Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-09-06

of our five days journey across the con-
unent and alighted at Tacoma. Nearly half
the stores and dwellings in the town are
vacant, for the rush to the Klondike has
taken hundreds away from the already
falf-depopulated town. For all the vacant
stores, however, there is an air of livel-
business. from stationery store to junk
shop, displays huge maps of Alaska and
enormous signs: Get Your Outfits Here
for the Golden Klondike.'
Departure From Tacoma.
We are to sail at 4 o'clock Saturday
morning by the Queen for Taiya Dyea)
pronounced Dy-ay. and Skaguay, pro-
nounced Skag-way, the principal points of
departure by the overland route for the
klondike- Taiya and Skaguay are mush-
room villages, which have sprung up with
IN the last three months, about six miles
apart on Chifkat inlet, at the head of the
Lynn canal. Chilkat inlet must not be con-
fused with Chilkoot inlet. which extends to
me westward. From Taiya the route to
the hiondike is over the Chilkoot pass to
Lake Lindemann. from Skaguay it IS over
the White pass to Lake Bennett the next
to Lake Lindemann in the chain that leads
to the gold fields. But more of this lake
in detail.
The Queen has heretofore been exclusive
iy an excursion boat, but the rush has COM
PEELED the company to send her to Taiya
and SkaSuay with freight and prospectors
aboard at Tacoma, but when we awoke at
Seattle on Saturday morning busy sight
met our eyes. The wharves We're piled
high with freight and crowded with peo-
pie. Long strings of drays came from AN
directions. bringing freight for us and for
the willamette. which will sail on Satur-
day night or Sunday morning She will
take eight or nine hundred prospectors
with their freight. and five or six hundred
horses to Skaguay. From a short walk
about town one gets the impression that
every store in Seattle has turned itself
into miners Quitting establishment We
took on at Seattle about hundred and
eighty excursion passengers and q hun
dred and sixty prOspectors and their out
fits, consisting of at least a hundred tons
OF freight Nearly every prospector had a
years provisions, and many had blanks
and boards cut and fitted ready for MAX
ing boats when they get across the passes.
Although in these boats there is not more
than 50 worth of lumber. many of the men
freight to Taiga or Skaguay will he $40
Others have sleds, and some have two
wheeled trucks. Provisions of all sorts are
TO be mad at reasonable prices in Seattle.
An enormous crowd was on the wharf 10
see us of at 10 o'clock. At 1 o'clock wa
reached Port Townsend. where we took on
a rev more eXcurSioniStS and prospectors
VINO came up from San Francisco on the
!" AHA Walla. We also took on several
burros. brought from California to be used
IN packing across the Chilkoot pass.
When We left Port Townsend we had
about 100 cabin passengers of whom about
forty were bound for the Klondike and 16o
IN the steerage-all gold seekers
We reached Victoria British Colupb;.
about O'Clock Saturday night. where we
TOOK on Few more passengers and some
freight Among the passengers was a marty
OF the famous Canadian mounted poIice
some OF whom go to the Chilkoot pass
some 10 the White pass. to collect duty on
an provisions carried through. The duties
10 De collected from prospectors from the
United states will average about 30 per
cent ad valorem. At Victoria We saw some
evidences of Canadian jealousy. One of
the daily papers heads an article: Canada
for the Canadians-and the Klondike is in
Canada - "
On the morning of the 9th we smoke the
city OF Topeka, south-bound which re-
ported the loss of the Mexico on the morn
ing OF the 9th. The Mexico became befop.
ged and struck on Devils Rock abo.,,
thirty miles out from Port Ton9as and
sank within two hours in hundred
fathoms of water. All the crew and mas
sensers, among whom were partv of
Christian Endeavorers from the east and
the mail. were saved. This loss will he a
sore disappointment to hundreds of mos
pectors at Tacoma and Seattle who exnect
! ed to sail by the Mexico on the 9th. as wei,
as to many with us whose freight bag
gage and pack animals were to come nm On
her. va
The Stikeen River Route.
On the morning of the 10th we landed at