The San Francisco call., 1898-04-04
ALASKA FEVER
 NOW ABATINC A Comparatively Small Mum Der Depart on
 the Valencia. PeculiaritieS Connected With the. Arrival of the
 Schooner Inca. Hulk Of the Bark Amy Shifting About-New Ferry Building
 Opened-Stray Notes.

It is not to be wondered at that those who have invested their money In the Alaskan transportation business are somewhat alarmed over the outlook. The rush for the gold fields seems to have in a great measure abated, as was witnessed in the sailing of the steamer Valencia yesterday for Seattle and Copper River points. On her last trip the steamer took over five hundred passengers. Yesterday forty f1rst-class and seventy-three steer age passengers embarked for Copper kiv- CT. Portage Bay. Resurrection City and other points. Eight took passage for Seattle. On board also were eighty-one fishermen, who will go to the Orea can- neries. and sixty Chinese, bound for the same place. Six hundred tons of freight were taken on board, as we'll as a number of mules and a COW. At Seattle the steamer will be boarded by Government expedition bound for Copper River to prospect for suitable route into the Yu- kon district. The steamer is sent out by the Pacific Steam Whaling Company. She sailed from the new Folsom-street wharf at 4:15 D. m., large crowd witnessing the departure.
 For the first time the schooner Inca en- tered this bay yesterday afternoon. She is the only fve-masted and five-topmast- ed schooner that has ever been in port. The Lewis is the only other five-masted schooner on the coast, and has fewer topmasts than the Inca The cargo of the Inca consisted of 31,763 bags of sugar, no small item in itself, the first cargo of su- gar that has gone to the new refinery at entine Planter, also from Honolulu with a cargo of sugar, followed the Inca to Port Costa.
 The new lightship, No. 70, was lowed over from the outttting point at Goat Island yesterday by the MadioEo and moored at. Union-street wharf. Next l,srl,t tc,S he lyar the spot where the whistling buoy is now located and anchored. All her future pro- visions will be received through the me dium of the lighthouse. tender Madrono..
 According to orders the monitor Monad mock steamed to Mare Island yesterday morning to go on the drydock and be sup piled with ammunition. It is asserted that the monitor will go to Norfolk as soon as she is ready for the trip.
 The British bark Dominion, with car go of coal consigned to J. J. Moore & Co.,, reached here last evening, 101 days from Newcastle, N. $. w. Considerable anxi ety had been felt by those interested over val will relieve the tension. The Drum muir arrived about the same time. She is also from Newcastle with cargo of coal.
 The steamer George Loomis, from Ven tura, reached here yesterday and reports that at a.. m. the remains of the bark southwest south of Point Pedro. The hulk was was reported to be standing upright and bear ing the appearance of sloop. This is good evidence that the hulk of the wreck ed vessel is constantly shifting about and must be removed or destroyed soon or it will become a serious menace to naviga- ton.
 The schooner Hattie I. Phillips, brought from New York to enter the Klondike trade and chartered to carry lumber for a short period, made the trip here from Astoria in four days, arriving with a car go of lumber yesterday. This Is remark ably fast time for a schooner. and espe- cially so in this case, where her captain is unfamiliar with the topography of the seacoast.
 was crowded with a large number of cu- riosity seekers yesterday. all eager to view one of the warships that are expect ed to blow Spain'S navy out of the waters of the earth. A peculiar fact is, that not a man on board wearing the uniform of seaman is not eager for war-not so much on account of what has happened, as one of them expressed it, but because them treacherous cusses always did de- serve good lickin'. and we are the ones as can do it, too"
 The tug Vigilant was placed on the Merchants. drydock yesterday morning. Captain Silovich Is. proud of his speedy boat and takes good care that nothing in her condition shall ever cause her to take a back seat for 'any of en-.
 The schooner Thomas Negus sailed for Cooks Inlet Saturday and came back yes- the coast. Some forgotten supplies caused the return.
 The new ferry building received its ini- tial usage by passengers yesterday. A large number of people who went or a pleasure excursion around the bay and to Schuetzen Park, as we'll as passengers for Tiburon, were permitted to pass through n