LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Pioneer Correspondent Tells of Gold
Rush Nome Days in Firsthand Account
It is now a little over 53 years
since the writer left Stoughton,
Wisconsin, took train to Seattle
and from there took the old S.S.
Ohio to Nome. Incidentally, the
old Ohio was th^t ship on which
President U. S. Grant took a trip
around the world. I believe it was
in the fall of 1906 that the Ohio
hit the rocks near St. Michaels and
went to a watery grave.
On board during my trip was a
Mr. Lane who was blind, and he
traveled to Nome because of his
mining interests there. Also a fel
low passenger was Adolph Haske,
who secured employment as a
bookkeeper at the Beau Mercan
tile Company; also a Jimmy Sou
therland who went to Nome to see
his father, who was employed
there. Jim secured employment at
‘ the Golden Gate Hotel, and did
part-time bar tending — A fine
boy with no bad habits.
Brother of 'Lucky Swede'
I went to Nome partly because
of health reasons, and also to see
my brother “Kelley,” also known
as “The Lucky Swede.” His right
name was Clarence Olson, and he
was a Norwegian, well known, as
he was there since 1899, and a
friend of Dr. Albert Kittelson, who
had big interests in the Pioneer
Mining Company. I believe his
brother Carl, who also lived' in
Nome, was operating either Num
ber 7 Dry Creek or Anvil Creek
in 1906. They were also Norwe
gians from Stoughton, Wise.
I lived in a two-story frame
house on River Street just off
Front Street. Next door lived S. B.
Olson, Freighter. I believe there
were thirty saloons on Front
Street — I remember the Bank
and the Northern — I met and
talked with Rex Beach in the
Bank Saloon.
Two Newspapers
The two newspapers were The
Nome Nugget and The Gold
Digger.
I lived with Emil Lehfeldt, Con
ductor of the Eagle Aerie Number
75, of which I became a member.
Emil did repair work on slot
machines, cash registers, type
writers, etc.
Bursik Bros, had a clothing
store, as did Walter Gaffney. The
Elite Bath House was owned by
a Mr. Thornquist. There was a
bowling alley in one of the sa
loons. Segerstrom and Hagen were
maufacturig jewelers; Butler had
the leading drug store; Mort At
kinson had the leading grocery
store, Henry Lehfeldt was his
clerk and bookkeeper, also Harry
Walker. I believe the Geise Hard
ware Store was where George
Baldwin worked, and he was the
mayor of Nome at the time. Al
bert Fink was the leading lawyer.
Tom Ross was the Captain of the
Life Guards — a fine rugged
fellow.
.Jimmy O’Riley was an engin
eer, a boxer and a character well
known.
The winter population of Nome
during winter mnths was approx
imately 3,000, and the summer
population around ten thousand.
The place where girls sold their
virtue was enclosed behind a high
board fence with rows of frame
houses facing boardwalks, and
was known as “The Stockade.”
Free Spenders
Card games flourished in all the
saloons ad miers spent their hard
earned money freely when they
got to town. Most of them first
headed for the bath-house, where
they took “The Big Swim. Next,
the Big Haircut; then The Big
Feed.
I helped recondition and float
the old “Wisconsin” bucket dredge
on the Snake River, also helped
Louis and Henry Kern build a
“Pullman Car” which was pulled
out over the snow to be our win
ter home while sinking a hole
140 feet deep out near the “Third
Beach Line,” another project
which failed to produce anything
worthwhile.
I remember a nice old fellow
who was a drummer in an orches
tra, by the name of Foster, wlio
became rich as a part owner of
the “Bessie” bench, a claim richest
of all on the “Third Beach Line.”
I remember the Eskimos living
in their tents over on the “Sand
spit.” I also recall that a young
boy was attacked and killed by
hungry dogs while he was walk
ing on the beach beyond the Sand
spit.
I remember the Standard Oil
Company way out on Front Street,
and the U. S. Army post several
miles out of town.
I believe that I am the only
man who ever made the trip"from i
Council to Nome in one day, and j
the net result was sore ^eet, as j
36 miles of the journey I made j
afoot.
!
Celebration for Amundsen
I also remember the day when I
Nome turned out in a big way j
to meet Captain Roald Amundsen ,
and his crew of five men when j
they anchored in the Roadstead!
and came ashore to be greeted by ;
the band and citizens, with a re- !
ception in the Golden Gate Hotel. I
It took Amundsen three years i
from the time he left Norway, and ,
he was the first man to travel
around the North American con
tinent from the Atlantic to the
Pacific, proving that there was a
waterway; and that exploration
feat made it possible for our
Nautilus submarine to make the
trip under ice from the Pacific
to the Atlantic.
I was rather surprised a few
months ago to find the little boat
Captain Amundsen used, by the
name of Gioa, now on exhibition
in the Golden Gate Park in San
Francisco. ^
Does Anyone Remember?
I write this wondering if there
may be any persons still living
who can remember any part of
what I have here related.
My brother, “Kelley,” or “Clar
ence I. Olsen,” was the captain
of the little trading boat, the
Iskum, plying between Seattle
and the Siberian coast where he
established a trading post which
was confiscated by the Russian
Reds.
The Iskum called at Nome
either in 1920 or 1921. Now I
would like to know, what is the
meaning of the word “Iskum.”
It must be Eskimo. I know a few
Eskimo words, but not that one,
so please try to find out for me.
I am 74 years of age, retired,
and living in a very nice part of
Southern California.
