Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-09-13
by THOMAS sAMMoNs.
Tacoma, Wash, Aug. 31st, 1897

Tacoma, Wash, Aug. 31st, 1897
Many hardships are encountered in
cleaning the latest authentic news from
the Alaska goldfelds. During the past
six days have been rolling and tumb
ling about the straits of Fuca. Sleep
could be had a t but short snatches of
from five minutes to two hours. have.
not had my clothes off for five days and
meals have been served, when served at
all, in cramp4d quarters in Puget
Sound tugboat withpveryt thing tied fast
and salty railing around the table to
keep the cups and dishes from tumbling
off and breaking.
Wednesday | came to town for q few
hours, and while waiting for a stenogra-
pher to take il few dictations fell asleep
while sitting bolt upright i'll a chair.
That was the; day after the Associated
Press and. tIre,St Louis Glob,D DEMOCRAT
s'scooped'' an army of special correspon-
dents on the cream of the Klondike
news. To appreciate what, under the
circumstances "scoop" means it must
papers of the country had bright men all
along the Straits of 'Euca, from Port
Townsend to Cape Flattery, and from
t'Townsend" to Tacoma on Puget
Sound. The San Francisco Examiner
and New York Journal Combination
had at FAST fifteen men detailed to get
the Alaska news via ST.. Michaels. One
tug the Wanderer, had eleven OF these
men aboard at one time The Wanderer
together with the tug Sea Lion, the lat
ter being one of the most speedy tugs III
the world, were detailed to watch for
the steamship Portland off Cape Flat
terry, at the entrance to the Straits Of
Fuca, between the state OF Washington
aud, the island of Vancouver.
Well, the ball opened Tuesday night,
August,24 i had just written my last
Klondike letter and Immediately took
passage from Tacoma on the elegent
steamer City OF Seattle'for Port Town
sand. arrived at the latter place at
4:30 a. Ms. and before the steamer had
made fastI was hulpyipg about the
docks in quest of tug While I was
thus engaged, q dapper little youth
tripped along and broke in with the
question:
II say. captain, where is your tug
going,to.day?:" s.
':To Whatcom for ship"
rTo Whatcom, is that near Cape Flat
tery2" %~--.
There followed roar of Taught er from
the men on the dock and the shippers,
which was well warranted, inasmuch as
Whatcom is about $50 miles from "FNlatz
terry" and as "Townsend' is much
nearer the cape than the port which the
& tug was bound. And yet. there at hall
past four o'clock of cheerless morning,
was dapper little man, a reporter for
f, the San Francisco Examiner, poking
aronnd trying to find some meane OF
communicating with Cape Flattery
where the vessels from the far north are
first sighted.
Sometimes they are not Sighted"
there, to sorrows Of a dozen bright news
paper men, as will explain later Oh in
explaining how the Globe emocrat.was
the only newspaper in the country that
got special correspondent aboard the
latest vessels from st. Michaels.
The dapper little reporter referred to
was enterprisng but his knowledge OF
geography was wretched- particularly
as regards Puget Sound points. A
minute or two alter he had left the dock
| had made arrangements with Captain
Herbert f. Beecher to go down the
straits abord the tug Discovery. Cap
tain Beecher is a son of the late Henry
Ward Reecher, but man not aware Of
that fact would never know it from Cap
sain Beecher himself. Even one of his
nautical friends who | afterwards met
at sea did not know it. Captain Beech
er does not swear-rather unusual
among Puget Sound tugboat masters
and, | should Judge, he is what is called
a."home man, for he said, soon after we
went to sea:
Ito be continued
l..