The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-08-04
BOOMING TRADE.
This City Largely Supplying
Northern Outfltters for
the Yukon.
Hundreds of Thousands to Measure
the Trade of Two
Weeks.

Hundreds OF thousands of dollars have
been spent in San Francisco in the past
two weeks as direct result o:ss the Klon-
dyke rush, and the general Alaska devel-
opment which has taken q new and Wig
orous start will be very important ele-
ment in the prosperity of this metropolis
of the Pacific Coast from now on.
Many San Francisco whole sale and re-
tail houses have done large business in
the way of supplying individual outfits to
the hundreds who are going or about TO go
10 the gold fields. but the largest volume
of the business that has come to this City
has naturally come to the wholesale trade
which has supplied large part Of the retail
trade at Juneau and at Seattle and at other
points on the Sound. Very large quanti-
ties of goods, too, have been supplied to
the TWO big trading and transportation
com pan ies-the Alaska Commercial and
the Northwestern-who have got prac-
teal monopoly of this Yukon trade and
who have crowded hundreds of thousands
of dollars worth of goods into their terri
tory.
Local manufacturers, too, in some lines
have quickly done good deal in supply
ing this new trade. The market is bare of
toes and onions, OF which the supply was
limited. AT Seattle two vegeta ble-drying
establish ments have been running night
and day and evaporated potatoes, the ia
vorite vegetable supply, hav' been or
dered from the East by express by some
firms. Here the demand has sent the
prices of beans and bacon upward, the
former costing cent pound more than
a week ago.
There is fierce rivalry among the
Sound cities and between Seattle and
Juneau for the Yukon Quitting trade.
Victoria, b. c., is graphing wildly for it
in competition with Seattle and it is now
feeling good over the rigid enforcement of
the high protective tariff on every pound
of miners outfit that gets into British
territory and which will divert good deal
of trade from Seattle to Victoria.
Ii the rush to Alaska keeps up next
year, as it dou btless will do, San Fran
cisco will continue to do a large retail
Quitting business, but its wholesale
trade will afford the largest volume OF
business. Indirectly large amount OF
money has been put into circulation here
through the transportation companies,
hotels and so on, as a result of the fever.
Some of the local business men told of
the new activity yesterday.
Jacob Goldberg. president of the grocery
firm OF Gold berg, Bowen d Co., said yes
terday:
A great deal of money has been left here by
the miners who are going to the Klondyke
We have sold an immense amount Of goods,
and are still selling. When the expeditions
are fitted out to so up next spring San Fran
cisco dealers will reap another harvest. Dried
fruits and vegetables, bacon and smoked
meats, butter and beans have all been sold in
wholesale lots and at good prices, and are
much in demand. Beans are now l cen t
higher than they were two weeks ago.
What the outcome OF the gold strikes will be
from commercial standpoint is hard to pre-
dict. OF course this City will get its share OF
the business, as Will Seattle and Spokane, but
in all probability Victoria will become the
Quitting sta tion. A great many goods can
be bought cheaper there tnan here. The duty
proposed to he put on all American goods will
work hardship on our merchants and will
give the most OF the trade to British Column
bia. Ii gold strikes are made on the American
side our goous can be supplied at reasonable
prices and we viii be able to compete with the
Canad ian merchants. There will no doubt be
a number of provision esta blishments started
in the country and competition will bring
down the price so tn at some OF them will lose
money. Prices are always high at first in a
mining immunity, but as the country Is
settled up they always come down.
Roth, Blum e. Co. have put up from
$1,000 to 100000 pounds of meat to 60
north. Mr.. Roth said:
San Francisco will undoubtedly get a good
deal of the business which will result from
the gold strikes. Seattle and other cities on