The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1897-11-18

"A steamer will in few weeks sail
from Liverpool around Cape Horn for Se-
attle with 500 to 500 passengers destined
for Alaska. and this is only the first of
number of steamers" said Robert Capelle,
of San Francisco, general agent of the
North German Lloyd Steamship Com
pany. last night. This will be the first
steamer to bring passengers direct from a
European port TO Seattle. 1t furnishes
the strongest practical evidence of the
worldwide exodus TO Alaska. with Seat
tie as the outfitting and starting point But
this is but one of the many parties which
will come from Europe. for Capelle con-
tinued, as he sat In the lobby of the But
Ter:
Eve have thousands of people booked
from Germany, who are coming by our
steamers to New York and Baltimore, and
thence by rail TO Seattle. Yes; they are
nearly all booked through To Seattle and
are bound for Alaska. There are thou
sands upon thousands of them. The Kion-
dixie will attract far more people from E,u-
rope than did Johannesburg. Immense
numbers are coming In the next few
months. Six months from now you will
not have enough hotels in Seattle to house
all the people
"No; We shall not put on any extra
steamers to accommodate the Alaska pas
sengers, for we already have enough. I'm
migration has fallen off In the last few
years, but the klondike has given 1t
an increase due to better times AS soon
as times get better In the United States
immigration increases; when times get
hard. it stops. The highest number of pas
sengers we ever carried to the United
States in one year was i5SnO0
II booked from San Francisco TO Norway
the first white child born in Dawson City,
with its father and mother Their name
was Lovold. also booked to Germany
two Germans who could not pay for their
provisions when they left San Francisco
for the klondike. but they returned In nine
months with $50 900: saw their certificate
for that amount from the Seiby Smelling
and Refining Company. They had three
cidifnS. ana VIII return from Gefnidny In
the spring with five TO ten men. TO work
them. 1t is such men as that VINO spread
the excitement in Europe.
"The North German Lloyd now has sew
enty-seven steamers, and has chartered
four vessels. In the last twelve months
we have put in service seven large steam
ers. one OF which. the Kaiser Wilhelm der
Crosse cost II, 600 marks. while the en-
tire seven cost between 10 o00s1 and 0aa-
efo marks We have three lines of steam
ers of different classes running from Bre-
men to New York. two lines to Baltimore.
one to Galveston two TO South America
two to the East Indies. China and Japan.
one 10 Genoa and one TO Australia The
one missing link TO our system is from
Yokohama to the Pacific coast of the Uni
ted States and we are now working on fill
ing that up The line will probably run to
San Francisco. In connection with the Sam
Ia Fe system.
'.our company employs 2o.o1o persons on
it's steamers docks and warehouses. We
have the largest wholesale provision
house In Germany TO supply our steam
ers. the largest wine cellars in Earore.
and two breweries for the same purpose,
and we buy and roast our own coffee.
We have not our own shipyards, for our
steamers are built by the Vulcan. the
largest shipbuilding company in Stetttn.
ny Schichan at Elhing. who built the fast
est torpedo boats In the world. and by
Voss & BIohm at Hamburg. The Kaiser
wilhelm der Crosse is the largest steamer
afloat being 695 feet long. with 3a.Wo
horsepower. She carries 500 passengers
and has A crew OF 4g