The herald., 1897-07-29
Drives the Sons of Men to
Madness
ALASKA STEAMERS CROWDED
DISAPPOINTED THOUSANDS ARE
LEFT BEHIND
United States Troops Ordered to Stay
at Home-Canada Will Improve
Transportation


Associated Press Special Wire.
SEATTLE, Wash, July 2S-The
steamer City of Kingston sailed this
morning carrying 236 miners to connect
at Victoria with the steamer Islander
for Dyea, and later in the morning the
City of Topeka sailed for Juneau. Be-
fore leaving the sound the Topeka will
have 240 passengers. OF these 100 are
from San Francisco. OF the 240 carried
north by the Topeka. majority are
excursionists, though over one hundred
are for the mines. OF the fifty who left
Seattle, forty had Yukon outfits.
The steamer Cleveland arrived this
evening from San Francisco having
aboard twenty-seven miners en- route to
Clondyke
The steamship AL XII is expected from
Dyea, Alaska, next Friday.
The announced intention of the Do
minion government to impose royalty
on all placer diggings on the Yukon,
amounting practically to the conf1sca-
ton of 10 per cent of the entire country
that may be- opened up, has been met
with but one response here and that is
the statement that it will simply result
in driving the thousands of prospectorS
off of Canadian soil and across the
boundary line into United States terri
tory. People are now paying % cents
per pound to get their freight over the
divide Horses will pack about 200
pounds each and an average load for a
man is fifty pounds.
The hustle and activity noticeable
around the office of Assistant Quarter
master Robinson, U. S. A., in this city
yesterday and last night had disap-
| peared this morning, the cause being
the following telegram from Quarter
master General Weeks from Washing
ton: "Order for troops to Alaska has
been countermanded."
/ Captain Robinson was seen by the
Asso ciated Press correspondents this
evening and in speaking Of the coun-
| demanding order he said that it was un-
doubtedly due to the act of congress
passed June Is, 1878, wherein it says that
after the passage of this act it shall not
be lawful to employ any part of the
| United States army as posse COM
| tatus, or otherwise, for the purpose of
executing the laws, except in such cases
| and under such circumstances as ex-
pressly authorized by the constitution
or by congress.
! This matter could have been settled
by congress" said he. "but as that body
has adjourned it leaves matters in a bad
way"
SOLDIERS STAY AT HOME
CHEYENNE, Wyo, July 2S.-Col.
| d of i-rI,+ l, TIE
telegram from Washington this morn
ing stating that the expedition to Alaska
has been temporarily abandoned 1t
has been discovered that many supplies
necessary for such an undertaking as
the one proposed are not on hand and
much time and expense will be neces essl-
tated to send soldiers to a country where
the preservation of life depends on per-
feet equipment. The part of Alaska
mapped out to be visited is said to be
rapidly freezing up, and after serious
consideration of all these facts the trip
has been pronounced injudicious at this
time and postponed probably until next
spring.
THE EXCELSIOR'S TRIP
SAN FRANCISCO. July 2s.-By far
the greatest exodus of gold seekers
bound for the Alaskan gold fields yet car
ried from this city was witnessed today
when the steamer Excelsior, chartered
by the Alaska Commercial Company, left
Missionstreet pier at p. m. This steam
er sailed direct for ST. Michaels. and il
the last of the company's fleet which will
connect with Yukon river steamers this
season. For hours before the departure
of the steamer the wharf was thronged
with people. Such was the demand for
berths that after the sale of tickets
closed, those who had been fortunate
enough to secure them were besieged by
intending prospectors, who offered three
times the original amount for them, and
one instance is recorded where the pas
senger changed his mind after receiving
such a flattering offer as $500 for the
pasteboard for which he originally paid
but $3.50. Probably the fact that the
Excelsior was the first to bring the news
of the great strike to this city added to
the interest taken in her departure, for
over 2O00 people gathered upon the
wharf to bid farewell to the 10 passen-
gers for Klondyke.
A strong customs and police post will
be established just north of the British
Columbia boundary beyond the head Of
the Lynn canal at 60 degrees north lati-
tude. Estimates will also be obtained
of the cost of building a wagon road and
of narrow gauge railroad to this post
in the mountains, a distance of seventy
or eighty miles. about forty of which u
over mountains. This post will be where
the Chilcoot and White passes converge,
and command the southern entrances to
the whole territory. Mounted police
posts will be established here at dis
tances of fifty miles apart up to Fort
Selkirk. These will be used to open a
winter road over which monthly mails
will be sent by dog trains. If possible
a telegraph line will be constructed over
the mountains from the head of Lynn
canal to the first post. The consent Of
the authorities of the United States will
be asked in diplomatic correspondence
to a modus vivendi, under which Cana
da will have the right Of way over the