The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1897-11-11
FOR THE GOLD DIGGINGS.
The Cites of the Northwest are Becoming
0yerrun With Strangers
ON THEIR WAY TO THE KL0NDIKE.
There's Rivalry Existing Between Taco
ma and Seattle, Washington, in
Which Every Citizen is In
VolYed.
TACOMA, WASH, Nov. ., 1897

! dropped over to Seattle this week
to see what was going on there of
interest to the people who are going
to the klondike.
Seattle is thirty miles from Tacoma
and a dozen steamboats, and trains
operate daily between the two cities,
making the run in about an hour. !
The fare for the round trip varies
from 90 cents TO 81 80 One OF the
steamers is called the "Flyer,o and
has about as much speed as a railroad
| train.
Since people began to go to 3Klon
dixie in large numbers the passenger
business on the trains and steamboats,
between the two cities has increased
about twenty-five per cent. The
! Klondike rush has also increased the
postoffice receipts, crowded the hotels
and about doubled the business done
at the telegraph offices in both Taco
ma and Seattle.
The two cities have been rivals for
commercial supremacy ever since the
Northern Pacific railroad made Ia
coma it's Pacific coast headquarters.
Seattle thought the road should make
its headquarters there, but the pow
ers that be thought different, and it
very naturally causes Seattle people
much annoyance to "change cars in
order to reach their city. Of course
in the matter of Alaska and other
steamships, freight and passengers are
taken on at both ports. Tacoma is
at the head of navigation, while Seat
tie, in turn, claims that the returning
steamers come there first. In return
ing, as in leaving, the steamers
usually call at various ports begin
ming and ending with Tacoma. Some
steamers, however, come direct to
Tacoma from st. Michaels and Dyea
and Skaguav. The steam schooner
North Fork, for instance, recently
came here direct from the mouth of
the Yukon, as did also the steam
Saturday evening last. They came
! direct because they carry orders to
load lumber here for other ports, and
time and money is saved in such cases
= by coming direct to the loading port
= The same is true of ships and steam
ers that are on the China and Japan
I run. One ship, the Genericht, arriv
ed here Sunday last from Yokohama
in seventeen days. This is the quick
est sailing time ever recorded by {
sailing vessel. The remarkable time
made may be more fully comprehen
ded when it is known that the tastes
steamers make the run in abou
= twelve days, and some require four
teen or fifteen days.
= At Seattle new people are comm;
= to town the same as at Tacoma. Lodg
~ ing houses are filling up and over
: flowing in both cities and neN
= accommodations are being arranged
for what is termed ''the grand rush
= in the spring.
As Alaska steamers that touch a
all Puget Sound ports have droppe
off some important news budgets a
V. Seattle before reaching Tacoma, tina
i city has been given more prominenc
or than Tacoma in the matter of tele
5e graphic news from the Klondike, L
L squaring up this average the mel
le chants in the latter city have mad
ID low prices an object in drawing trade
IL and both lay claim to superior facil
of ties for about everything. Betwee
them they will handle the great bul
j. of all the Alaskan business. Som
IN idea of the commerce of these an
~ other leading cities of the Puge
ID Sound customs district can be game
lis from the following report of the goN
| ernment for the fiscal year endin
aU June 30th last: