Diary 74-04: April, 1898 - preliminary transcript

midnight -- Shook down 2 or 3 buildings & did more or less damage about the city, but nothing serious -- nobody killed -- At Mare Island the quake

Major Ford Dead -- Klondike Nuggets -- 1898 By Will O Young

did damage to gov't works to extent of many thousand dollars -- PM I was at Journal office and met Will O Young, son the Judge W H Young, Reno, formerly of Va -- Will is a tall, hearty young fellow, about 34 yrs old, and just returned from Klondike and Dawson -- showed us a pound or two of nuggets -- the two biggest about $100 each -- Had a long and very interesting conversation -- half a dozen of us -- Came on visit to his family, etc, and will start back again next Saturday -- Major George F Ford, old time Comstocker, and lastly Supt Yerington's private secretary at Carson, died there suddenly at an early hour, of apoplexy, or heart disease -- native of Mass 55 yrs old --

26 -- Cuban War! -- Stanfords Whip Reno 35 to 1 C C Goodwin -- Teachers Institute, Winnemucca

Friday April 1, 1898

Variable, dusty, blustering and cooler -- Busy at odd jobs about house -- Much exciting war news -- Congress adjourned till Monday when important message is expected from the Prest on the Cuban question --

Saturday April 2

Variable -- morning a snowstorm of an inch -- melted and cleared off prin-

cipally by noon -- PM, baseball game between the Stanfords of Cal, and our Nevada State University boys at the University campus ground -- Stanfords won, 35 to 1 -- Evening I wrote & sent letter to C C Goodwin, of Salt Lake Tribune, with Dan's obituary inclosed --

Receipt from SS Pub Co for the Stories, etc 1898 -- Manuel Aufere Published!!! Wife gone to Winnemucca Institute

Sunday April 3

Clear, cool & pleasant -- I received a postal card from the Short story Publishing Co acknowledging receipt of my MSS for "Black Cat" competition with inclosed remittance $1, etc -- Black Cat to be mailed as stipulated, for year ending with next December -- "Manuel Aufere" in today's S.F. Chronicle in good shape, illustrated with the grip scene in the corral -- got it at 8:40 PM when train from west arrived, bringing the S.F. morning papers, as usual. This story crossed the Sierra Nevada nine times in M.S.S. and this printed makes the tenth. Singular bit of Journalistic history.

Monday April 4

Same -- Wife went on morning train to attend State Teachers Institute commencing today at Winnemucca -- About 40 other teachers from this section went -- none from the Comstock -- closes next Friday, but wife says she shall return on Wednesday evening -- Our youngsters keep house while she is gone -- I busy at cleaning up our ranch, trimming shrubbery, etc -

Evening wrote & sent letter to Eunice -- Bed 11, clear & fair --

28 -- Acetylene Gas -- Responsibility for the Maine Disaster Wells Drury -- Wife Returned --

Tuesday April 5

Same -- evening I took look at our acetylene gas plant, just opened for exhibition, etc, opposite the depot -- 15 light machine -- 8 burning -- small flame, but the whitest, clearest, steadiest, & brightest of all gas lights -- nearest approach to the electric -- half the cost of ordinary gas -- automatic -- calcium carbide -- lime and charcoal --

Wednesday April 6

Variable, cool and blustering -- wrote & sent a 2 page letter to Wells Drury, S.F. asking his opinion of "Manuel Aufere" -- Mended my coat, & worked at my ranching job -- Wife returned on evening train -- at 10 o'clock --

Thursday April 7

Clear & pleasant -- Work same -- Bed 11 very tired and lame --

Friday April 8

Same -- Spain has from the first denied all culpability or responsibility for the Maine disaster -- Our naval Board of Inqiury find that an explosion from a submarine mine, from the outside of the ships bottom on the port side, exploded two or more of the ships magazines but unable to fix the guilt or responsibility upon any body --

Douglass Building Collapse -- 1898 Chilcoot Avalanche -- M H de Young F M Huffaker and Jose Salinas -- J P Jones

Saturday April 9

Same -- Finished my home ranching job -- letter from Jones -- very brief -- only thanking me for the full details of information in my last letter -- wrote & sent letter to M H de Young -- also wrote to Frank M Huffaker, Va, inclosing "Manuel Aufere" to my Chileno friend Jose Salinas, who told me the story originally in Spanish, and I translated it freely into English now. Read in the Va Chronicle this evening that south side of the Douglass building Va, fell or collapsed at 11 o'clock last night -- Nobody hurt -- 3 story brick -- south wall in bad condition for some time, so it went down of its own volition -- Old Joe says he will rebuild it -- The Washoe Club rooms destroyed but damage did not extend quite to where I used to room -- Two or three members of the Washoe Club (disbanded some months ago) were there having a little game of cards but being alarmed made a lively escape -- The SF papers tell of big avalanche in Chilcoot Pass last Sunday -- 100 lives lost --

30 -- Easter, and the Knights Templar -- Screen Doors Meeting of Cattlemen -- Presidents Cuban Message to Congress -- Dicky Jose Concert -- Street Sprinkling

Sunday April 10

Same -- Easter Sunday -- Observed by the churches as usual -- The street

procession of the Knights Templar was very handsome, & attracted much attention (See next page.)

Monday April 11

Clear and pleasant -- Busy fixing screen doors and windows, in view of approaching fly time -- A meeting of Nevada and California cattlemen, called by the Governor, was held at Carson today -- Decided not to allow the quarantined, starving cattle of California to be brought into this state for feed or pasturage --

Tuesday April 12

Same -- same work -- The SF evening papers of yesterday received this morning, telegraphically contain President McKinley's delayed and important message to Congress, presented yesterday on the Cuban crisis, he recommending armed intervention -- Dicky Jose and rest of his quintet of five singers arrived from S.F. this morning, and gave concert at Opera House this evening -- crowded house -- Street sprinkling commenced yesterday for the season --

Wednesday April 13

Same -- same work -

32 -- Warm Weather -- Drought in California -- Hand Torn SF Chronicle -- Ed Yerington -- Quarreling in Congress Screen Doors -- Pear Blossoms -- Eunice -- Emma Sutro