The herald., 1897-07-22

business men p H. Wilson, a builder.
was elected President and II. A. Tho
burn, a real estate man, Secretary and
Treasurer. Wilson says the object of the
meeting was to organize a company of
500, each to pay $1,000, proceed to San
Francisco, purchase an iron vessel of
sufficient size to carry men and provis-
ions which can be bought for $780, 00 and
proceed to the Alaskan gold fields. 1t is
the purpose to hold, the vessel at the
nearest point to the gold fields for head
quarters for the members of the COM
pany and employees. An agreement was
drawn up and twelve of those present
signed it, each agreeing to the payment
of $1,000 Others are being solicited.
A DOUBTING THOMAS
TOLEDO, O.. July 21.-Mr. and Mrs
Claus Shelmann of Defiance have just
received letter from their son Fred,
who has been in Alaska since last March
that discredits the golden stories that
have been exciting the people of the
West for several weeks.
| Mr.. Shelmann went to Alaska from
Montana last March under contract as
| prospector. A number of men were in
| the party and they will all return TO
Montana this month. Shelmann says
| there is absolutely no truth in the fab
ulous stories that come from Alaska and
that the gold fields there are practically
barren. He says there is great scarcity
of food in that section The suffering
there and the amount of money neces-
sary to be paid to secure the barest ne
cessities of life, he says, should deter
any thinking man from giving the sub
ject of trip to that country second
thought.
STOCKTON STRUCK
STOCKTON, July 21-The Clondyke
fever has struck Stockton and quite
number have already announced their
intention of starting for the gold fields
Among others are City Health officer
Leach, Dr. Ira Laid, ex-Police Officer
Kuhn and James Mcleod Kuhn has al
ready secured passage on the steamer
Excelsior.
MORE GOLD RECEIVED
SAN FRANCISCO, July 21-The
steamer Umatilla, which arrived today
from Puget Sound ports, brought down
almost 5000, 900 of Alaskan gold, of which
S136, 700 was in gold dust from Seattle
consigned to Wells, Fargo & Co. There
are several other shipments of gold in
sacks, some of which was shipped d.
rect from Juneau, and advices from that
place are to the effect that at least $780,
900 of dust is awaiting shipment at vari-
Gus Alaskan stations.
Among the sensational advices receiv-
ed was one from ST. Michael's to the eff
feet that over 81 900 900 in, gold which
i
recently brought to the coast by miners,
will be shipped through Wells, Fargo
& Co.; other lucky miners having reach
ed the island since the departure of the
Excelsior and Portland, who have Sc
cured greater fortunes individually than
those whose stories have already been
told.
Although the capacity of the steamers
Portland, which sails tomorrow for ST.
Michael's and the steamer Excelsior,
which sails on the 2Sth, is limited to
about ITO passengers, over 1000 applica-
tons have been made for berths. Most
of the disappointed ores are making ar
engagements to travel to Tacoma by rail
and secure passage on the Mexico and
Topeka, which will sail thence next
week, but many must inevitably wait
until next spring, and their disappoint-
ment is sore.
ANOTHER STEAMER
PORTLAND, Ore, July 21-The Pa
cific Coast Steamship company has
chartered the Oregon Railway and
Navigation company's steamer George
w. Elder and will put her on the line
between Portland and Alaska in the in
terest of Portland merchants. 1t is in
tended that the steamer will make her
first trip from Portland to Juneau on or
about July Goth.
THE LAST BERTH
SAN FRANCISCO, July 21.-The last
berth on the steamer Excelsior was paid
for today, and a dozen or more disap-
pointed ones saw the money of the other
men go across the counter.
Quite a number of women have en-
gagged passage on the Excelsior. Some
of them are going with their husbands
but one or two will make the journey
alone.
At the office of the Pacific Goa SIT Steam
ship company the same activity is being
manifested in the purchase of tickets.
over thirty-five persons have engaged
passage for the next steamer for Victo-
ria, connecting at Port Townsend with
the setamer for Juneau. AS these steam
ers sail every five days and the overland
route from Juneau is recommended as
the most expeditions, a greater rush is
expected in a few days. Already the
steamer Elder is scheduled to leave
Portland on July 30th for Sitka and Ju-
neau and nearly every berth is en- gagged.
ar IN he r. n
and catch the steamer at Portland or
Port Townsend.
1t is said at the office of the Pacific
Coast Steamship company that if the
demand for transportation continues an
extra steamer will be placed on the route
About August let.
HAD OUGHT TO
LONDON, July 21.-The Daily Mail
has received an anonymous letter with
reference to the probability of a war be-
tween England and the United. States,
in which the writer says: England had
ought to take the opportunity of rectify-
ing the frontier by anneXing Maine Ver-
mont, New Hampshire, and a part of
New York state, thus giving Canada a
seaport, Portland to which navigation
is open all the year She ought also to
annex Alaska and the Sandwich
| islands,