The San Francisco call., 1898-03-18
WILL SAIL FOR KOTzEBUE SOUND A Fleet of Sailing Vessels Bound for the Kowak
 Gold Fields.
The Battleship Oregon Is Now Ready to Sail at Mo-
 nent'S Notice.
Sailing of the Walla walla for Puget Sound Ports Crowded With
 Passengers.

When Captain Cogan put the bark Alaska on the berth for the Kotzebue Sound gold fields he little thought the rush would assume the dimensions 1t has. The Alaska was soon filled up and the Northern Light was purchased and got ready for the trade. When all the pas senger accommodations were taken Cap tain Cogan withdrew, and ever since has been getting a stern wheel steamer ready and perfecting his arrangements for a start the latter part of next month.
 The rush was not fairly under way then, however, and the demand for pas sage to the. Kowak River has been SC great that at the present time there are on the berth for KotZebue Sound the barkentines Catherine Sudden, Jane A Fallxinburg and Leslie D, barks Mermaid and Bounding Billow and couple oi schoonerS. The Falkinburg was brought over from Oakland Creek yesterday and was docked at Howard-street wharf. She will be built up in order to provide accom- modations for about 150 passengers, and a stern wheel steamer will be brought along to take the proSpectorS up the rivers. The lumber for the steamer is now being dis charged at Sausalito and the work ot construction will begin at once.
 The steamer Walla Walla left for Puget Sound portssyesterday crowded with pas sengers and freight. In order to provide for the 800 and odd souls she took away one hundred berths had to be built up in the vessel between Wednesday evening and yesterday morning so that all on board might have a place in which to sleep.
 The majority of the passengers were taking advantage of the cheap rates of Klondikers aboard. Among them was A. J. Rosborough, late wharfinger at Washington and Clay streets. host of his friends on the water front were down n; ~ff 1nO,b a m broken-hearted over having to leave them all. As he promised all and sundry a good-SiZed nugget on hIS return the wishes for speedy and successful round trip were many and fervent.
 The British steamer Cape OtWay IS on her way from Australasia with a load of Klondikers. She left Auckland, N. Z., on the first of this month and is to stop at Fiji, Samoa, and Hawaii on her way. She will coal at San Francisco and will then proceed to St. Michael direct. The Cape Otway is a new vessel on her maiden voyage.
 Henry Peterson's launch William D took distinguished party around the bay yesterday. It was composed of Ar thur SeWall of Maine, the Democratic candidate for Wce-President, his son, Frank Sewall, Captain Baker of the ship Wentworth, and w. A. Morrow, son of Judge Morrow. The launch stopped at Oakland long wharf and MT. Sewal in spected closely the facilities for shipping sugar brought here by sailing vessels from Hawaii to the East.
 The steamer Leewenaw, now out IA days from Boston with coal for John Rosenfeld's Sons, was formerly the Brit ish steamer Earnwell. She was purchased by the Saginaw Steamship Company and $S5 GOO spent on her in repairs. She was rechristened and placed under the Amer1- can flag.
 gon are on the tenter hooks to get away. They are confident that there is going to be war and they want their vessel to be as far on her way toward the Atlantic as possible when hostilitieS commence. Every mans wash was taken aboard yes terday and the warship Is now ready to sail at a moments notice. She has 1900 tons of coal in her bunkerS. The water tanks have all been replenished and the magazines are full; so for the first time since she was launched the Oregon is in full fighting trim.
 The Harbor Commissioners decided to postpone the work of repairing Spear street wharf yesterday so the bids for that work and those also for the treat ment of piles were returned to the pld- ders The commissioners were not cer- tain but what there might be some trou- bIe over the work even though the per mission of the court had been gwen, so it was decided to call for new bids.
 The suggestion of Chief Wharhnger Root that the Naval Reserves training ship Marion be moved into the stream un- til the rush of business on the front abateS somewhat was agreed to- The Chief Wharfnger explained that 1t was only the urgency of the case that made him suggest such a measure. Several veS- sels are now lying in the stream awaiting an opportunity to dock to discharge. Af- ter some talk on the subject 1t was de cided to move the Marion to inner berth on the north side of Lombard street until such time as she can return to her old dock.
 Company's steamer San Rafael will make an excursion trip to Mare Island, Mar tinez and Vallejo next Sunday, leaving Sausalito at 9:15 a. m. and San Francisco at 10:30 a. m. A band will accompany the excursionists.
 The cargo of the wrecked ship New York will be sold at auction in the Mer- chants, Exchange at 1:30 p. m. to-day.