Diary 76-10: October, 1900 - preliminary transcript

serial trip at 3 PM - perfect success & safety - Send 2 page letter to wife - Theater had big houses last night and again tonight for a windup as they go to VA tomorrow for a week - Played "Beacon Lights" tonight - Bed 11, tired - 142 Frosty Nights Falling Deaves Room Rent Paid George R Vardy 51 years since I landed in SF New V & T Time Table wife with $15

Sunday Sept 30

Clear, fine, breezy - Cool frosty nights during last week or two have nipped the tomato and squash vines considerably - The tree leaves are also yellowing an falling fast - letter from wife with $15 and promise of more - Bed 11 -

Monday Oct 1

Cloudy, cold & blustering form the SW stormy quarter - with a few light sprinkles of rain - squared up room rent to Friday last - Got letter from Geo R Vardy, Wells Herald in humbly appreciative response to mine of the 16th instant donating him my bill of $25 against him - quite refreshingly amusing - Bed 12 -

Tuesday Oct 2

Variable & cooler - blustering - My '49 arrival in California anniversary - 51 years - Poorer than when I arrived but richer in humanity and appreciativeness between man and man than ever - Expended about a dollar celeberating

the event with other old 49 ers - V & T RR makes some small changes to correspond with changes to the C. P. AM passenger & mail arrives at (strikethrought) 10.10, twenty minutes sooner - Local arrives at 3.10 P.M & leaves at 4.10 for Va- Down train pasenger & mail evening fro Va arives at Carson at 5:37, The New Comstock Cheap (strikethrough) Power on the 15th 1900 Trail test - Charley Shortridge Busted Drowned Mouse Willie Circe Big Rain Tamale Bowels The Last of Lily Schneider leaving for Reno at 5:50 - It is now stated that ( election strikethrough) electric new cheap power will be turned on practically on the 15th instant - The first prelimnary test, the turning on of the power from and at Floriston last Saturday was perfectly satisfactory and demonstration on the highest degree - Evening about town - after which I was busy at room, writing etc, - Bed 2 - Bound a little mouse drowned in my wash bowl this morning -

Wednesday Oct 3

Cloudy, variable, cold - Rained furiously for an hour or two before daylight - light showers in morning - sunshine and clouds rest of day - Bowels very bad and troublesome from the tamale I ate at the Arlington just before going to bed last night - Bed 11:30 - Today th District (( clipping here)) Lily Deale Schneider was my young friend and co worker when I was engrossing clerk of the Senate several ago - She returns to her husband in New York - name Creaves, a newspaper man - I think she is in last stages of consumption and will hear of her death shortly - hope not, but --

The whole Sierra range white with snow this morning - 144 The last of Lily Schneider Snow Sears, Roebuck & Co Geo E Roberts Wife $5 Comstock Celeberation Deferred till the 20th. Wife

Thursday Oct 4

Cloudy, variable, cold with a light shower or so - dust laid - the whole Sierra range abreast of Carson white with snow down into the foothills sent letter to Sear, Roebuck & Co for a tailoring sample book latest date - also letter to Mint Director Geo E Roberts, Washington DC about starting up of the new electric power of the Constock on the 15th instant - Bed at 12 - cold and frosting -

Friday Oct 5

Variable & very pleasant - Recd letter from wife, with $5 in it - Bed 11 - It is now officially stated that the grand celeberation, signalising the introduction of the electric power in the workings or renewed development of Comstock lode will take place on the 20th inst - a week from next Thursday - instead of the 15th

Saturday Oct 6

Same - very heavy white frost this morning - wrote and sent over a page carefully pen written copied letter to wife, inclosing a page of the SF Bulletin on tryles of penmanship - Bed 12 - Had a delightful dream, toward morning - was in Gold Hill - met " Abby" brother Sam's first wife young

My Beautiful Homelike Dream Gold Hill 1900 Wife, Telling Her of Alfred as Weather Observer and sweet as when I first knew her - she kissed as lovingly and we wandered about town together, coming to a boarding house at lower end of town, kept by sisters Cornelia and Eunice, both looking young and fesh as when I left them at home in old Plymouth - "e all went happily cruising about together, incientally finding (our strikethrough) at my nice Gold Hill home our new sister my wife, Mary, who with me showed and introduced them around, visiting the various mining works and points of interest, up, and down the steep lines of steps and stairs of the hillside streets and habitations and all so cheerful prosperous and happy - but 'twas a dream too sweet to last, yet making me feel happy all day afterward -

Sunday Oct 7

Same - frosty morning - The tomato and similar vines were all killed by the frosts - Wrote & sent a full page letter to wife substantially as follows "My dear Wife - I met my good friend JH Smith, the US official Weather Observer and Section Director this morning and he told me he received a letter from my son Alfred , at Wadsworth, yesterday asking the establishment of a voluntary weather station at that point , with himself 146 Alfret as Weather Observer The Sutro Tunnel Hay Fever Knocked Out as Observer and reporter. Also asking if he could be supplied with the

necessary instruments, Smith said the propostion was all right and would be complied with, the requisite U. S. self registering themometer and regulation rain gauge to be duly forwarded - There are 45 of these voluntary stations distributed throughout the State, in addition to the two regular standard official ones - Carson and Winnemucca - There is no salary or prerequisite connected, but it gives Alfred a sort of influential standing, so to speak, in his community, as well as, opportunity to (familirize strikethrough) familiarize himself with useful information, reporting to Smith once a month weather, temperature, etc - keeping a daily record thereof as his father has done for over 50 years, Smith is pleased with the proposition and Alfred cannot lose by his voluntary courtesy - no one ever does - Your loving husband, Alf Dotem. " Bed at 12 - The recent rainy weather has knocked my hay fever out completely for the year. Mrs CE Cogswell - Frosty Mornings Mrs Lind Dead 1900 Marchie Kelly Takes Horses to Chicago - Earthquake A New Paper Starts at Virginia, Campaign Notes Van Duzer Circulating -

Monday Oct 8

Clear & pleasant - frosty morning as usual - Penciled a page letter to Mrs (Caroline) CE Cogswell, widow of the late Dr Henry D' Cogswell, Sanf F - asking about mine of Sept 3, to which she has not responded - Light earth quake at 6:30 PM for a few secods - Bed 11 -