The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-20

Sssi1ng q ne seeames AIsianre -
DeIayeA ~ Testy Angry Nen, VIE
Accuse : LeeaI p1r. - Frs.a-
The Cs1pany Makes m Answer.

Forty disaslxsed Missourians started
yesterday ~ noon for the Copper river
"a tho steamer Alliance ara wAen taey
bad gone the aaanagess Of the Argonant
oufat.iE< Company. Of this city. breathsd
deep sigh Of relief. The boat was to
have sailed Monday night at o'clock.
but at the last hour one a. the MEssourians.
opening his newly purchased OUTFIT to get
IN extra BLANKET for his hunk. discovered.
he claims that the article was half cotton
Instead Of al wool. He had thought he
Was getting al WOOL ana to find the con-
trary was not pleasing. He called his
companions and tire boat was delayed
while the men ransAcked their bags. just
from the oa;ftfins company,s stere.
There were strange revelaxtonA Very
few had what they thought. One found
four Stoves all for the right hand and
another. who wears number twelve Ghoea
found that 10 would b expocted TO trip
over the valdeo pa0 In number efghtD
The anne party was m1zjudged IN the
naatter Of shirts drawing one with .
eiGhtesn inches \ psoapector who had
thouRht 70 get two 0its q heavy under
wear found himsolf p0gsesMd q four pairs
Of cheap drawers and Immediately beeAn
TO hunt soane fellow who had secured four
shirts. In nearly every sack several arti-
cles. It II claimed. vere short. or there
was found to BE- discrepancy IN the
quality Of the sooda especially In the
blankets ana coats The groceries. ordered
from the same company. had been slowed
aboard the steamer earlier In the day and
could NOT b. examined.
The leaders ok the party, DR.. Reifsnyder
and Il. r. A. Nismer. Of St. Louis. were
fAH - Ca. inv> nd O.
clared 10 their followers that the fault
lay with the 0utittin@ company. The Ale
Hance was held oTef until the next day.
and yesterday morning the store 81 the
Argon&ut Quitting Co. on Ysslsr way,
was filed With threatening men who de-
ciared themselves cheated and demanded
reparation. In order to maintain peace II
was necessary to summon the AID Of the
police Except few unlmportant errors
In packing the company declared that the
outfits contained what was ordered. Arti-
cles on which there was protest were
exchanged. and at noon the expedition got
under way. The groceries win be Examined
Alaska.
The forty Misourians constitute the Pr
oneer Klondike Transportation Co.. OF st.
LouiA The president b DR.. Reifmyder.
and the leader Of the men Is y. II. A.
Aismer. Manager A. Morton. q the Argo-
U8ut OuSNtIluA W. WSsrda SSCn y~Ss~suAS
made the following statement OF tina nrms
transaction with the expedition. and sub
enttted the ccnpany's books to substan-
tiate his Statemant0:
..Thsss yssks . sEo =, we ., .srs s.hss sl Sy
sd Nc CUM 8 Our Sa s Sas Is: 70 swess
and was accepted. The party arrived last
Friday. Our dealings were altogether
They took the snen through our establish.
What went into TIE outilte vas elected BY
ana they paid u. not the men. For forty
less than 500 each. In every way the out.
years provisions which usually runs at 80
to the man. they got for so. Hardware
and clothing. also. was OF the cheapest
snined their goods at the vessel they were
and Reifsnyder shifted the blame 70 US.
goods this morniuG, giving better quality.
&C CHECK in escrow tor 60 70 cover TIE d;f.
. q ws sscsved s; ana
when these were exchanged for 81 blank
cts, the difference IN price was made up
The plan Of Reifsnyder and Mismer is
simple: They formed company and con-
tracted to take certain number Of people
cordinG to the extent OF the outfit fur
nished. They took half the contract price
down. and stipulated that members OF the
earnings In Alaska. The forty contracts
averaged $780, and Mismer and Reifsnyder
must have collected sloooo from the men.
paid In transportation to Seattle about
80: steerags tickets 10 Copper river came
70 about ~, and they paid US 800.
80 0o0
Our books are always open TO inspec-
ton by committee OF business or news
paper men. We want to be set right be-
fore the public"
Members Of the expedition stated before
sailing that they had every confidence In
Re.fsnyder ana Mismer. and attached the
blame to the outiitting company.