ARTHUR T. C, OLSEN,
12663 5th Street
Yucaipa, California.
People who took snuff at one
time fresh-grated the portions
they used, so that they had to
carry at grater with them.
Tokyo Doctor Says
He Doctored Miss
Universe Winner
TOKYO, UP — A Tokyo plastic
surgeon said yesterday he gave a
bust-enlarging plastic injection to
Akiko Kojima before she won the
Miss Japan and Miss Universe
contests.
“Miss Kojima is just one of
many suclj Japanese 'beauties who
received plastic surgeon’s treat
ments. A number of famous Jap
anese actresses also received sim
ilar operations,” Dr. Toshizo Mat
sui said in an interview'.
He confirmed a Tokyo news
paper report that Miss Kojima, a
Tokyo fashion model, Ijad liquid
plastic injected into her bosom at
Matsui’s hospital.
A spokesman for the newspaper
Sankei Shimbun, sponsor of the
Miss Japan contest, said the re
port is unfounded. “We have seen
her for the past four years, and
there was no need for her to get
bust surgery of any kind,” he said.
The doctor said the 24-year-old
beauty came to his clinic a short
time before the Miss Japan con- |
test in June. He said he didn’t
measure her bust, but when she
won the Universe title in Long
Beach, Calif., last month, her sta
tistics were 37-23-38.
A spokesman for the American
Medical Association said bust-1
enlarging injections and opera
tions are not common in the
United States.
He said doctors generally have
frowned upon insertion of liquid
plastic, wax or any foreign mat
ter into the body. They regard;
such substances as a possible cause j
of breast cancer.
Japanese Beauty Denies
Bust Operation
HONOLULU, Iff) — Akiko Ko
jima, Japanese beauty, denied she
underwent an- operation to ex
pand her bust for the Miss Uni
verse contest, which she won.
“It just isn’t true,” she said,
blushing.
Miss Kojfma stopped in Hono
lulu on her way home, and about
500 persons welcomed her at the
airport.
Restraining Order Will
Release Canadian Vessel
In Skagway Union Dispute
ANCHORAGE, OP — U. S. Dis-;
trict Judge J. L. McCarrey Jr.
signed a temporary restraining or- |
der Wednesday aimed at ending
a union work stoppage that has
tied up the Canadian vessel Clif
ford J. Rogers at Skagway.
An attorney from Juneau re
quested the restraining order for
the Pacific and Arctic Railway
and Navigation Co. and the Brit
ish Navigation Co., Ltd.
He told the court the ship tie
up stemmed entirely from a dis
pute between the Seafarers’ In
ternational Union »SIU) a “so
called international union,” and
the Canadian Brotherhood of
Railway, Transport and General
Workers Union <CLC>.
He asked Judge McCarrey to
order the SIU local to refrain
from picketing the vessel and to
comply with terms of its contract.
The judge, after granting the
request, ordered all parties to
the action to appear in his court
August 24. The defendants at that
time must show cause why a
temporary injunction against them
should not be issued.
“Puts Mosquitoes
Into A Tailspin”
Said Circle Placer fields miners, 20 years
ago, in voting BUHACH as Science's 2nd
greatest contribution to Miners. Just as
effective today. Burn a little whenever
you want peace, comfort and a good
night's rest.
BUHACH I
President Vetoes Idea of
Invitation to Chou En-Lai
WASHINGTON, UP) — A pro
posed invitation to Red China
Premier Chou En-Lai to visit the
United States has been vetoed by
President Eisenhower, says Rep
resentative Charles Porter D-Ore)
Porter, prompted by the coming
visit of Russian Premier Nikita |
Khrushchev, had suggested a sim- j
ilar exchange of visits between
Chou and the President.
WORLD WAR II ERRORS
SANK TWO U. S. SUBS
DENVER, Colo., UP) — U. S. j
planes and ships sank two U. S.
submarines and damaged 31
others in attacks resulting from
false or uncertain identification
during World War II.
Vice Admiral Charles Lock
wood (Ret), former chief of the
Navy’s Pacific submarine fleet,
made the disclosure in an inter
view Thursday.
Lockwood said the submarine
Sea Wolf was destroyed by a U. S. 1
plane and a destroyer north of 1
New Guinea. 8he Dorado was j
sunk by a plane in the Caribbean.
There were no survivors in
either sinking, he said.
| Call BLACK 65 For j
| Arctic Sanitary j
Service |
Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii^
i Supply Mission to Arctic
Bogged Down in Ice
KODIAK, UF\ — The Navy ice
breaker Staten Island has been
ordered to go to the aid of a mer
chant vessel and the Cutter Storis
wallowing in heavy ice in Dolphin
and Union Straits. ,
The merchant ship is one of
several carrying out the annual
supply mission to Arctic military
establishments.
The Staten Island, whose
home port is Seattle, has been
conducting oceanographic research
in Beaufort Sea, part of the Arctic
Ocean northeast of Alaska.
GLUE POT
Soda Fountain
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TOBACCO
CANDY
FRESH ICE CREAM
EVERY DAY
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GENERAL MERCHANDISE
Prices Just Right
— Back of Glue Pot —
Open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
FREE DELIVERY
Northern Metal Works
W. E. BOHRER
Main 164 after 5 p.m. —Phones— Rhopf 'Main 115
for
• Sheet Metal Work — Welding
• Heating Systems ’
• Burner Service — Repairs
OPEN 8 A.M. to 5 P.M.
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