The San Francisco call., 1897-07-18

the unoffic tally accepted boundary line
between the Northwest Territory and
Alaska. The little metropolis OF the
growing placer mining population has
been Circle City, located very close TO the
junction of the boundary line, the Yukon
River and the arctic circle.
Late last summer gold was discovered
in the valley OF the Klondyke. stream
flowing into the Yukon from the east, a
little over 100 miles up the river into
British territory, from the Professionally
accepted boundary line. So rich were the
discoveries on the Klondyke and Its little
tributaries that before last winter had
fairly set in the 5000 or 1000 people about
the stations were down the river-Forty
Mile and Circle City and along Birch
Creek and the Porcupine in Alaskan ter
ritory had stampeGed to the. new dig
gings, and the town of Dawson, at the
mouth of the Klen6yke, become the me-
tropolis instead of Circle City. Stray mail
carriers who got letter and some others
struggled successfully over the long and
hard route to the coast at Juneau during
last winter and spring, and brought to the
world the news of the new find, of which
details have been thus known fer months.
The party en- the Excelsior. which arrived
the other day, was the first regular exodus
from that far-away region.
This fact and the fact that this first out
coming party brought $1,000, 600 or so in
gold dust provides a cause tor the great new
whoop o. the Yukon gold diggings which
was born with the steamers arrival.
The Portland, which arrived at Seattle
from st Michaels yesterday, brought the
second considerable party and the second
considerab Bile shipment Of gold, thus add
ing fuel to the ire that flames under the
new gold craze. The stories that come in
these steamers confirm the stories that
have gone before and give glory and i'm
petus TO them by massing results. These
two parties have come over 1000 miles
down the Yukon River from from Dawson
to st. Michaels and thence by steamer
south, while the arrivals overland across
the mountain ranges to Juneau are all
stragglers and attract less attention.
The telegraphic dispatches indicate that
the population about the sound has gone
crazy. Streetcar conductors, clerks, Sec
retaries and policemen are resigning their
jobs to go to the wonderful new gold
fields on the next steamer, and more are
sorry they can't risk resigning. In San
Francisco hundreds have leaped to the
purpose of rushing to the Yukon. During
the past two days there has been an enor-
nous rush of Inquiry about transporia-
tion at the offices of the transportation
com panies concerned. About 800 men
have called at the office of the Alaska
Commercial Company 20 ask about rates
and so on, and the stream to the office of
the Northwestern Trading and Transpor
tation Company has been nearly as large.
These are the two companies which run
steamers to st. Michaels, near the mouth
of the Yukon, on the coast of Berinp
Sea. and run connecting river steamers
up the great Yukon the 1000 miles or so
TO Dawson. at the mouth of the Klondyke
and the heart of the new diggings. This
is the easiest 5000 mile way to the Yukon
gold fields, but not always the cheapest.
The Alaska Commercial Company runs
a steamer between San francisco and ST
Michaels. On the Yukon, it runs five
freight and passenger steamers-the Alice
Bella, Margaret, Yukon and Seward. The
last steamer by this company's route
which will connect with river steamers
going to Dawson, sails on the 2sth inst.
The fare is $3.50 tirst-class, and $125 second
class. to the Klondyke fromSan Francisco.
and the journey will consume about six
weeks. Each passenger Is allowed $50
pounds of baggage. The rival North
American Transportation and Trading
Company's steamer Portland will leave
Seattle for st. Michaels about the 21.t
inst, connecting with the Yukon River
steamers P. b. Weare and ]. J. heaiey.
These two trips are the limit of the
seasons possibilities by the Yukon River
route.
1t is an absolute impossibility to ship
freight to the upper Yukon by the river
route. Both of these companies have
trading stores in the YUKON country, and
their steamers are and will be loaded TO
the guards with the immense shipments
which these companies are making to
their own stores. They are crowding their
steamers with every ton of their own
freight that can be carried, and refuse all
freight shipments. II they had lots of
room they might carry freight from here
TO Dawson at 10 cents a pound. The
A aIr ~,