The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-07-28
Various Lines of Railroad to
the Gold Fields Projected.
Active Work Will Be Begun on
Them Next Spring.
PREMIUM ON TICKETS,
$50 Bonus is Offered for Pas
sage ON the Excelsior.
Purchasers of OptionsMeetWith
No Success.

seattle, w aSh.p july -ZS--GeOrSe W.
Garside, a well known engineer, form
erly in the employ of the government,
has recently completed the survey of 81
miles of railway running from Skagwa
bay over the white pass to Lake Tagis
and thence to the upper Hootalingqua
river. He is employed by the British
American Transportation company, said
to be amply supplied with funds with
which to complete the undertaking.
1t is said that work will begin in the
spring of 1898. The new route viii be
100 miles longer than that at present
followed by miners going into the Yu-
kon basin overland from Dyea- River
steamers are to be used up the Yukon
and HOOtalinqua rivers from Dawson
City and on the lakes which will COM
prise part of the new route. The dan
gerous White Horse rapids and the
Whirlpools of Miles canyon will be
eliminated.
Vancouver, B. c., July 2S.-A cable
gram from London states that capital
of four hundred thousand dollars has
been subscribed for the construction of
the Cassiar Central railroad in the Cas-
star district, northern part of British
Columbia.
The charter was granted the company
at the last session of the provincial leg
islature, which also gave aid by the
concession of a lease of seven thousand
acres of land and the right to all miner
ais, including gold and silver found
therein. Parties connected with Trans
Vaal mining enterprises are behind the
company and it is expected it will lead
to large developments of the Cassiar
district, supposed to be rich in mineral,
lying as it does between the Kootenai
on the south and the Alaskan gold
fields on the north In early days Cas-
star yielded much placer gold.
San Francisco,July 28.-The departure
of the steamer Excelsior has been set
for O'Clock this afternoon. Capt. Hig-
gins has determined not to remain any
longer after that hour than is absolute
ly necessary.
Many persons inquired this morning
for passage, Notwithstanding notice had
been given some days ago that every
berth had been taken and that no more
tickets would be sold. 1t was reported
on the street and on the dock that as
high as $3.50 bonus had been offered for
a passage by the steamer and that if
more money was needed to secure it.
there would be more coming. But all
who had secured their tickets seemed to
be satisfied to cling to them and no
sales were reported.
Local capitalists who are endeavorins
TO secure options on mining claims in
the kIondike country are not meeting
with much success among the miners
now here.Th men seem to realize they
nave good thing in what they have
and are not disposed to submit to
modern forms of conveyance even
though not forced TO sell until value of
the property is investigated
Two sisters of the Order of st. Anne
have offered their services for ten
years dTuuOuS laDOr IN the frozen
north and have been accepted by the
superior of their community. They
have arrived in San Francisco on their
way north and were to have sailed for
St. M1chaelS on the steamer Excelsior
but as 1t was considered that the vessel
would be crowded with passengers the
officials of the Alaska Commercial COM
pany advised the sisters to wait for the
sailing of the Bertha, either Saturday
or Monday next
The two who go north are Sister
Mary of the Cross, formerly Miss Peter
SON She has been recently engaged in
educational work at Holyoke Mass.
Her companion is Sister Mary Magda-
len of the Sacred Heart, who was Miss
Goulet, a native of Quebec.
The Klondike is promised close COM
munlcat1on with the rest of the world
in a short time. At least a telegraph
company has been Incorporated which
will get to work Immediately to string the
wires. Articles of Incorporation of the
Alaska Telegraph and Telephone COM
pany have been filed with the county
clerk of San Francisco. The directors
of the new company are c. w Wright
Theodore Reichert, D. f. Bohanon j.
w. Wright and J. F. Fassett The can
1taI stock of the organization is $780,
600, of which 100000 has been SUBJ
scfibed by the directors. The propo-
sitton is to construct telegraph lines
which will connect Dyea with the town
OF Dawson and branch lines connecting
Dyea with Juneau and Dawson with
Circle City.
The estimated length of the proposed
me is 1,OOO miles. The plan of con-
struction will be after the style of mill
tary systems used in war times. A
wire a quarter of an inch thick covered
with kerite insulation will be used. The
wire will be laid along the ground. in
stead of being stretched on poles Trees
or poles viii be used only when it is nee
eSSary to cross a gulch. The promoters
of the novel enterprise expect to get to
work laying the wires in three weeks
and to have them laid six weeks later
The company does not intend to have
any telegraph communication from
Juneau unless some of the larger com
panies construct a line north from
Puget sound.