The herald., 1897-07-22
Wish Their Vessels Twice
as Large
THE PORTLAND SAILS TODAY
WITH EVERY INCH OF SPACE
OCCUPIED
Despite the Terrors Of the Arctic Win.
ter Thousands Prepare for
Prompt Departure
Associated Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
SEATTLE, Wash, July 21.-Tomor-
row at noon the steamship Portland
leaves Seattle for st. Michaele, with her
passenger accommodations taxed to the
limit and with full cargo of provisions.
On the Portland will be the second party
of fortune hunters to leave for the Clon-
dyke since the news of the big finds was
brought down by the Portland last Sun
day, the first party going on the Al-Ki
Sunday.
On the Portland's passenger list will
be ex-Gov. McGraw, E. M. Parry, a
prominent attorney, and E. M Balliett,
once famous college football man. Mrs,
j. d. Barnes, who was the first white
woman to go into the Yukon by the Dyea
basin, is returning to the north to join
her husband after year absence. She
is called the heroine of the Yukon, and
is known by all the Yukon old-timers.
On board also will be S. P. Weston of
the Post-In telligencer, who will take
with him dozen carrier pigeons. Mr..
Weston will come back on the Portland
and will let fly the pigeons at varying
distances, so that the latest news from
the Clondyke will reach the Post-Intelli-
gencer and the Associated Press several
days before the ships arrival.
At st. Michaels the Portland's s passen-
gers and freight will be transferred to
river steamers for the 2500-mile trip to
Dawson City.
Next Friday the Pacific Coast Steam
ch pnrr1 ma =, W CT m will
Seattle for Juneau and Dyea. She will
have full list of people who will go into
the Clondyke overland. On Sunday the
Mexico will sail for the same point with
her accommodations all engaged To-
morrow the steamer Islander goes from
Victoria to- Dyea and Skagaway bay, and
the company's representatives here say
she will have all she can carry Today
a deal was about closed for the pur-
chase of the steamers Eliza Anderson
and w. j. Mervin, sound boats, which
will be put on the route. 1t looks as
though daily service to the north would
soon be reality.
AS an incident of the great excitement
here, special meeting of the city council
was held today to take action concerning
the necessity of raising the pay of police
men. So many officers have resigned to
go north that the department is badly
crippled and it has been found impossible
to get men to take their places a pres
ent wages. The fire department has also
lost several men.
A loan and trust company here has
received a letter from ]. L. Jewett of
Clondyke saying he was sending out by
some boat to the mint at San Francisco
enough gold dust to pay off the mortgage
on his home, which is probably the first
application of Clondyke gold to that pur-
pose In his letter Mr.. Jewett says: 1T
is estimated that 1000 men came into the
Clondyke this spring. There is plenty Of
work for all of them, and next winter
many more will be needed. This is the
richest district ever found, and there will
be millions of dollars taken out during
the next two years"
Seattle itself has had a wonderful
stimulus in business Stores are crowded
all day long with men buying their out
fits. Some of the big houses receive let
ters daily from other cities to make up
outfits and hold until the senders of the
messages arrive here.
There are hundreds of such cases. Peo-
pie are coming in from all the nearby
towns. Last night party of fifteen ar
rived from Mount Vernon, Skagit
county Ellensburg has sent a delega-
ton, and from Ballard, King county, at
least thirty men are giving up their po-
sitions to follow the yellow fly north
ward.
A LITTLE ROMANCE
There will be a sequel to a pretty Can
adian love story when Joseph Bergevin
arrives at Beauharnois, a small town
up the St. Lawrence not far from Mon
treal. Several years ago, while but
boy, Bergevin became exceedingly fond
of a young woman named Antoinette,
who also lived at Beauharnois, but her
parents were stern his parents were
poor and Antoinette was pretty, and
magistrate of the town was paying some
attention to the simple French maiden.
They insisted on the customary settle-
ment, but Bergevin had it not. How
ever, he would go and get it. Antoinette
promised to be true and the young man
came to this coast in search of the gol-
den treasure. He found it not, and some
months ago left with Edmond Mercier
and Joseph e. Boucher for the Alaskan
gold fields. Before he left he told Will
liam McArdle of this city that he was
going solely for the purpose of getting
enough money to marry Antoinette and
that if he failed he would never come
back But he made the money, and
when he goes back to Beauharnois he
will be able to knock the hopes of that
magistrate into cooked hat.
Among the passengers on the Portland
that arrived here last week were the
three Frenchmen. Mercier has $45,000,
Boucher has $4,000 and Bergevin the
hero of the story, $22, 900 at least. In adj
dition to all this they have yet several
claims on the Clondyke which are being
cared for. Bergevin has returned for
the sole purpose of marrying Antoinette.
MEN WILL GO s,
TACOMA. July 21-The Clondyke ex-
citement here has reached stage where
every able-bodied man is making af-
forts to find means to get into the gold