The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-01-21
SEATTLE SCENES
Training Dog and Goat
Teams for Klondike.
Condensed Foodstuffs - Varyin e
Prize Of a Family Pet-Two Small
Boys Did Well-A Great Rush.

Mr.. Sayres, who is located here
from Seattle representing several large
business houses of that city, has just
returned from a visit to his connec-
lions on the Sound. He did not con-
tract the Klondike fever, but had
narrow escape. George Otterson tried
to inoculate Mr.. Sayres, but had to con-
fess failure of his powers of eloquence
and persuasion. Mr.. and Mrs. Otter
son are in Seattle. Mr.. Otterson has
been up in the direction Of Dawson
City and has a couple of claims on
one of the Alaskan creeks. He will
go back to that county in the spring,
in the meantime finding solace in
fine collection of nuggets which he
exhibits to all corners.
Klondike excitement has one of its
most active and certain centers at
Seattle. The merchants there are a
wide-aWake band For Ii years they
have been catering in a growing way
to Alaskan prospectors and understand
the business pretty we'll. They have
enormous stocks of foodstuffs, cloth
ing and material that experience
has shown are what the miners re-
quire. Mr.. Sayres says the traffic in
evaporated and condensed foodstuffs
is something marvellous. Enough COM
pressed material to sustain life for
many weeks can be supplied in the
space to occupy a small package that
may be carried in one hand. The
streets are teeming with life and all
the merchants are doing business in a
rush from daylight till dark. The
Seattle solid men expect no less than
$4,000 to 100000 individuals to outfit
for the Klondike at that city during
the first six or seven months of this
year. Rents have advanced already
and the most extraordinary efforts are
being made to accommodate the great
influx of people. Within the past
month one of the very largest business
blocks of the city has been turned into
a hotel. Every family is urged to
spare room or two for travellers and
it is plain that when the tide is on
there will be an overflow
On the streets in Seattle it is a COM
mon sight to witness the training of
dog and goat and reindeer and bullock
teams for use in the frozen north and
boats and RATS and snow shoes are
being built by the thousands. A span
of elephants or camels driven along
a principal street would not attract
a great deal of attention because there
is so much of the novel and unusual
in the situation every hour. Stories
pile upon stories. The papers are full
of Klondike and the excitement is al
most the sole topic of conversation.
A Seattle lady whose husband
had gone to the gold fields found the
larder running low and did not know
how her husband was faring. One
day she sold the family dog to a man
who called for Sc. He had offered S.
for the animal and she had asked $40
The amount of Sc was gladly accepted
and the dog went into training at once
for sled toll. In the course of time
the head of the house returned from
one of the golden streams and had
one nugget that took sixteen men to
lug it when turned into coin of the
realm. He also brought back with
him the dog which his wife had sold
Seeing the animal working hard on
short rations he had rescued it, paying
a ransom of $3.50, and being pleased
with the bargain.
In a bank at Seattle, Mr. Sayres
father saw two small boys. aged Ia
and Is, with heavy bags of nuggets
right from the KlOndike. When ques-
toned the youngsters said they had
earned the money carrying water al
81 an hour for the miners. They had
been bootblacks and newsboys and
had travelled to the gold fields more
for adventure than anything else
There is an added edge to the keen
| ness of the excitement in Seattle or
| account of the considerable proper
| ton of we'll known men of that town
who have come back from Alaska with
nice piles. There are dozens OF
| cases known where ordinary chaps
shaving along at S35 to $50 a month
who have gone to the Klondike and
struck it rich" These men settle
down in Seattle and are about the
| streets as an incentive and inspira-
| ton.
Mr.. Sayres believes Seattle will get
a very large share of the outfttine
| business, notwithstand the desperate
bids of Portland, San Francisco ant
| Vancouver for the trade