The San Francisco call., 1898-01-17
A Crowd of Miners Leave for Alaska on the
 Walla w ala.
Every Berth on the Columbia Engaged a Week Ahead
 of Time.
The Bark EnOch Talbot to Be Trans formed Into a KlOndike Pas
 senqer-Boat

The only excitement on the front yesterday was caused by the departure of the steamer Walla Walla for the Sound and the arrival of the Peru from China, via Japan and Hawaii.
 The Walla Walla, being the last yes sel to leave for Seattle at the cut rates, took away every passenger she could carry. She had about 365, all told, aboard, and many of these were glad to secure sleeping accommodation on the cabin floor. About one-half of this number will connect with the steamer for Dyea and Skaguay at Seattle this week, and they expect to begin their march on the Klondilxe early in Feb ruary. All of them are thoroughly out fitted and the steamer could not carry all the freight offered.
 There is only one more steamer for Alaska at the cheap rates. The Colum- bia, which will leave here for Portland on the 18th inst, will connect with the steamer Oregon for Dyea. The rate for this trip will be s cabin and 8 50 steerage to Portland, but after the 20th inst. it will be SIP cabin and $S steer age. All the accommodation on the Co., lumbia has been taken, and, like the Walla WaIla, she also will have Klon- dikerS sleeping on the cabin floor dur ing the voyage.
 Very few vessels found their way in through the fog yesterday, but quite a fleet went to sea. Among the latter was the bark EnOch Talbot, bound for Puget Sound. The old lumber vessel has been purchased by Joshua Green of Seattle and his intention is to fit her up with first class passenger accom- modatiOns and put her into the Klon- hA fO bxv the tug Vigilant, and MT. Green went out to see his purchase off on her new field of labOrs. All kinds of vessels are gold mines just now, and the old Tal- bot brought more in good S20 pieces last week than it cost to build her. She was chartered to Darby, LaydOn & Go. to carry piles from the Sound here, and Mir. Green had to pay cOnsidera ble money also to have that contract can celed.
 While he is here MT. Green will pur- chase as many gasoline launches as he can procure at a reasonable figure, but every body adds the probable earnings of the boat to his valuation, and gaso- line launches for use on the Yukon are expensive articles.
 Other vessels that went out were the British bark Invernen for Queenstown with wheat, the barkentine s. N. Cas- tie for Honolulu. the schooner Falcon for Tahiti and the United States gun boat Marietta for Central America. The Marietta will be stationed at Mic aragua to assist the members of the Nicaragua Canal Commission on this side of the continent.
 The United States steamer General Mcdowell was kept busy among the army posts on the bay yesterday. She left Ciay-street wharf at noon and was running between Alcatraz, Angel Island and Black Point all the afternoon. car ryinE the officers to and from the fune- ral Of Mrs. Shafter. In consequence she did not make the usual afternoon round trip from Clay-street wharf
 The fishermen have discovered a gasoline engine is a very handy thing in a fishing boat, and many of the crab boats and luggers are being fitted with them. The saving in time more than makes up for the expense, and if the fishermen keep on getting engines placed in their boats there will soon be a gasoline fleet on the fishing grounds. It is a daily occurrence to see the for tunate owner of a gasoline boat tow ing from six to eight of his less fOrtu- nate brethren in from sea. Others making their way up the bay against the tide are picked up by other launch es and lowed to their destination Yes terday afternoon about forty fishing snacks were lowed past Meiggs wharf by the different gasoline boats Every fisherman who owns two or three boats IS also the owner of a launch and the latter is used to tow the sailing boats from one fishing ground tC, the other