The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-03-29
THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED.
What tho Excelsior Party VIII Do in
Alaska.

The secrecy surrounding the party
which sailed to Alaska on Saturday in the
steam schooner Excelsior has at last been
explained. The schooner was QUILTED
for the Boston and Alaska Company. a
corporation organized in New York with
a capital stock of si0,000,0o0, the object
being to take up many sections of land on
Cook inlet for hydraulic and placer min
ing, the company having already posses
sion of much property in that section.
The company also owns the spit and coal
lands at Coal bay. the only place on the
Alaska shore where a big ship can load
from the land. Over 100000 has already
been paid in, and the stock is now being
doomed and sold in New York for 10 cents
a share. The above information was CIV
en- out yesterday by II. G. c. Thornton,
one of the directors Of the company, and
who, with H. Pennock, will Superintend
operations.
Speaking Of the proposition. Mr.. Thorn
ton said last night at the Rainier-Grand
hotel: Now that the ship has gone. l
am at liberty to make known the circum-
stances regarding the formation of the
company, and what it proposes to accom-
plish Organization was effected in New
York a little over three months ago, the
subscribers being wealthy Boston and
New York men. II. Pennock. who pros
pected in Alaska last year, interested the
promoters in the scheme, and did a great
deal towards the organization of the COM
pany He laid the matter before me, and
/ subscribed for some of the stock. The
directors of the company prevailed upon
me to aid in the Quitting of the vessel.
and also to assist in experimenting the
active work. We chartered the steamer
Excelsior in Oakland. and QUILTED her as
no vessel has ever before been sent TO the
gold fields TO operate. When she sailed
- e.~Il tan
twenty-five horses. e5o.0oo feet of lumber.
ten giants, provisions for year, COM
plete outfit for placer and quartz mining.
and in fact everything else necessary for
a campaign in the ice and snow.
I'VE will not touch our coal property this
year, but will devote our entire time TO
other mining. Probably by next season.
however. We will omen up the coal MINES
and place an article on the market that
will be hard TO beat. These coal fields are
simply enormous and contain enough fuel
to supply the world. As soon as ctrcum-
stances will permit we will go into the
inlet and at once begin work on forming
our camp. the horses we have will
be put to work with plows
and scrapers building road, ana a FORCE
of men will construct several miles OF
fumes A cookhouse Will also be put up.
and a miniature mining camp formed
THE steamer Gen. Candy. which ne
goiiated for. IS being entirely refitted m
der my supervision and will be ready to
follow tho Excelsior the latter part or this
week. We will take up on this steamer
as many passengers as We can accommo-
date at so head. What We propose doing
with the Candy in Alaska is lghterng
business believe It would he well for
Alaska II number OF such expeditions as
this should go there instead of such vase
number of destitute men, who visit that
country with hardly enough 10 pay Their
far. and who. when they fail, lose heart
ar,i give the counP a black eye.
Mr.. Thornton stated in answer 10 1ues-
ton what Or Walker and the other Oak
land dentists had TO do with the expedition.
said they were only taken along as pas
sengers ami were small fry. ne also
said that the Excelsior has on board
co-ns OF engineers engaged especially TO
take I'D land outright run 6tches, ETC,
and also fifty experienced miners.