THE PESSIMIST
You can bear the little hammers going knock, knock, knock,
They're busy every minute of the day;
Tbay vary from a murmur like the tickin' of a clock
To a roar that’s heard a thousand miles away.
The folks who use the hammer might have a slight excuse
If it brought them any money or new friends:
for such persistent efforts should really be some use,
Tliongh 'twere only for serving selfish ends.
Hut overall Alaska—East and West, and North and South,
And even when he goes to the Outside,
You can hear the little pessimist a-shootin’ off his mouth—
It’s strange he wouldn't have a little pride.
He poses as authority upon new mining camps,
And selfish papers stick it up in ink;
There’s brighter men amongst the bums a dodgiu’ brakies’ lamps,
For there's plenty in tlie hobo class who use their heads to think.
Hut the knocker shows no signs of brains nor has he red blood in his veins;
Along the least resisting lines he wanders with a slouch,
Unworthy of the name of man. a degenerate in Nature’s plan
Is the horabre with the everlasting grouch.
I'd rather lose my sleep o' nights
Thro’ the malamutes' cheerful howling —
E’en the ass’ bray is sweet, compared
With the pessimist's dismal growling.
His growls and groans would raise the bones
From Davy Jones's locker:
In the flames of hell e'en »atan will yell:
“God preserve us from the knocker!"
You bet he would, for what self-respecting devil doing the best
he could, could stand the eternal growling of a confirmed fault
finder?
Of course, the hammering of individuals get tiresome after a
while, but on the whole it is mostly amusing, for the greater part
of those who pose as an authority on conditions and prospects in
a new camp are only voicing their personal feelings as affected by
the weather or maybe the sourdough got discouraged and the flap.
jacks didn't rise very good.
Such people, however, soon cease to be of interest except as
human barometers which seldom rise above zero, but when a man
who is making his living off the prospectors who are trying to de
velop the country goes around making the anvil ring with that
grandfather of all hammers, “Old Monday,” and that solely for
exercise, the situation reaches the comic stage and the actor makes
himself ridiculous.
The Nome Nugget of June 27 makes prominent display of an
interview with that Wanamaker of Alaska, Mr. Maximiilian Simel,
in which that gentleman loudly denounces this camp as a fake
steamboat strike. He claims to have been here as lata as the 10th
of last month and has got things sized up in great shape.
The worst reports so far have been to the effect that some of
the creeks were good but spotted. Maxie goes that one better,
however, and knocks even the spots off. What his reason for so
doing is hard to guess, unless it be laid to the fact that be is a si
wash trader who lias had the field at the Innoko diggings to him
self for several years and may fear competition.
There may be some excuse for Nome and Fairbanks merchants
trying lo swing some of the stampeders their way this summer,
for next year's stampede will not be so easily turned. Whatever
his reasons may be, when Maxie returns to Diskaket if he takes a
mush over the hill and see how things are going now, he in com
pany with lots more wise gazabes will find they have another guess
coinin’. The Optimist.
TheBestPlace to Outfit
FRESH STOCK PRICES RIGHT
Crowley & Porter
First Avenue, Between Willow and Kichraoud Streets, Iditarod
MRS. M. L. PETERSON,
Stenographer and Notary Public
LEGAL WORK A SPECIALTY
J. H. RICHARDS,
Hardware, Optical Goods, &c.
_WILUOW AVENUE, IDlTAROD
..Pioneer Drug Stores..
Mouth of Flat and Discovery Otter
CARRY A FULL LINE OF
Drugs, Stationery, Toilet Articles, Etc.
Give us a call and we will treat you right
Charles 0. Carter, D. 0. S„ and E. M. Spaulding, M. D.
Telephones at Both Places
Slippern’s Mill..
ROUGH and dressed lumber.
SASH, DOORS, 6LASS AND
BUILDERS' SUPPLIES
——— Otter Creek
-luting of Many Kinds at Pioneer Office
General Merchandise
and[ Outfitters
Stores—-Iditarod City and Dikeraan
Big Outfit Starts
Tearing Ip Gravel'
Hoisting from, an open cut with
the big plant formerly owned by
Gus Peterson, of Dome creek' Doc
Madding, layman at the head of the
Wildcat association on Flat creek, i
began work last Tuesday and is
now running gravel through the
boxes at a rapid rate.
