Diary 77-08: August, 1901 - preliminary transcript

including Jose Salinas and was kept busy shaking hands and chatting as I passed along C street - The old hill up from the depot seemed longer and steeper than ever- sidewalks more dilapidted -general air of dilapidated - general air of dilapidation in passing through Gold Hill & Virginia - Visited the three newspaper offices , Enter rise, Chronicle and Report, all of whom made note of my arrival - Met Miss May Dunlop on sidewalk, front of her home on C at & we had pleasant old time talk - I wore my new shoes, and the left one hurt my toes so badly that I had to change it for the old one I had taken the precaution to bring along in my valise which I took to Con Ahern's Crystal saloon. Bound Leon M Hall at his rooms in the international and we had talk about Comstock changes to electrical works, and machinery etc information I require - he being Consulting Engineer ,etc - Dined with Hose Salinas at Otto's old restaurant - Evening about town - Bed at 12 in Douglass building - 3d story, my old colored friend, Billy Brady janitor took charge of me - Old Joe Douglass not at home - met him in Old Joe Douglass Hot Weather & Sultry Nights 1901 Leon M Hall Statement - Dr P Manson Bonafous McCurn Con Va Office Pay Day Old Chinatown Return to Carson Carson yesterday morning on his way to Walley's Spring's Genoa for a week mud bath to soak rheumatism, whisky and other ussedness out of him - Bed at 12 - sultry so I laid on top of the bed, uncovered, and slept excellently-

Friday Aug 2

Same -- Met Leon M Hall at his rooms and he gave me a written statement he prepared relative to Comstock electric changes etc -- 5 pages -- PM about town gathering information & visiting old friends -- McGurn, et al -- Met Dr P Manson on C st and by invitation dined with him at the City Bakery, kept by E Bonafous & son -- Bed at 11 -- sultry

Saturday Aug 3

Same -- hotter -- must have been 96° -- more consultation with Leon M Hall -- PM at Con Va office awhile, consulting with O'Donohue [O'Donahue], Ross et al -- Pay day -- Only about 250 miners working Comstock, mostly at Con Va -- Took a walk down below the RR depot to old Chinatown -- Very few houses left there -- & very few Chinese -- gone -- dilapidated relics -- At 4:20 PM left on train to Carson -- Evening about town some -- Bed 12 -- very tired -- Leon M Hall also came down on same train, bound for San Francisco

120 -- Showers -- Bessie -- "Hattie" -- Sam Wm Nelson -- Journal -- San Jose Mercury With Column -- "Indians Letter" By Bessie

Sunday Aug 4

Cloudy -- sultry -- About 4 PM light thunder showers set in for 2 or 3 hours, laying dust good, cooling atmosphere, etc -- Got 5 page letter from Bessie, Reno, -- complained of hot weather, etc -- I met "Hattie," Piute squaw, Austin acquaintance on C st Va yesterday with her 2 children -- Much

pleased to meet & told me was going to Reno, and would "see your gal Reno" -- saw her off on the Reno stage -- Bessie's letter mentioned her arrival & report this morning of meeting me at Va yesterday -- Sam had been home & gone out in the mountains again -- I was at room most of day & evening -- straightening up matters -- Sent page letter to Wm Nelson of SL Tribune, rendering my "string" of balance due me, $10 for July -- Wrote up this journal from note book since Wednesday last -- Bed 1 -- principally clear, moonlight -- air rich with cool sagebrush perfume -- With her letter this morning Bessie sent me a copy of the San Jose Daily Mercury July 22 containing a cleverly written sketch written by herself -- about a column, about our Piute Indian friends -- dated Reno, July 20 entitled "An Indian's Letter" -- Hohnson Sides figures in it prominently & extensively --

Wife -- Big Thunder Showers -- Big all around Carson Con Va Pays Bullion Tax -- Comstock Lightning New Carson Band Master -- Col H G Shaw's Wife & Daughter Jones and Stewart -- Gilbert Ross Va Principal

Monday Aug 5

Same -- little cooler -- Sent page letter to wife -- Around on information, Bed 11 -- clear -- PM heavy clouds with thunder -- rain fell heavily in the ranges south and east with small cloud burst at some points west & north -- but none here -- Senator J P Jones arrived in San Francisco last Tuesday from Washington and Senator Stewart is expected to arrive there on the

15th inst -- Gilbert Ross formerly of Gold Hill has been elected Principal of the Va public schools in place of Mark Averill resigned -- Ross kept me company riding down from Va to Carson Saturday evening -- The 20 mile relay race between married and unmarried men down at the race track was quite well attended & the boys won good. This evening's News reports:

122 -- Matt Callahan's Frog Story -- Bedbugs!!! Selby Works Robbed -- $280,000 -- Mrs Bowers Photos

Tuesday Aug 6

Variable, but very warm -- PM plenty cloudy, and toward evening some light thunder showers -- PM I was at State Library gathering information -- I met Matt Callahan, here yesterday and got this item from him into this evening's News -- Bed 11 -- sultry -- clear --

Wednesday Aug 7

Variable, no showers -- comfortably warm -- About 85° -- Bed 10:30 -- Had to sleep in another room -- No 11 -- because my landlady discovered bedbugs in my bed therefore upsets bed mattress etc & fills the cracks and air with diabolical perfume -- powders & pills for bedbug unhappiness -- Sent News of last evening tonight to old Matt Callahan with his frog story in it -- Selby Reduction works, near San Francisco robbed between midnight and daylight yesterday morning of $280,000 gold bullion -- thieves dug a

shallow hole and tunnel under back wall about a dozen feet rising up under the safe -- drilled a "man hole" through 5/16 inch steel floor and passed down the gold bars -- They got away with it and not yet discovered -- Biggest & best job of the kind ever known on Pacific coast --

J M Leonard -- Dr F G Kinsman -- Bed Bugs! -- 1901 More Smallpox -- Tribune -- $7.80 -- Mrs Col H G Shaw et al Leonard Brings me Sutro Picture

Thursday Aug 8

Same -- warmer -- 90° -- Brief note from J M Leonard, Sutro, about the photos -- Also letter & circulars from Dr F G Kinsman, Augusta, Me -- Persistent humbug following me up -- Slept in my own bed tonight, but my landlady's infernal diabolical sulphuric and odoriferous lubricators and disinfectants make my room smell worse than 40 drugstores -- Thinks this killed the last cursed ones, but fight to a finish tomorrow -- The two other men who went with the smallpox case to the pest house, are now reported to have smallpox also -- So quarantined & cared for that no further danger of spreading -- Bed at 10:30 -- clear & sultry

Friday Aug 9

Same -- SL Tribune with check for $7.86 -- Should have been $10 but -- At noon I met J M Leonard -- Asst Supt Sutro or Comstock Tunnel Co -- He drove up with his wife from Sutro in buggy -- Brought several newly taken views of the new mill and surroundings at mouth of tunnel for me to select from