The Topeka state journal., 1897-11-05
WOMEN FOR KLONDIKE.
New York Party to Double the Horn
What They Expect.

New York Nov. 5.-The steamship
City of Columbia, on which the first
company of New York women will sail
for the gold fields of Alaska, was
thrown open to the inspection of the
public yesterday The boat is at the
foot of East Nints street. She will
sail from Old Dominion pier No. 20,
North river, at II a. m. on December /,
and will make the longest trip of any
vessel that has thus far started for
that destination, stopping at Barba-
does, Rio Janeiro, Montevideo, Valpar-
also, Callao, San Diego, San Francis
co, Seattle, Sitka, Dutch Harbor and
St. Michael. The party will arrive at
St. Michael in May and leave for DaW-
son City as soon as the river opens.
The boat is a large and cOmmodious
one, and capable of carrying over 400
frst-class passengers, and each pas
Senger is entitled to 800 pounds of
outfit luggage.
Thirty-five women are among the
fortune seekers, and they are super
intended by Mrs. Hannah S. Gould who
lives at No. 250 West Twenty second
street.
Mrs Gould is a business woman, and
she has chosen from among the many
applicants the woman whom she felt
to be qualified mentally, morally and
physically for such an expedition.
There will be fortytwo women in
the party" said she to a reporter.
.Thirty-five have paid their passage,
and the others are sincere in their in
tentiOns to raise the necessary funds.
our outfits are on exhibition if any
one cares to view them. Each one of
US takes a fur robe and a warm shawl.
and we have our wOOlen dresses lined
with flannel We wear boomers
lined with lambs wool, besides all wool
underwear. We also take flannel
gown to sleep in; our shoes are heavy,
flannel lined, and reach nearly to the
knee; then we also take rubber boots,
knee-WarmerS and WriSt-Warmers; a
heavy rubber blanket is for wet wealth
er, and mosquito netting, shirt waists
and summer underwear are also in our
list, for we have to prepare for a short
summer as well as a long winter.
who is going with me?' I can give
you a few names, but the women dis
like the publicity of having their names
in the papers, 50 l cannot give you the
addresses. We have three married
couples, but no women who leave hus
bands behind; I don't believe in that.
Il am greatly impressed with the ca
pability Of the women in our party.
There are no women who are not earn
est and self-reliant.
"One of the first men to go to the
gold fields said to me that good women
would find plenty to do out there, and
we intend to do good wherever we go.
Five or six of our women have full
outfits for working claims, and they
are strong enough to do it, too. AS
for myself, i do not expect to do that
kind of work. We are taking along
with US portable hospital, fOrty-fOur
shall allow no one to suffer. If a man
is too i'll to work, we viii nurse him
back to health, put him on his feet,
and when he can work he may repay
us. We shall cook our food together
and when the men go out prospecting
we shall hold the fort at home and be
at our post to receive them when they
return Some of US, three think, will
run bOarding-hOuses, and one woman
who has run a successful laundry bus
mess in New York for a number of
years, will open laundry out there.
I'VE have our plans for esta blishing
a clubhouse and in that way compet-
ing with liquor saloon attractions We
have number of young men in our
party and all are in my care. I must
look to their interests and I know of
nothing more desira BILE than mixed
club. Doubtless it will not be exactly
like your New York clubs, but it will
be a good club to belong to. Mrs
Waterbury is taking along a circulat-
ing library. We shall have church
services on Sundays directed by DR.. w
Fl. Wellman. One man in the party
is going to see to it that we take an or
gan, and the children of a certain sun
day school are to be asked to assist in
that bit of foreign mission work. It
viii be privilege to say that they sent
the first organ to the kIOndike.''