thought I was, and I be
gan to feel warm and cozy.
“I’d see angels and cuplds hov
ering over roast turkeys and
well-laden tables, and the air
was filled with music and per
fume, and then someone kicked
me and told me to row, I had
gone to sleep, the worst thing
that could happen to anyone.
The seals would come up behind
us and I never saw anything in
my life that looked so big and
ferocious as they did. I was af
raid they would attack the boat
and tip us over and you know
they are only three feet long and
perfectly harmless. I knew it
too, but I couldn’t remember it.
LOCKHEED
^ VEGA
STINSON
RELIANT
THE FASTEST, MOST FREQUENT, MOST
CONVENIENT SERVICE IS
VIA
MIROW AIR SERVICE
FAST, STURDY, LUXURIOUS PLANES
Soon we thought we could see
telephone poles along the shore
and some cabins. After a time
we were sure about the poles and
then we began to speculate as to
where we might be. I know I
said we were down the coast be
low Bluff, near Chinik. Now I
know that the telephone poles
did not go below Bluff, and yet
somehow, I was sure that they
did. As we got closer in to the
shore I was sure that we must
be near a deserted Indian village,
because if it was a town where
were the white men they would
see us and come to help. But
no one came near us, and after
a while we succeeded in getting
clear of the lead to shore. The
sweetest sounu ever neara was
that dory crunching on the grav
el. We sent the captain and en
gineer up toward the cabin
While tying up the boat a flood
of light came over me and I knew
where I was as well as if I were
standing on Mosier’s corner. I
turned to Greenwood and said,
'This is Solomon, and we are on
the east side of the river and
can’t see the town.’ We had
tied the dory to the railroad
track and hadn’t seen it. He
said, ‘Yes I guess so.’ Had I
said it was New Orleans and ov
er there is the Statue of Liberty
in Lincoln Park, by the Eads
bridge I would have had the
same response.
“We had been talking about
natives helping us when we got
on shore and with that in mind
the captain and engineer started
up the railroad track. Gordon
Shea was keeping a roadhouse
then in Solomon, and he had
been watching us in the boat for
some time through field glasses,
and had concluded we were In
dians, as we were black as neg
roes. He came over to us to see
if they had heard any news of us
and when he met Captain Storey
he did not know him. He spoke
to Storey and asked him where
he was going and Storey said I
am looking for a native village
I am all froze up and hungry
and I want them to take care of
me.’ ‘Won’t a white man do?’
asked Shea. ‘No I want some na
'fives to take care of me.’ Then
Shea asked him who he was. and
Storey told him. We could hear
I the shouting down on the beach
where we were, alid I said,
‘Come on’, and he came. We met
about four-fifths of the popula
tion coming over to see us. and
the way they shook hands, slap
ped us on the back, hugged us
and every other thing that one
) human be;ng will do to another
to express their joy. The good
news was telephoned to Nome
and there it spread like wildfire
The whistles shrieked it, the bells
rang it out. and the people laugh
SALES
Every Month in the Year
Auction Sales Dates
1936
May 13
June 10
July 15
August 12
September 9
October 14
November 12
December 16
SPECIAL SALES HELD ON
REQUEST OF SHIPPERS
Advances will be made as
usual when requested.
Transferred by telegraph
If Desired
The Seattle Fur Exchange
1008 Western Avenue
Seattle, Wash.
For People Who Feel
Under Par
SQUIBBS CHOCOLATE
VITAVOSE
RICH IN VITAMINS B, G, AND IRON
5 0 Cents
NOME DRUG STORE
THE BOARD OF TRADE
NEW LOCATION
(Opposite The Dream Theatre)
MINERS & MERCHANTS BANK of ALASKA
NOME, ALASKA.
ESTABLISHED IN 1904
GENERAL BANKING BUSINESS CONDUCTED
Checking Accounts Carried For Those Who
Prefer Paying By Check.
Interest Paid On Time Deposits
Gold Dust Purchased
WE SOLICIT YOUR BUSINESS
Northern Light & Power Co.
AND
Alaska Telephone & Telegraph Co.
Second Avenue and Lane’s Way
LIGHT, POWER AND ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES
| LOCAL AND LONG DISTANCE TELEPHONE SERVICE
ed and told it again and again.
Of course we were feted. Every
one wanted to do something. Un
derwear and over-wear, shoes,
socks, medicine and all other
things that were useful were
ours to command. I guess warm
water to wash in didn't fieel
good and drinking water tasted
like I never thought it could. I
drank about two gallons that ev
ening. We had some supper,
cove oyster soup and lots of
! crackers, and. say, it was good.
! Then to bed—but not to sleep.:
' No, I forgot, Joe called me up ■
on the telephone to say a few
words and the bill was $14.75.
But I could not sleep when I
did get to bed. I was still cold
after taking two or three hot
whiskies. Then every minute
someone would come to see how
we were, or to tell us how' glad
they wrere to see us. Only one
man complained and he said he
had bet fifty dollars that morn
(Continued on Page Three)
TO
PROSPECTORS
AND MINERS!
If you are planning on
doing prospecting or min
ing in the Nome section,
call on us and obtain our
reasonable prices for
transportation of supplies
and equipment via Cat
erpillar.
We Can Save You Money
On Transportation Costs.
NOME
MOTOR CO.