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Thursday May 3
Cloudy, but warm & pleasant -- Andy Robert and wife went over to Washoe Lake with their own hoss & wagon & had a good day's catfishing -- Caught about 150 -- I worked on my job, figuring, tables, etc -- Sent letter to Sheriff Jas Quirk of Storey County Va City, for him to send me the ore and tailings report for last seven years, same as I got from the Sheriff or Assessor of Lyon county -- Morning train I met Prof Bray, principal of the Reno schools, on his [way] to attend Teachers' Institute which
State Teachers' Institute -- Z Lyford Dead -- 1900 Miss Amy G Solomon's Album Poetry
begins today, at Dayton -- Many teachers from all parts of State to be there, but Bray says, my wife will not attend this time. An item in evening News says that my old Gold Hill, Fort Homestead friend Z Lyford, was found dead in his cabin at Luning out on the C & C railroad day before yesterday -- no particulars -- Has been prospecting out in that section for several years past, since he left Gold Hill -- The Dailey Dramatic Stock Co playing to full audiences at Opera House each evening. Miss Amy G Solomon, one of the young lady clerks in the Post office, who will be let out soon, when the new postmaster, Hofer comes in, handed me her album yesterday to write something in, so last evening I composed a scrap which is on the next page -- 6 lines with plenty of the letter A's in it
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-- 21 -- for a novelty -- whenever I call for a letter at the delivery window she takes a look, and generally replies: with a sorrowful look: "Nothing for you Mr Doten" or oftener "not a thing" -- just as though
Miss Amy G Solomon's Album Poetry "Not a thing" -- J P Jones
calling me a "naughty thing" for asking a civil question -- made it a standing joke, so I wring it into the last line of the pokery -- The scrap pleases her very much:
Amiable art thou Amy, Amy able, kind and true, And I'm happily included Among thy friends, who are not few. And should any ask me wherefore All should not thy praises sing, Ah! cordially would be my answer: "Naught prevents us, 'not a thing.'"
Carson City, Nevada, Alf Doten May 3, 1900
Gave it to her this AM -- Bed 12 -- cloudy & threatening rain -- unusually warm --
Friday May 4
Variable -- cloudy -- Good showers last night & this morning -- As usual -- letter from J P Jones -- explaining how it was that Harry Day could not have been reappointed Postmaster -- Bed 12 --
Dailey Dramatic Stock Co Finish -- Wife -- 1900 Capt Truckee and Wm K McGrew -- Chris Batterman Poplars Leaving Out -- Chris Batterman
Saturday May 5
Variable -- cloudy -- raining & snowing in the Sierra -- Worked hard all day
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& till 9 PM on my job -- The Dailey Co at Opera House finished their week's engagement tonight with "Arrah Na Pogue" -- packed audience -- Big matinee this PM -- Bed 12 --
Sunday May 6
Fine warm partially cloudy -- Worked as yesterday -- I sent page letter to wife -- Bed 11 --
Monday May 7
Same -- same work -- Yesterday's Sunday edition of the SF Bulletin contains an illustrated page article entitled "Captain Truckee, A Reminiscence of '49" by Wm K McGrew, the boy who footed it down from Woods' diggings to Stockton in March 1850 -- He visited Como when I was there in '63, and we knew each other -- haven't seen him since -- Is writer for SF Newspapers, so I get run of him occasionally -- like now -- When in Como I showed him Capt Truckee's grave -- (Indian) -- so be brings it into his narrative -- Bed 12 --
Tuesday May 8
Clear warm & pleasant -- Poplar trees all leaving out handsome -- On job as usual p got nearly finished -- Bed 12 --
Copying off my Report -- Bill Gibson Leaves for Nome I Revisit the Old Comstock
Wednesday May 9
Same -- warmer -- 72° -- PM commenced copying my Comstock report -- Old
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Bill Gibson (W D C Gibson) left Carson for Cape Nome at noon today -- saw him off -- Many others talk of going also -- Bed 12 -- clouded moonlight --
Thursday May 10
Variable -- cooler, with strong blustering SW wind -- Took morning train at 10 AM for Virginia City, Joe Ryan, Supt, and Charley Fish Prest Con Cal & Va Co on board bound from San F to the Comstock -- arrived at Va 11:30 -- The steep old Union st up side Mt Davidson seemed steeper than ever to me -- Met quite a number of old friends and acquaintances to shake hands with -- Visited old Joe Douglass et al -- Virginia looks poorer and more dilapidated than ever, and so do the old timers -- Only about 250 or 300 miners working on the whole Comstock -- No ore yield at all during 1899 -- none reported -- 2 PM went up to County Auditors office, and commenced taking from the Assessors record book the quarterly reports of Supts of the ore yield of the Comstock for past 7 years, from '92 to date -- Deputy Sheriff Kennay, and a young lady clerk assisted me -- quit at 4 -- office hours -- Met Miss May Dunlop in the hallway as I came out & had pleasant little talk -- Father and mother both dead -- She is a teacher
I Revisit the old Comstock -- 1900 -- Big Snow
in the public schools here, and acts a mother to her two little sisters -- youngest only 5 yrs old -- Took dinner at old Otto Eckelman's -- Evening about
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town observing and affiliating -- Visited Billy Brady, colored janitor at his room in the Douglass building -- engaged room on the 3d floor near Billy's room -- The Dailey Dramatic stock co playing at Piper's Opera House -- Commenced raining and snowing about dark and kept at it busily all night -- Bed at 11 -- tired -- slept good -- Cloudy -- About 6 inches sloppy snow on ground --
Friday May 11
AM I completed my job at Court House -- noon dinner at Otto's -- Visited Charley Brown, undertaker, at his home over his shop on B street -- badly bunged up with rheumatism and general dilapitude -- visited him because he sent a man to ask me to -- Didn't meet Jose Salinas, nor Mike Conlon this time -- Was at Con Va office, and got mining proceeds, etc from Johnny Mahoney, clerk -- Met Jim Kinkaid, supt of Curry, etc & got more mining items of information from him -- Show passed off very rapidly during AM, and streets & sidewalks got pretty good, shortly although slippery and dangerous for me in morning -- Met N B Parsons, my old newspaper
Snow and Rain -- Wife -- Theatrical Prosperity Return to Carson
carrier and friend -- selling lottery tickets -- bought one for 2 bits -- Little Honduras -- draws tomorrow -- Saturday -- At 5:10 left on train for Carson -- arriving all right at usual time -- found everything all right --
