Diary 77-02: February, 1901 - preliminary transcript

at 12 still warm wind and rain and thaw

Sunday Feb 17

Fair & pleasant -- warm wind still prevailing carried off the moisture as well as little stray corners of snow, and made all the cross walks dry and good -- Got copy of Tribune of the 15th, with my letter of the 10th in it -- Little over 1/2 column -- Bed 12 -- clear & colder --

Monday Feb 18

Foul and thawy -- PM a long continued snowstorm -- melted just as fast as it fell -- no wind -- Legislature as usual, also my reporting -- Evening variety performance by Carson Vaudeville Company at Opera House -- Didn't attend, but parties who did said had fair house, and good performance -- local talent -- Bed 12 -- light snow or rain or both -- my room ceiling leaks badly as ever, notwithstanding all mechanical plumbing efforts to the contrary -- China New Year started in at midnight with crackers & bombs in Chinatown --

30 -- Rainy -- John H Dennis Returned Home An Old Copy of the Gold Hill News -- "Black Mag" China New Year

Tuesday Feb 19

Stormy -- AM snowing good in the Sierra -- PM steady light rain through till & through evening -- my room leaking as usual -- Legislature and myself

as usual -- Bed 12 -- strong SW wind and plenty of rain -- renewed storm -- No railroad blockade from snow or land slides as yet, but expected -- John H Dennis has got back home to Reno from his trip to Washington, carrying the Democractic vote of Nevada for Bryan -- Met Assemblyman Ed Holmes of Gold Hill this evening at the Arlington and he lent me to read, a copy of the Gold Hill Daily News of August 4, 1866 -- Philip Lynch Editor and Proprietor -- 7 columns to page -- Bigger & better paper than exists in Nevada today -- Very interesting to me, who was working on it a year or two later, soon becoming its proprietor and enlarging it to 8 columns per page -- China New Year in full blast today after the usual festive style. "Kung Hee Fat Choy" -- Happy New Year to you. Black Mag was in Austin when I was --

Busy Legislature -- Evening Sessions -- 1901 Wife with Letter From Plymouth, "Hannah" Judge Webster on my Blunder -- Reno Ledger Legislature adjourns till Monday

Wednesday Feb 20

Fair warm and very pleasant -- Muddy streets dried up very fast -- Busy day in Legislature, and the Assembly held evening session which I attended as reporter -- Through at 10 -- Bed at 12 -- Sent letter to Judge Webster this evening about a mistake I made in my report, unpatented mines instead of patented, which caused him to write a wrong editorial in this morning's Journal. Rec'd letter from wife inclosing one of 3 pages from Hannah,

sister Cornelia's daughter, speaking of Sam's recent brief visit there, etc --

Thursday Feb 21

Light warm rain all day -- Very muddy -- The Assembly held another evening session -- I didn't attend -- Both Houses adjourned till Monday in honor of Washington's birthday tomorrow -- Evening I sent a brief note to Judge Webster, Reno, inclosing some printed bills of Legislature, two of them on patented and unpatented mines taxation -- Also a 2 1/2 page letter to the Reno Ledger -- about 500 words -- Bed 12 -- clear and freezing some --

32 -- Washington's Birthday -- In and to Gardnerville Record Rainy -- SL Tribune 6 pages -- Mark Twain's Doctor Terrible Ship wreck Near San Francisco -- 100 Lost Helen Dauvray or Little Nell of Gold Hill

Friday Feb 22

Clear warm and very pleasant -- Washington's Birthday -- observed quietly as usual, with flags displayed, etc -- the band gave a brief open air concert in front of the Government building -- post office -- at 2 PM -- I was busy in PM and evening writing newspaper correspondence -- Bed at 3 -- MY last letter to Gardnerville Record was in yesterday's paper received today 1 1/8 columns --

Saturday Feb 23

Rainy -- moderate -- Several showers during day & evening -- Rose at 7 -- Wrote and sent 4 page letter to the Gardnerville Record -- 10:30 AM mail, close pages, 250 words each -- 1,000 words -- also 6 Senate pages 200 w each

to Salt Lake Tribune -- 1,200 words -- Big passenger steamship liner Rio de Janeiro from Hong Kong -- ran into mile rock post outside the Golden Gate, San Francisco yesterday morning in a thick fog -- stove her bow in and sank in 20 minutes -- About 100 people reported drowned -- including part of the Chinese crew -- great disaster -- ship total loss, a sister of Senator Wm M Stewart one of the victims -- Bed at 1 -- cloudy --

George I Lamy -- Judge Webster -- Wife -- 1901 Tim Dempsey -- 131 Shipwreck Victims Wrangle on Insurance in Legislature

Sunday Feb 24

Clear & very pleasant -- Wrote page letter to send to Geo I Lamy, Editor of the Gardnerville Record tomorrow morning about some corrections to make in my letter I mailed to him yesterday morning -- Also wrote & sent page letter to Judge Webster to send me $10 for my 2 last weeks reporting -- Also sent page letter to wife -- Evening with George Wilcox visited Tim Dempsey at his home -- Tim is getting around and was on the street a short time today -- thinks be able to resume his barkeeping position at the Arlington March 1 -- Bed at 12 -- clear and frosty -- The victims of the Rio Janeiro shipwreck are not reported up to 131 in the SF Bulletin

Monday Feb 25

Cloudy -- moderate -- Legislature in session, both Houses all right -- Sent my letter to Lamy by morning mail -- Senate PM session only 10 minutes --

then went into "executive" session -- closed doors, reporters & all excluded, on the Insurance bill, vetoed by the Governor and passed over his head -- Most of 48 Insurance cos doing business in this State withdrawn their business -- will take no new insurance in this State -- "Bid for

34 -- Double Reporting -- $10 from Journal A Carson Fire -- Springlike Weather No Frosty Mornings

incendiarism" -- Insure your house for 3 times its value and set fire to it to get insurance and they have to pay full amount named in policy -- Hal Mighels goes on a business trip tonight to San F -- leaves me to do the Legislature reporting for him for 3 or 4 days -- Bed 1 --

Tuesday Feb 26

Fair warm & pleasant -- I got in successfully on my double or duplicate report of the Senate today for the Appeal, etc. -- Recd $10 from the Reno Journal for my last 2 weeks reporting -- Quite a lively fire at 4:30 this morning at south end of town -- 2 wooden houses, known as Nos 12 and 10 burned -- nobody badly hurt -- No insurance -- no big loss -- gave the fire boys good chance for a run, etc. -- I rose to the occasion as usual -- went down street, but met parties telling me all about it, so didnt get there, but went back to bed -- No frosty mornings now, genuine springlike weather -- Did up my double reporting job very promptly & successfully today --

I in SL Tribune -- Spring Weather -- 1901 -- Reno Ledger 3 pages Streets Dusty -- Evening Session Assembly -- Geo R. Vardy -- Sutro Mill I in Gardnerville Record