Diary 60-3: March, 1886 - preliminary transcript

Reno -- The Mexican troupe on board -- They got off at Carson, where they play, tomorrow night -- Left 5 or 6 inches of snow in Va, but found none below Washoe Valley or in Reno -- Found our folks all right -- Staid at home -- PM sharpened all the small knives and scissors in the house -- for all hands -- Sammy a small bundle full of small tools, awls etc -- Evening amused children very much, drawing "Niner pictures" -- Bed at 10 -- snowing --

Big Snow Fine Sleighing

Monday March 1, 1886

Snow storming -- Rose at 6 AM -- light breakfast & left on train for VA -- About 3 inches of snow in Reno, and still snowing -- Found about 8 inches in Va -- arrived at 10 -- Was about town as usual -- Office awhile -- Evening Col Shaw gone to Reno -- Frank Duffy, on of the printers, did telegraph for him -- I got to bed at 4 -- still snowing lightly -- Plenty of snow on ground --

Tuesday March 2

Same -- Snowed at intervals lightly -- Evening the stars peeped through the clouds a little, but, clouds got best of them, & snowing continued lightly all night -- Sent letter to wife -- Snow about 8 inches -- Splendid sleighing & lots of sleighs out -- Bed at 4:30

Snow Storming Biggest Snow Wife [blank/erased?]

Wednesday March 3

Same -- cleared off partially at sunset -- but clouded up again during evening, with

more snow -- Bed at 4 -- cloudy & light snowing --

Thursday March 4

Same -- AM sun peeped out through clouds a time or two & went back on himself & the [Storm King?] sloshed in as usual -- snowed during the PM lightly & in the evening heavily -- 2 or 3 inches -- Cleared off at Midnight, cold & freezing -- 28 deg -- Work as usual -- Home at 2 -- Clear partially & cold yet threatening -- Made good fire, read, etc -- wrote long letter to wife -- Didnt go to bed till morning, at 6 -- snowing furiously & 6 inches deeper --

Big Snowstorm More Snow Billy Woods in Va

Friday March 5

Same -- Morning furious snowstorm -- Bed at 6 -- rose at 11:30 -- PM was out to [Norcross & Choller?] & down to Can Virginia office getting the mining items -- Very tough traveling -- Snow fully a foot deep, on level -- Bed at 3:30 -- Clear & fine --

Saturday March 6

Heavy snow storm -- 5 or 6 inches more -- few light snow squalls during the day -- I as usual -- Bed at 2 -- clear, but high winds from the S & W --

Sunday March 7

Rose at 11 -- Down town -- Met Billy Woods -- Used to be a lawyer here -- Whitman & Woods was the firm -- Col W S Woods they call him now -- He is over here from San Francisco where he has been living for the last 7 or 8 yrs in the law business

as atty for the Sharon estate looking out for some legal matters connected therewith -- Had a long chat with him -- He finds lots of old times to shake hands with --

JG Fair coppering Pratt Jimmy Durants funeral

Will go back tomorrow -- Evening at home -- Wrote letter to Fair in Washington asking him to [copper?] my old friend W {letter typed over} Pratt on the Va Postmastership, as there is liable to be a change before long -- Bed at 3 -- Jimmy Durant -- the old Enterprise carrier died in Reno Insane Asylum -- brought up here last evening -- Burried this PM by Odd Fellows and Knights of Honor -- Good sized funeral -- Wife died in Reno 6 months ago -- Leaves 2 children --

N B Parsons Drunk

Monday March 8

Paritally clear, warm & pleasant -- Rose at 11 AM -- about town -- PM met Parsons the newspaper carrier - He got very bad cold -- taking rum & gum -- copiously for it -- He go so drunk that myself & T H [Folly?] of the railroad [blank/erased?] Oh dear! I got so sleepy right there that it looks like I was drunk as well as Parsons -- Met him near the International & saw he was under the influence of liquor -- Never saw him so before, and N B Parsons has been a carrier here for about 20 years -- or more -- Used to carry the Gold Hill News while I owned it -- He rooms at the Chapin House out on South C st -- I tried to get him home & he he went with me but reeled so that T H Fillebrown, whom we met consented to

Parsons Drunk More Snow

accompany us -- he on one side & I on the other -- Parsons bigger than both of us -- Had a very rough time -- He fell half a dozen times, and last of all I got 3 or 4 men to pick him up and carry him bodily to his room & bed -- saw that his money $47 in his pocket, and his papers, documents, account books in pockets were all right in hands of his landlady, Mrs Cavanagh and left Fillebrown to attend to him -- I sent my Anti-Pratt letter by mail this evening to Senator Jas G Fair, Washington D.C. Through in office at 2 -- Bed at 4 -- clear most of yesterday & till midnight when commenced snowing again --

Snow Theo S Davenport Cold Morrison Dramatic Co in "Galley Slave"

Tuesday March 9

Morning about 3 inches more snow fell -- cleared off and in evening & night was clear & cold -- 22 deg above zero -- Evening I was at theater -- The Lew Morrison Comedy compamy in "The Galley Slave" -- Big House -- fine play -- Home at 1:30 -- Wrote letter to Theo S Davenport Hawthorne, Nev, about a piece of poetry he sent awhile ago, entitled "The Years are Passing By" -- Bed at 6

Wednesday March 10

Morning an inch or so of more snow -- Day partially clear -- blustering & cold -- Evening, more snow -- 20 deg above zero -- Evening theater -- "May Blossom" -- Fair house -- Tolerable play -- not much -- Bed 6 -- Wrote letters to wife, et al --

Snow

Thursday March 11

Clear & pleasant -- Storm apparently ended for the present -- Slept till 1 PM -- Work as usual -- Bed at 2:30--

Friday March 12

Same -- Mining day -- Bed 3 --

Saturday March 13

Sunshine & storm -- Bed 3:30 -- Wild stormy night

Sunday March 14

Clear & pleasant -- Went on the morning train to Reno -- Left plenty of snow in Va, badly drited and several inches deep on a level, but found none in Carson or Reno -- Folks all right -- Evening banjo & songs with my children -- Bed at 9 --

At Reno Delayed train

Monday March 15

Cloudy & threatening -- Evening & night strong winds & sprays of snow and rain occasionally betokened a storm that didnt come to any responsible extent -- Rose at 6 as usual & went to depot -- wife also -- The train from California 5 hours late -- went back home & cut Sams & Alfie's hair -- Loafed around the Depot till train came at 11:20 -- Big train of 13 cars & 2 locomotives -- Big lots of passengers now, owning to railroad war, & worst cut rates ever know -- Cause of delay was freight train off track & wrecked considerably, 20 miles west of the Sierra Nevada summit, near or at Blue Canyon -- We left Reno at 11:40 & got through