Madding has been ground sluic
ing for neaily two months and has
accomplished a good-sized gash in
the face of Nature, where a self— I
dumper will continue to add confu- i
sion to the general scheme ot things
the balance of the season.
Reports of cleanups fiom this
claim will be watched for with in
terest, as the ground adjoins the
Marietta association, where Manley
& Price are supposed to have plenty
of the good stuff and lays above the
la}- of the “Guggeheims,” where
the work of the last week has dem
onstrated the existence of good pay. j
Mouth of Flat
Carries Good Pay
The work done early Iasi week ,
by Craig & Britt at their lavon the
Homestake association at the
mouth of Flat, lias demonstrated
beyond question that the Fiat cieek j
paystreak has lost none of its width [
or richness in coming from the
head of that stream, and gives
hopes that large results will be ob
tained on some of the lower-stream
operations.
Craig & Britt are opening up on
a large scale on the Homestake,
and have installed a scraping plant.
Sluicing started Tuesday, from
their open cut, aud some pans
taken there were reported to be ex
cellent.
Ed Britt is also interested with
Thomas Maher in a lay on the
upper end of 3-below Flat, and on
this ground a change has just been
affected whereby the plaut was
moved from the old hole to a point
about too feet further up stream.
They are siukiug here and will
hoist from the drift.
"GUGGS" ARE THERE
WITH THE GOODS
Tuesday afternoon, after a run
of six days, the association of five
laymen on the Wildcat association
of Flat creek—popularly known as
the “Guggenheims,"—had a most
encouraging cleanup, aud one that
left them immensely pleased with
themselves, their ground and the
world in general.
These laymen are among the
most euetgetic in the camp, and
have accomplished a world of work
since they started opening up on
the secoud 1000 feet from the head
of the Wildcat association. They
began their ground sluicing early
in Juue, aud now have heavy ma
chinery installed with which they
are hoisting into the boxes, the
gravel being taken from the surface
of the cut aud wheeled in.
Exact data as to the amount of
their cleanup was not procurable,
but it was rumored to be in the
neighborhood of $6ooc. They re
covered this from their first two
feet of pay from the surface, and
now have every reason to believe
that their income will continue to
increase as they go down.
Keystone Drill
Drills Overland
The big Keystone drill being
transported by Manley & Piice to
the Matieita association on Flat
creek is almost at the end of its
journey, and is expected soon to be
punching holes into the ground
under the supervision of Bert Wal
ker, who will have charge of the
prospecting work.
The drill was taken overland
under its own steam from what is
known as Willow landing, above
the mouth of Otter, and along the
Willow ridge, the work of trans
portation being handled by Frank
Dawson, the freighter. Bringing
it across into Flat, horses were
used, but after all the work of
handling the big piece of machin
has been a difficult one.
NORTH STAR
RESTAURANT
Discovery Otter
The Best Si 0,1 Mar
I.do.1) HfEML_Creelc^
G. S. Bernhardt & E. 9. Duncan, Bmps.
Gapt, Allison’s Place
Cigars, Tobaccos, Soft Drinks,
Confectionery and Fruit
IDITAROI)
"Shorty" Davenport's
Discovery
Lodging House
Opposite Celene Fraction,
Otter Creek
Warm, Clean Spring Beds
MCDONALD’S
Lodging House
FURNISHED ROOMS AND BUNKS
Front Street Iditarod City
MBS. ALLBRICHT.
At No. I-A. Dls.
OTTER CREEK
MEALS AT ALL HOURS
Good Clean Beds
For a Home-Cooked Meal
TRY THE
Home
Restaurant,
FLAT CREEK
Misses Hagelin & Michel
PROPS,
j MARCHESI |
Coffee House
and Bakery j
> FRONT. STREET, IDITA ROI> J
They Have the
Largest Crew
—
Perhaps the largest crew of men
now working on the creeks at any
one plant is the hunch of miners
j set to work recently by Henderson
& Larsen at their lay on the Fox
association on Flat creek.
