The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-12-18


February or the first of March and will
start from this city for the gold fields of
Alaska Two of their number, Louis j.
Wilde and c. W. Keller. OF Rochester. N.
T.. are in Seattle at present making ar
rangements for the puo:hase Of complete
outfits of food and provisions for the en-
tire party. The repainder Of the party
will come from Rochester in a special car,
billed clear through to Seattle.
The Rochester expedition win be dis
tinctly novel in many particulars. To be-
gin with, 1t is especially we'll organized.
To become member of the party 1t is
necessary to pass thorough physical ex-
animation and to secure references from
two substantial sources. The profits OF
each member Of the party are to be put
to share alike with The others the fortunes
they hope to gain from the golden gravel
beds Of the North.
Mr.. Wilde. who is the leader Of the ex-
petition. accompanied by Mr.. Keller and
Il. c. Winkley. of Chicago. arrived in Sc
attic several days ago and is stopping at
the Stevens hotel. To Post-Intelligencer
reporter Mr.. Wilde said yesterday:
The expedition from Rochester grew
from small beginning. few of US
formed a company. with a capitalization
or 100000. with the intention of purchas-
Ing portable sawmill and taking it.
together with stock uf provisions and
miners supplies, to the gold fields OF Alas
"a ,.l..v,s nfrs~
ture and set about acquiring all the In
formation possible concerning the country,
ITS physical characteristics and mineral
wealth. With this aim in view. / visited
washington and examined in systematic
and thorough manner the records Of sur
veys Of routes and water courses In Alas
IA, including the Copper river country,
and possessed myself of all information
to be cleaned from these sources. While
thus engaged. applications poured In from
young men in Rochester, who wanted a
chance OF winning fortune in Alaska. 1
think there were over 100 applications re-
ceived oy the company. We accepted
thirty-fve OF these, or just enough to Till
car, which will be chartered to make
the trip clear through from Rochester to
Seattle. A number of weli-to-do Roches-
ter people who did not care to go them
selves purchased an interest in the enter
joined the party have contributed more
than their share. hoping to profit that
much more. Not a few Of tha1n will take
along considerable sums OF money with
which to operate in Alaska.
TO myself was delegated the duty of go
Ing ahead of the party. learning Just
what could be done in the way Of pur-
chasing food and provisions on the Pacific
coast. trying to determine IL possible
TO secure our outfits. / went TO New York
and then to Chicago. making careful in
vestigation as TO the stocks carried by
Eastern merchants and the prices they
asked for their goods. I then came West.
stopping Off at st. Paul and Minneapolis.
where, II was stated. an attempt would be
made to outfit people for the Klondike.
Finally l reached Seattle
Il will say to you frankly that have
learned since visiting Seattle that the mer-
chants OF the East have very little or no
conception Of the requirements of a. man
who Is going into the gold fields Of the
north. They are very ignorant as to what
a man needs and what he Is better off
without. In some OF the Eastern cities
where pretense Is made OF outf1tting men
Tor the north. they viii put up a pair of
gum boots and big fur coat In window
and say that is Just what he wants.
Il have looked the ground over thorough
ly since coming to Seattle, and have writ
ten 10 the members OF the party advising
them to come to Seattle with simply the
clothes on their backs and not to attempt
to outfit themselves for life in the north
from the stocks carried by Eastern mer-
chants. The prices asked by Seattle mer-
chants are as low as those in the East on
many OF the staple groceries and wooden
goods. and lower on variety OF articles
needed by prospector and miner More
than this, there is the cost OF bringing the
outnt 10 the Coast. and on top Of that
comes the proposition that the merchants
OF the East do not carry the articles mos.
essential for a complete outfit and without
which miner would he in bad shape I
say this. not intending to do any harm 10
the Eastern merchants, but as a s,mnle
statement OF plain fact
"Our company. the Alaska Mining. Mill
ing and Trading Company, OF Rochester,
Is organized on the grubstake basis. We
VIII furnish the members OF the party
with their outfits and a portion OF their
provisions They will provide for their
own transportation. although we will al
come West together on the same car We
expect 10 purchase about forty tons of sup
plies. including a portable sawmfll which
we VIII take along with us The average
amount held by each man In the company
Is $500. We figure on being able, by com
bining and working along business lines
10 save each member a considerable sum
on the purchase OF his outfit
The people OF the Eastern states ara
greatly interested in Alaska. and this in
spite OF the fact that there is an absence
OF reliable Information there concerning
the country. OF course the papers In the
larger cities have printed authentic ac-
counts OF the gold fields and reliable in
formation concerning the richness OF the
mines and the routes by which 20 reach
them. but the papers in the smaller cities
have contented themselves with simply
printing discouraging statements. until
lots OF people were led TO believe tina, the
early accounts OF the klondike were fabri-
cations To show you how eager the peo-
pie OF Rochester were for information con-
corning the gold fields, one OF the DEPART
ment stores gave away a small out-of-date
map OF Alaska as souvenir one after
noon. Crowds fiocked into the store and
the greatest excitement was manifested
There are not fifty good maps OF Alaska
and the Northwest territory to be had in
Rochester today.
in spite OF all this I believe that there
viii be nearly 30 others in addition 10 our
party that viii leave Rochester for the
gold fields''
Mr. Wilde concluded by saying ,ha. IN
his Journeys throughout TIE East he had
heard Seattle most favorably commented
on. and named in connection with Alaska
and the kiondike gold fields as the mos.
advantageous Quitting point. lie said
that the movement % people from the East
20 the klondike would pass through Sc
attic.