Diary 74-02: February, 1898 - preliminary transcript

Tuesday February 1, 1898

Busy at odd jobs in room & about the house -- Made me a nice saw bench -- 30 inches long, 10 wide, & 14 1/2 high -- Evening I wrote a four page letter to Cornelia -- Bed 11 --

Wednesday Feb 2

Cloudy -- Took Cornelia's letter to mail on the morning east bound train, but it didn't arrive till noon -- delayed at Sacramento by rear car, special, containing "The Famous Hungarian Boys Military Band," (as lettered on sides of the long car) requiring repairs at the railroad shops -- This evening I commenced writing a story for publication, entitled "Manuel Aufere, The Grip Friend of Valparaiso."

Thursday Feb 3

Clear & pleasant -- AM down town awhile -- PM odd jobs at home -- Evening wrote on my story an hour or so --

Friday Feb 4

Same -- warmer -- So little snow has fallen on the Sierra this Winter that, with the warmer weather, the streets of Truckee are bare of snow, something unknown at this time for many years -- Comstock payroll for January, $55,989.15 -- Evening, wrote on my story --

10 Warmest Day -- Manuel Aufere Composed Major E B Stonehill Dead -- Sutro an Imbecile Morton Bradford Dead --

Saturday Feb 5

Variable -- PM & evening I wrote on my story -- Bed 12 -- Little or no frost tonight -- first time this new year --

Sunday Feb 6

Cloudy, thawy, a few light sprinkles of rain -- Finished composing Manuel Aufere today -- 16 pages -- legislative bill sheets --

Monday Feb 7

Variable -- light sprays of snow -- AM down town -- PM odd jobs about home -- In SF Examiner of yesterday I find following announcement of the death of my old friend Major Stonehill of better days on the Comstock -- The San Francisco papers also state that Adolph Sutro has been legally declared to be mentally incompetent, the result of recent apoplectic attacks, and his daughter, Dr. Emma Sutro Merritt appointed guardian of

Adolph Sutro Mentally Dead -- Fair's Millions -- 1898 Manuel Aufere -- Copied and Sent to SF Examiner Lizzie -- Big Storm East

his person and property, worth some millions -- Order to this effect made in the Superior court, SF last Saturday morning --

Tuesday Feb 8

Mostly clear & pleasant -- Down town some in AM -- PM jobs at home --

Wednesday Feb 9

Variable -- Took me all day to copy off Manuel Aufere -- 15 pages legal cap -- letter from Lizzie, today with copy of Boston Herald tells of biggest

storm in the East for 31 years, occurring Jan 31 and Feb 1 -- Much damage & whole country blockaded & demoralized -- Following is from today's SF Chronicle --

Thursday Feb 10

Clear & pleasant -- Completed Manuel Aufere, inclosed private note and stamped envelope for return (8 cts), and mailed it on the west bound train tonight at 10:10 to the San Francisco Examiner --

12 -- Frank Farrington's Daughter Married Jamestown, Inolumne County, California

Friday Feb 11

Cloudy -- odd jobs -- In Reno Gazette this evening I find this about the daughter of my old time local reporting coadjutor Frank Farrington, who was local on the Gold Hill Daily News when I was local on the Va Daily Union -- Hon Chas E DeLong was Minister to Japan and Frank Farington was his private Secretary -- Otherwise the item is substantially correct --

Bro Charley About Capt G E D Diamond -- 1898 Coldest Plymouth Winter Day -- Wells Drury Manuel Aufere Returned From Examiner

Saturday Feb 12

Clear & Springlike

Sunday Feb 13

Same -- PM & evening I wrote a 6 page letter to Brother Charley, inclosing

SF Examiner sketch of Capt G E D Diamond, formerly of Plymouth but now of SF who has prolonged his life to 102 years by bathing and doping himself with pure olive oil, after the manner of the old fellows mentioned in the Bible. The Old Colony Memorial of the 5th instant gives the status of the cold weather in old Plymouth Mass as follows: As can be seen by turning back to Sunday Feb 6, it was about the warmest of the Winter since Jan 1 -- just the opposite of Plymouth temperature.

Monday Feb 14

Clear & springlike -- Made a wooden transom shutter for my room door.

Tuesday Feb 15

Same -- Manuel Aufere returned today, "with thanks of the Examiner." Evening I sent a 2 page letter to Wells Drury, San F. asking opinion and advice in writing stories for SF newspapers.

14 -- U.S. Battle Ship Maine Blown Up at Havana!!! Manuel Aufere Remodeled & Sent to SF Chronicle Prof Bray Recovered

Wednesday Feb 16

Variable -- telegrams this AM tell of US Battle Ship Maine, blown up & sunk in harbor of Havana, Cuba, at 10 o'clock last night -- 266 lives lost -- Very exciting news in view of hostile feeling between U.S. and Spain on the Cuban question, already assuming a warlike tendency. Supposed to have been done by Spaniards with a torpedo, or sunken mine -- Morning

and evening down town --

Thursday Feb 17

Same -- Cooler

Friday Feb 18

Same -- PM & evening I worked at remodeling and recopying Manuel Aufere -- improving it somewhat --

Saturday Feb 19

Clear & fine -- AM down town -- met Prof Bray, who is sufficiently recovered to attend to his duties as Supt of public schools -- PM worked on my story

Sunday Feb 20

Variable, blowy and threatening -- Finished Manuel Aufere today and mailed it tonight to M H de Young of the SF Chronicle -- Wrote private note to de Young but neglected to inclose it, so will do so in morning -- Evening a light rain for hour or so laid the dust --

Snow -- Aufere Returned from Chronicle -- 1898 Maine Investigation -- Millie's Boy Baby Aufere Sent to SF Bulletin -- A Storm

Monday Feb 21

Variable & cooler -- About an inch of snow this morning -- melted off during the day -- I was down town most of day.

Tuesday Feb 22

Variable -- flags still flying at 1/2 mast for loss of the Maine & her