The Saint Paul globe., 1897-07-26

SAN FRANCISCO, Cal, July 25.-
The desire Of the gold-struck throng
to reach the diggings in the KIondyke
district resembles for all the world
the craze Of Westerners to reach Cal
1fornia in "The days of old and the
land Of gold" There is little or no
method in this longing of the masses
to reach the Eldorado in the great un-
known territory Of the Northwest.
People who have had no experience
in mining or have undergone none Of
the hardships incident to such a Jour
ney as will follow a trip to the Yukon
country, are clamoring for passage
and straining every nerve to secure
funds necessary on which to make tho
trip. Many are making sacrifices in Or
der to visit the land that promises 50
much.
Every steamship office in this CITY
Is literally overrun with people seeking
information concerning the Klondyke
country. Those who have the money
do not hesitate to pay for the passage
trusting in many instances to good
luck to give them food on which to
subsist during the coming winter. The
Excelsior, which leaves on Wednesday
next has full passenger list, but big
bonuses are being offered every day
for berth on the vessel.
The steamer Umatilla left this morn
ing for the North with 200 passengers
ana a fulI cargo Of provisions. She
goes to Port Townsend, where she
connects with the City of Topeka, sail
ing direct to Juneau. The owners of
the Umatilla have applied to the in
spectors Of hulls and boilers for per-
mission to carry all the passengers
that the vessels owned by the company
will hold. The Topeka, which is sched-
uled to leave Seattle early next week
has already more passengers than is
permitted by law. The same is trne
OF the George W. Elder which is
scheduled to leave July 80. The peo-
pie at Seattle are begging the steam
ship officers to provide them with
transportation.
The steamer Cleveland chartered as
an extra vessel by the Northwestern
Trading company, sailed late last night
for Seattle, where she will discharge
part OF her cargo and take on supplies
and passengers for Alaska. About
half of her passenger list from this
city is booked for Alaska, and she will
be full to the limit Leaving Seattle
for the North it is possible she will
carry 500 passengers.
More people are anxious to go to
Alaska and the Yukon country than
can possibly be accommodated at the
present time. 1t is believed by many
that the vessels now fitting at San
Francisco and destined for Dawson
City by way of ST. Michaels will never
reach the former place. The river be-
gins to freeze about September 10. and
1t is not possible for vessels leaving
San Francisco after August to reach
Dawson City for at least five or six
days after the extreme cold has set in.
SEATTLE, Wash. July 25.-No
greater crowd ever assembled on the
wharves Of Seattle than that which
witnessed the departure of the steamer
City of Mexico for Dyea this morning
On the Mexico were 2S3 passengers,
who left to seek their fortunes in the
Klondyke. A conservative estimate
says there were fully 5000 people on the
wharves. In addition to her passen-
gers, the Mexico carried 1900 tons of
freight, consisting almost entirely OF
outfits of the gold seekers. She has
on board forty-eight horses to be used
in packing the supplies over the Chill
coot pass from Dyea to Lake Linder-
man