The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-01-19
SCENES AT SEATTLE.

King. the advance agent of the Nor walk-Stamford Klondilse party. It was written in Seattle harbor, January 8, on board the schooner Moonlight, which has been purchased to transport the party to the gold fields
 The past week I have been wading around in the mud, with some expert shipbuilders, under the bottom of Moon light, armed with a broom, scraper and auger, looking for rotten blanks or toredo holes. but I am glad to say we found none, and there is not staunch- CT schooner afloat anywhere. I am writing this letter in the cabin, on a ta- ble which is slung from the roof I am seated on chair which is supposed to be stationary, but that is merely a sup position, as there is half a gale blow ing here now and the wind has got a stretch of over three and one-half miles across the harbor, and am being shak- en up at a lively rate. Riding at an chor in stiff breeze is worse than sailing. Seattle has got splendid harbor, forty or fifty feet of water right at the wharves, and out from the shore it is anywhere from 100 to 200 feet deep. It seems strange to see big four-mast- CTS coming in in ballast and anchor in the middle of this splendid harbor. I believe there is quite a heavy penalty imposed in New York harbor if steam CTS even heave their ashes over, but here vessels throw 300 or 400 tons of rock or earth in the harbor any time they want to. And another thing about this harbor is the immense number of sea gulls thousands of them, and very tame. There is d fine Of $50 collected from anyone shooting sea gull here, as the birds are regarded as scaven- gers, and must say that if the clean liness of the water here is due to the sea gulls they are a great institution. Seattle is filled to overfiowing with gold seekers I have seen dozens. of steamers and sailing vessels loaded to the limit (passages are booked at least one month to six, weeks in advance) start for Dyea and skaguay. All is ex- citement on the docks when a vessel leaves, hundreds of people cheering and crying, everybody doing something to make a noise. Then the Alaska mail wagon comes dashing to the dock, and the stevedores forward are busy hoist | ing on a few more horses or pack mules Others are busy with baggage. i Men with mackinaw suits and miners boots are visible all over the vessel, 1 shouting farewell to wives, mothers or sisters. It makes fellow feel like hol- lering, too Then the whistle is blown, l lines are cast off, and the vessel starts on her long trip to the frozen north. | The steamship companies are going to make fortunes here this season, but will be utterly unable to handle one- sixth part of the people who will come | through Seattle
 l Ship owners who should know tell me that if all the steamships on the Pacific coast were put into the service there would be more wanted No doubt fares will advance. They are not exorbitant yet, but there is quite a good deal of talk about raising them.
 There is a sight here on the streets of Seattle every day which, if some of the boys of Stamford could see, would speedily be copied-that is four or six dogs harnessed to sleds either with Alaska outfits or six or seven very happy, muddy little boys, going along over the slippery, wooden streets as fast as possible. They do we'll as long as the leader attends to business, but it is very Imaginable to see sled with six I dogs come racing along, and then tc see the leader suddenly stop or run tc the sidewalk Either event means 8 bad tangle up. Sometimes all get into
 fight, but are soon strengthened out
 oYu can safely pat any dog you meet or
 the street without fear of a growl. ]
 think it is because they all work, ant
 it is good alike for men and dogs to Ia.
 bor.
 Aristocrats are an unknown quantity
 here; so Is a native born Seattleite.
 have met dozens of met from Connec
 ticut, all doing we'll It makes me fee
 proud of my adopted state. And anoth
 CT thing which makes me wonder wa.
 the youthfulness of the large majority
 of the business men. You seldom mee
 man in active business who look.
 over thirty-five.
 Rents have more than doubled here
 within the past month. Houses whici
 rented for $20 a month now command
 $50. The theaters are overworked
 They run matinee on Sunday as vel
 as an evening performance. Saloon
 never close, and anyone with a taste fo
 gambling can easily gratify it here-no
 exactly wide open, but easily found
 There are any number of desperadoe
 here now, and there was a fearfu
 shoting affray in Ballard (which is
 short distance from Seattle) on Ney Years eve., Two or more men wen
 into little saloon to collect toll iron
 the saloon keeper, who was foolhard. enough to grab his revolver and shoot He killed his man, but Tn the same sec
 ond received his death wound Tn
 other man escaped. I reached the spo
 about five minutes after the shooting
 in company with several others, and l never wish to see. so horrible a sigh , again. He left a widow and two chil l dren. Tho only comment made by thi 2 western crowd about the deed was
 Well, they both made pretty goo
 shots"