The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-22
THE ALASKA GOLD FEVER.
sJy VOMEN IN BLoOMERS BoUND
FOR THE ARCTIC CIRCLE.

ron THE RCTIC
ma. r...v Rifles and Sewing Mnchinrs
and Expect 90 Earn High Wages by DO.
,ng IIonsr Rush of Miners
for the Goid-yieidIng Districts.
Six women wearing boomers and carrying
rifles started from Tacoma for Alaska on tho
steamer city OF Topeka ten days ago. They
were bound for Circle City. thenew town withjn
IN, Arctic circle. where they expect to nuk,
hIrh wages by cooking, sewing, and doing other
Kinds of wotncn's work in a region where white
women nrc exceedingly scarce. Three of tho
women took with them sewing machines. They
wore boomers because only IN thht costume
would IL he possible to make tho arduouS and
dangerous overland journey across the rough
country aud snow-covered mountain passes.
These women will make up the first round do2ea
of white women who have ever travelled ints
the far interior mining camps OF the country.
indeed. IL is doubtful II half n dozen whits
women have preceded them.
Aboard tho same steamer were a motley
crowd OF 900 Adventures bound for Alaska
The decks of the steamer were piled high with
varied outfits, Alaska sleds, Yukon stoves, and
mining implements of all kinds. Every berth
on the steamer was taken. and almost a hundred
people were left behind for lack OF room.
The rush to Alaska so far this season has been
extraordinary, and there is every indication
that the volume of travel will increase during
the next month or two. Every steamer for the
mast six weeks has been crowded to It's utmost
capacity with miners and people who want to
be miners, and the Pacific Steamship Company
last week determined to put an extra vessel on
the route for the next few months. The seal
ing vessels going north are taking as many pas
sengers for Alaska as they can accommodate.
and in addition probably a dozen schooners and
several other vessels will be chartered to carry
miners from Puget Sound on the way TO the
gold fields.
The greatest excitement seems to be In regard
to Cooks Inlet mines. Several schooners have
sailed from Puget Sound direct for Cooks Inlet,
carrying parties OF from two dozen to fourscore
miners, and a week ago there were five schoon-
ers Quitting In the Sound for a voyage To tho
same place. Several schooners also have sailed
direct from San Francisco for Cooks Inlet, car.
rying each q party Of twenty-five or thirty
miners. 4 big brigantine, that will carry a
hundred men. Is also Quitting at Tacoma. to
make several trips 10 Cooks Inlet during tho
spring. leaving on her first voyage the last
of this month. A California syndicate is try
ing to secure a steamer to put on the route
to the inlet. The steamer Utopia also is
scheduled to sail from Tacoma for the inlet on
April /, and will take between eighty and q
hundred miners, practically all her accommo-
dations being already engaged. The steamer
Lakme is to sail from Port Townsend on March
90 with 125 passengers. already booked. for
Cooks Inlet. The steamer Willapa sailed from
Port Townsend on March 5 with close upon 600
passengers. bound for Alaska, and on her pre-
sengers, mostly miners. The steamer AK.
with accommodations for 400 passengers, was
almost all her accommodations were engaged
two weeks ahead. The greater part of the pas
eengers by. these last-named steamers were
bound for the Yukon country.
The whole OF the Pacific coast seems to he n
iieids, and from all accounts there is bound to
be o great deal OF suffering in the camps and
all through the country as a result o. tme F q
ais. Many of the passengers, have gone with
scarcely a dollar in their pockets. Men have
and having but twenty or thirty dollars in the!.
possession. Those who know Alaska well say
That no man, whether going there as a miner or
land in the country. with less than two or three
hundred dollars Of spare cash. In the towns
rents are high and provisions dear. and a man
intending to go to the mines ought to have
money enough to provide an outfit and to sup
ply his wants for most of the season.
But, while very many people have gone 10
season a number of large parties of experienced
miners. under able leadership. and thoroughly
s @r1I . nn f6s WnG y e1H ! re"'V Wne ysn eiPe party IT, fG num-.
hering fifty ,men. left san FRANCISCO on THO
S 6d"nd IF for i forty.m sTS Birch Bssfs creek asei 7 3o1 %tl gS is
the interior OF Alaska. The party expected TO
reach the mines by about the middle iha m; 1t iMag;
August. and at that time those who are tired
of the life. or have made enough money to
satisfy them for the season, will have an opnor-
tunIty to return. 1t is expected, however. that
most of the party will winter at the mines, 1t
is estimated that at least 5000 IN iners VIII go
to tho Yukon district alone this spring.
1t is estimated that probably a thousand
miners will 20 to the Cooks Inlet fields this
spring, though there is said to be ample room
there for 5000 men to take. up good claims.
The inlet ia !. 900 miles beyond Sitka, on the
North Pacific. Last year the only way of
reaching the inlet was by steamer to 7itka,
thence by the mail hoat TO Kadiak, whence
Il small twelve-ton sailing vessel made irregular
trips to the inlet. The distance from Tacoma by
this route is 900 miles, and the faro was 500.
without freight or outfit. The vessels sailing
direct from Puget Sound to Cooks Inlet THIS
spring are taking miners through for 500. and
carrying their outfits and 500 pounds OF pro-
visions free.
So far the mining at the inlet has been placer
work entirely. Rich quartz has been found
there, and it Is believed that by another season
stamp mills will be at work there. Last gum
mer 225 miners worked in the region. ana 10
of these remained all winter to be or, the ground
ready to start work this spring. The smallest
amount washed out by any man last summer
was SS Il day and the highest $50 II day, Tho
best record was that of four men who. with TWO
Bear. moose. and other game are said 70
abound in the region about Cooks Inlet, and
the country Is said to be much more hospitah,e
than is the Yukon. The earth Is covered wtn
grass, wild crnnberries are plentiful, and there
Is Il considerable amount of small timber.