The Irish standard., 1898-11-12
Klondike Boom in Seattle.

Seattle, and that city's prompt recovery
from the panic that has been more than
anything else due to the unexpected
turn in Alaskan affairs, says a writer
in the Boston Transcript Tacoma is
still rather SLOW, and in both cities real
estate stories not wholly unlike those
related of Spokane are plentiful. What
ever may be the terms of the competition
of the coast cities, and including Port
land and Astoria, Seattle has plainly
carried off the palm of the Klondike
trade. Nobody seems able to give any
good reason for it, except that the
Seattle people were little smarter"
and appeared earlier in the advertising
field. This brought the crowd there
and the conveyalces to bear them north
ward.
Eastern people can with difficulty rea-
lie the enormous volume of business
which the Klondike has turned into
Seattle. 1t was the place where the
crowds going in either direction stop
ped to think and to spend money. When
the excitement broke out thousands of
adventures from Eastern cities boarded
the trains for Seattle with only the
vaglest notion of what came next. how
they were to proceed, and what they
needed. Trains for many months were
so overcrowded that commercial travel
ers tried to cover their district on an
east-bound trip and to get west by
some route not popular with the klon-
dikers. Almost like children, these peo-
pie were unloadcd in Seattle, although
they brought a good deal of money,
which in the excitement of seeing hun.
dreds and thousands of persons fitting
out they soon learned how to spend
Every retail merchant in Seattle be-
came an Alaskan oulfittcr.
Although the Klondike excitement has
become somewhat subdued and this is
the season of returning rather than out
going travellers, all these coast cities
are still plastered with features" des-
ignated to catch this trade. Here arc
some of the catch phrases of the ad-
ver!ising columns of a morning news
paper.
Joys mosquito preventive. Impos-
sible to live in Alaska without ii. Put
up in cans.
'Neverslip horseshoes. Don't lose
time hunting for blacksmith. Put
these on yourself
"Pacific coast chocolate. Compact
and easily slowed away. Just the thing
for travellers"
Reliable transportation. Each ticket
includes insurance at Dawson"
Exhibits Of evaporated foods, crys-
talZcd eggs, and the like are on every
street corner in Seattle. The Klondiker
must buy clothing, firearms, supplies,
and a dozen things that lie never thought
of before he started. Thousands of
men never get any nearer the Klondike
than this city, and those who have gone
and returned likewise put in week or
two in Seattle, getting rested and filled
up. They are an exceedingly sorry
looking crowd as they get off the
Alaskan boats, and if they are finun-
cially able to do so generally 80 at
once to good hotel and proceed to
enjoy the comforts of civilized life be-
fore starting for Eastern homes. Seattle
catches the money both ways, and, in
spite of some reaction, 1t is believed In
this section that Alaska will continue
for many years to be Il collaborating
region OF considerable Importance. The
boom" or the excitement is over, but
from this time forth fairly steady BUSH
ness may be expected.