Diary 73-08: August, 1897 - preliminary transcript

Nevada State Band -- Minstrel Entertainment Railroad Smashup and Indians Killed The Klondyke Komstockers -- Dan DeQuille safe Home

Saturday July 31

Clear & warmer -- 89° -- Nevada State Band gave a very excellent musical and amusing street parade at noon, for their minstrel performance this evening -- Evening I attended -- crowded house -- Very good minstrel & variety entertainment -- under mangement of Charles Regan an old professional hand at it -- Had Jas McCoy also from the Wizard Oil Co which recently performed here a week & disbanded -- McCoy's specialties drum major baton, indian clubs, and musical glasses, bells and zylophone, etc with Regan in the olio -- as well as general acting, singing etc throughout -- About 20 in the first part -- The west bound passenger train had a fearful smash up near Verdi, Wednesday, caused by broken rail -- 5 or 6 of our Nevada Indians killed, mostly from the Comstock including Dick Sides squaw -- going over to California to pick hops, as they do yearly -- riding free on car platforms -- Bed 12 --

Wife -- Tom Cara -- Big Sh___t -- Lew Hanchett Klondicites -- Bed Bugs -- Pay Roll Assessments Klondyke Kraze Moderating --

Sunday August 1

Clear & 89° -- Sent letter to wife - met professor Tom Cara at the train -- Been back from Angeles Cal, over a month -- came down from Va this

evening for a day or two business here -- Ate too much cucumbers tomatoes peaches & plums at my French dinner today -- raised the devil with my bowels -- kept me running all night -- little rest for the wicked --

Monday Aug 2

Clear & 88° -- My bowel trouble let up about 9 AM, after a copious siege -- weakening -- Dempsey gave me a dose that settled it -- Met L J (Lew) Hanchett this PM at Arlington from Silver Peak & had long interesting talk about Klondyke and Alaska with whom he is familiar in times past -- This PM I had quite a bedbug carnival in my room -- found & killed plenty of 'em -- plenty left -- Bed 11:30 --

Tuesday Aug 3

Same -- Busy all day fighting bedbugs and remodeling my sleeping apparatus -- Evening staid and slept on it -- The wild Klondyke craze is moderating, although hundreds are still rushing -- lateness of the season, cost, etc taken into consideration -- also lack of provisions at Klondyke for the winter -- 5,000 people said to be at Dawson City -- an electric lighting plant is being sent --

Journalistic Correction -- W S James -- Wife Steve Sancho Dead -- Salvation Fiddler Again Not Otto Lutjens -- Pencil Sharpener -- Ned Higgins

Wednesday Aug 4

Same -- Sent letter to Nevada State Herald, Wells, Elko Co, Nev, about a

mistake they made July 30 crediting me with article taken from Alf Chartz's ("Quelguefois") weekly Carson correspondance in Genoa Courier -- Met W S James this morning at train on way from Cal to Gold Hill -- Bed 11 --

Thursday Aug 5

Same -- letter from wife -- The Salvation Army reduced to only two women have done little or no business during the last week or so owing to lack of any interest in them -- played out -- Even the soft headed boy whom they deluded into pounding their bass drum up & down street, evenings, had thrown off on them and they got tired of trying to pack and pound the thing between them -- This morning the she fiddler who left them a few weeks ago for more profitable pasture came back on train, bringing her fiddle & a snare drum -- This evening they paraded, one of them doing the snare drum crudely & the other two with guitar & tambourine -- Not much of a revival -- Bed 11 --

Friday Aug 6

Same -- 89° -- Mrs Otto Lutgens has returned home to Gold Hill -- Says the human remains found recently in the mountains west of Lake Tahoe are not those of her husband -- Pencil sharpener received -- See July 19 -- Don't think much of it -- Evening wrote & mailed 2 page letter to Ned Higgins -- Truckee, Cal

"Palace" Fire -- Thunder Shower -- 1897 Band Open Air Concert -- Eva Bedford -- J P Jones Coming

The Comstock Klondykers -- Sail

Saturday Aug 7

Same -- PM thunder cloudy with a light shower or so -- About 3 PM, fire -- The "Palace" -- Dottie Lee's place -- took in the wood shed at rear -- Indians in there playing cards -- Burned whole establishment -- some furniture saved -- otherwise total loss -- Owned by Jake Klein -- House insured $1,000 -- furniture $300 fully covered loss -- Evening the Nevada State Band gave open air concert from front porch of Arlington -- Big crowd -- The "Palace" was the most noted resort in the "Tenderloin" district -- south end of town, west of the main street -- Eva Bedford who fell from second story of old Cad Thompson's house on June 23d used to be an inmate of the Palace -- She was not very badly hurt by that fall of about 15 feet, only laid her up a week or so with two broken ribs -- she was down to Carson a week or ten days ago on a visit -- Bed 11 --

Sunday Aug 8

Clear -- 88° -- Mrs J P Jones & daughter Alice arrived at Gold Hill from Washington first of week and left for Cal last evening -- Jones reported coming -- Bed at 12 -- J J McKinnon, T M McCabe of the Va syndicate, Jas M Meehan who backed out of it and goes now on his own responsibility, John Crowley and F Sullivan, all from Va, leave SF Monday, on Steamer South Coast for Klondyke, via St Michels -- Last Wednesday I ate at last years

Old and New Apples -- Wife -- Geo Thirll leaves Wife with $2.50 -- Klondyke Komstockers off Ellinghouse and the Fighting Carnival

green apple, last in market -- Had kept till was withered and wouldn't keep any longer -- Today for dessert at my regular Sunday dinner at Brault's French Hotel, I had fresh green apple, first of season -- They came from Adams' orchard, near Genoa, and were fine -- early variety -- red & light green --

Monday Aug 9

Same -- Wrote letter to wife -- Got to talking with Geo Thirll et al at train & brought letter back in my pocket -- George goes back to Reno tonight where his family & goods went this morning -- George been bar keep etc for Dempsey last 6 mos or more -- Bed 11 --

Tuesday Aug 10

Same -- letter from wife inclosing postal order for $2.50 -- The San Fran newspapers say that the steamer South Coast with our Klondyke Komstockers on board, sailed yesterday for St Michaels at mouth of the Yukon river, up which they will be taken in a steam launch they take along on deck for the purpose -- Alf Ellinghouse, representative of Wm Brady of New York, the great fight promoter, who proposes a grand Autumn carnival of glove fights was here today & took look at the arena and other requirements -- Went to Va this evening -- Permanaent benches were put along the two front