Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-14
N HOTEL CORRIDORS

| "Our people are as happy and prosperous
as can be- said ]. A. Freeman of Seattle,
WASH. at the Raleigh today. There is
| not better city in the country today than
! Seattle. Money is plentiful and men who
want to work have all they can do and at
good wages. too Eight thousand is a fair
estimate of the number of gold seekers who
have been fitted out in Seattle for the
Klondike journey You may get some idea
of what this means for the merchants of
| our city when you understand that outfits
cost from $3.50 up; in some instances reach
ing nearly 81 900. 1t is a cash trade and
all that money goes into active circulation
| in the city.
THE hardware men are perhaps the best
| pleased of the merchants. Those who go
to the klondike region to search for gold
must have tools. and it is less expensive to
| buy them in Seattle than to transport them
from home. stove is also necessary
adjunct and the trade in this one article
has reached huge proportions. The discov-
cry of the klondike gold fields has also
demonstrated the fact that the baby state
of Washington is far from being devoid of
sons of genius. Many articles invaluable
| to the prospector have been invented and
| placed in the market there within the last
| few months. One of these inventions is a
stove that weighs not to exceed forty-fve
pounds. 1t is of sheet iron and lined with
pipe that shuts up inside of the stove. The
stove is so shaped that it can be easily car
| ried strapped to ones back. Every extra
pound counts on a long Journey by foot
over the trails The ordinary man has
| about all he wants to do to make the trip
| with fifty pounds. Some of the Skaguay
| Indians, however, think nothing of Shout
dering two hundred pounds. When l was
| at Dyea in the summer I saw plenty of the
| natives start out with packs weighing not
| less than two hundred pounds each.
| "A great and important industry at pres
] ent, and it must be for some years to come.
| is the furnishing of animal food to the
people of the gold country. Before the
| winter is over beef will sell for 81 pound.
| scarcity even at 81. The cattle, a
| rule. are driven over the Dalton trail,
| through the Chilkatt pass. While the fur
| nishing of beef Is an exceedingly profitable
! business in itself, the cattle buyers are also
| deriving vast sums in the aggregate by
! compelling the cattle to do double service
both as food and as carriers of baggage.
| The baggage thus carried will average from
| three to four hundred pounds to the ami
NAL The baggage is securely strapped
| to the critters backs. To herd with
| these packs reminds one of typical Afri
can scene, only the weather is slightly diff
| ferent at this time Of the year. Their OBJ
| jective point is Fort Selkirk, which is be-
| low the rapids on the Yukon river During
| a portion of the year RATS can be built
| here and the cattle and baggage taken
down to Dawson City by water
Yes, of course there is plenty of gam
| bling in Seattle despite that it is not sane
| toned by the officials of the city. Former
| Mayor Wood. who is now on his way to the
] gold fields with a transportation outfit held
the gambling places in check, but the gold
| excitement has had a tendency to increase
| the number and augment the interest in
| chance games. There is considerable talk
| of adopting the old wide-open policy that
| existed when the city was in its infancy,
and it is not unlikely that such policy will
! la IN, hafnr
| I'VE have 100 miles Of street railroads in
| Seattle and in every way the city is far
| ahead of MANY eastern cities of greater
| population Now that the Lake Washing
| ton canal is assured thing, 1t means that
| the American government will have what
| it has long needed. fresh water harbor
| for the naval vessels and large carriers of
| the merchant marine. Lake Washington
| is five miles back of Seattle. 1t is twenty
| eight miles long and from two to six miles
wide A fresh water harDor is Invaluable
| for removing the barnacles and accumula-
| ton of animal matter which retard the
| speed of sailing craft.
| Seattle people are also proud of the new
| army post that is to be located on Mag
nolia Bluff, at the entrance of Ellicott bay.
our harbor. Workmen are now clearing up
| the land, and the government has already
| let the contract for further work.
| Mr.. Freeman IS a native of New York,
! and he is en- his way to the metropolis for
visit, after an absence of eighteen years.
Among the late arrivals at the Airing
| ton was Captain ]. w. Bryant of
New Orleans. Captain Bryant has, during
| the past month, visited every city on the
| Mississippi and Ohio rivers that has
| board of trade, and his mission in Wash
| ington is to bring to the attention of Con-
| gress matter that is of vital Importance
| to the commercial interests Of the pulf
city.
I'VE want more water in our harbor," he
said to a Star reporter "Our commerce
| has far outgrown the capacity of the pres
ent channel There are three passes at the
month of the Mississippi river, but only
| one is navigable. and that is what is known
| as the Eads jetty. Twenty-sx feet of wa
| ter is the limit at the present time. Many
vessels that enter the port of New Orleans
could load to 80 feet if there were water
| AS it is, these vessels are compelled to de-
part with not less than 5000 tons of a full
cargo. The New Orleans board of trade
which 1 represent, has the cooperation
| of the commercial organizations Of the
cities 1 visited in asking Congress to give
us 32-foot channel and have the jetties
extended Major James b. Quinn United
States engineer has reported in favor of
deepening the channel to thirty-two feet
and we are backing up that report with a
memorial from the various shipping inter-
| ests, asking Congress to appropriate a sum
commensurate with the importance of the
desired improvement.
Another matter which purpose bringing
to the attention of Congress is of interest
to navigation officers all the rivers of
the Inlted states. Under the ruling of an
Attorney General of a previous admnistra-
tlon 1t was held that a mate of an inland
vessel was not a licensed officer under the
government statutes; that the law applied
| only to navigation officers of ocean vessels.
Inc mates and owners thus affected by
that ruling will ask Congress to amend the
Jaw SO as TO make mates licensed ofio
| as they were before. In this matter have
the cooperation of navigation officers from
the Potomac, Hudson and many other riy-
ers. nave the assurance of Senator CAT
iery OF Louisiana that he will introduce a
morrow Va ~
captain Bryant is an old newspaper man.
having been Tor years with the Times
democrat. AT present he is marine editor
of the States. ''i
chapman Coleman of Frankfort XIV.
secretary of the reciprocity committee. and
Mrs. Coleman and daughter have arrival