The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-23
THE STEAMER River
From for al

runners chow to scorch" in the park next
Sunday.
1t was motley crowd that stepped down
the gang-plank of the Bertha when she
locked yesterday. There were miners
from Forty-mile Camp, missionaries from
the Yukon, shipwrecked sailors from
Juneau and fur-seal hunters from Una
laska Some were clad in furs, some in
the garb of civilization and a squaw who
accompanied one of the hunters was clad
in bloomer suit, which Captain Blair in
troduced into Alaska. There were also
ship-carpenters, calkers and joiners, engi-
nee rs and machinists, who went to ST.
Michaels to put together the steamer
Alice, the first vessel propelled by steam
to ever navigate the Yukon. One and all
were glad to get back to civilization, and
lost no time getting away from the ship.
There were 148 passengers on the steamer
and nearly all of them were miners.
mann, agent of the Alaska Commercial
Company in 1.-THE land of the midnight
SUM-" When he first went north he re-
manned there for five years continuously.
but latterly he has visited San Francisco
every winter
THE miners on the Yukon River did
fairly we'll last year" said he when talking
iIl6 IululHS anu Ill OI
them will return next spring. They brought
down with them considerable gold in dust
and nuggets and will be able to fit them
selves out so as to remain at Forty mile
Camp over the winter OF 1896. In round
figures | think they brought down about
100000 among them, but that is not a
great sum when you come to divide it up
among over 100 men who shaved for eigh-
teen months.
"If miners will take my advice they will
not go to the Yukon unless they have at
least $500. Then, if the worst comes to
the worst, they will have money left to re-
turn on. All the men who came down on
the Bertha would have remained over this
winter, but there were not sufficient pro-
visions at Forty Mile to keep them all
through the season OF snow and ice, so
those who were we'll off came down to San
Francisco.
when the Bertha was at Unalaska the
revenue cutter Bear was preparing for an
other cruise among the seal islands. She
had made several trips to the coast of
Siberia and brought back reindeer for the
! Government stations on the Alaskan side.
The herds have done remarkably well and
are now permanently established on Amer
lean soil. In another year they will be so
increased that probably no more will be
brought from the Russian side. The Dora
was also in Unalaska and was expected to
leave for San Francisco on the 10th inst.
'Furs were very scarce this year. as it
was bad winter. The ice lasted longer
than ever before, and in consequence there
was very little hunting"
Among those who also came down on
the Bertha were James Lamont and twenty
carpenters, joiners and calkers and six
engineers and machinists. These were the
men that put the steamer Alice together
when she reached ST. Michaels on the brig
Geneva. The Alice was built here in Sec
tons by Matthew Turner. She is stern
wheeler 100 feet long, SO feet broad and 8
feet deep. When put together she devel-
oped speed of twelve knots. On her first
trip up the Yukon Captain Blair was in
command, and the voyage was success
from start to finish. Over 1000 miles were
covered without an accident, and when
Forty-mile Camp was reached the engines
were working as well as when the start
was made.
For the return trip the engines were
tuned up and the run was very quick one
Quite number of miners took passage and
st. Michaels was reached in one-half the
time it took to get to Forty-mile Camp
The Alice is now laid up at st. Michaels in
water quarters in charge of Captain J. D.
Kennedy. Captain Blair is enthusiastic
over the stern-wheeler and says she car
carry 800 tons and still navigate the Yukon