I These men have been prospect
i ing here for some time and haye
just got the ground opened up so
that they can begin taking the dirt
out in proper manner. They have
a crew ot about 15 men, bringing
the estimated total of laborers now
' working on Flat creek at about 125.
1 - --
Freight Going Up
Otter Greek Daily
i
| Despite the tact that weather
prophets completely discounted Ot
! ter creek as a means of transporta
tion during the late summer, that
; stream is still on the job with a fail
, daily average of freight from the
! mouth of Flat and to Discovery. i
! The channel has been cleared to
| a large extent, and such outfits as
i Hausen’s, Nelson’s and McKay’s
; are having good success with their
scows. The loss of one horse was
■ reported there about two weeks
j ago. but beyond that accidents
i have been scarce.
| Suffers Serious
Accident to Eye
— , ,
While chopping wood at Flat
last Tuesday afternoon, Ed Mc
Mullen was struck in the right eye
by a large splinter, the missile in
flicting a severe cut directly upon
the eyeball, The injured man came
into town immediately and received
treatment at the hands of Dr.
brooks, who reported that the in
jury was of such a nature that he
could not tell at once just how seri
ous it might prove. With no com
plications it is hoped that sight may
be saved.
Sawmill’s Song
Heard on Flat
_
The work of transporting the
sawmill owned by Earl Slipperu to
the mouth of Flat creek from
Boulder, where it has been work
ing during the past winter, was
completed last week, and the saw
ing of timber began last Monday.
Logs are brought down Otter
and the growing community of Flat
furnishes a constant demand that
has kept the mill going steadily
ever since. This mill was one of
the best moneymakers in the camp
and seems still to be there with the
goods.
DON'T RISK TYPHOID FEVER
Use Well Water for cooking and drinking,—
delivered daily by K M. Sullivan. Supposed
springs are merely surface water carrying fever
germs v
Pioneer Commission House
DI8COVERY OTTER
J. F, NELLANY, PROP*
A Full Line of Genenal Merchandise
Will be Kept Constantly on Hand
WE SOLICIT YOUR PATRONAGE
Riverside Hotel
Iditarod City A. V. Morgan, Manager
FINEST EQUIPPED LOG HOTEL IN THE NORTH
Furnished Rooms and Bunks at Moderate Rates
Every Bunk a 8pring
Anderson Bros. & Nerland
Building Materials uf All Kinds,
Glass, Saslr, Doors, Printed and Plain Housetining,
WALLPAPER
Carpets, Rugs, Curtains,
Sign Painting, Paper Hanging and Decorating
Corner Saeond and Willow Streeta
Pony
Express Co.
Telephone 22 Eric Palmen
Daily Trips to All Crooks With Passengers, Express, Freight
Ship Your Valuables With Us Also City Service
Cascade Steam Laundry
ONLY STEAM LAUNDRY IN IDITAROD
ill Silks and Flannels Washed by Hand
Get Our Prices
PARIS BROS. & LAMONT, PROPS.
Corner First Avenue and Willow Street Look for the Big Sign
McMAHON
MINERS’ OUTFITS A SPECIALTY
EVERYTHING IN GROCERIES
Full Slock of Overalls, Rubbers, Cloves, Boots,
Undeawear, Etc.
FLAT CREEK
B. B. H. POOL ROOM]
..—— .■Mi. .I. ■ i ——~- ■ ■■ ... ■ — — t
CIGARS. SOFT DRINKS AND CONFECTIONERY j
Music Every Evening \
Piano, Drama and Xylophone.
___ \
BOURRET, BRIDGES & UMPHREY, PROPRIETORS j
STR. “PUP”
Will Make Semi-Weekly Sailings
LANDS AT SAWMILL DOCK
Leave Orders for Freight at Cleveland's Milt
GREEN & LANGLEY, PROPS.
Rams’ Place
FOR HOOTCH AND A GOOD CIGAR
Iditarod City
Job Printing at the Pioneer Office
i