The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-01-28
FIGARO TELLS OF SEATTLE.
mn. MoxOD WRITES TO THE GREAT
WRENCH JOURNAL.
Yot I'm HIS Onicisf Capacity ms wee
Consul, but a. nm Individual I'D
server He Tells of Current Al
fafrx and scenes i'm Queen City.


The recent gold discoveries IN the Yukon
valley and the effect Of the movement on
SEATTLE. In accordance with tho view
taken in most American pagers. the fact
L. recognized that Seattle Is the normal
stsslon ~ supply and departure for the
ne~ gold fields. DR.. Monod distinctly and
esnpis. lcaIiy brings out the point that
Seattle holds the strategic hey TO the sltu-
ption, and that through her must pass
thu vast ebb and flow OF passengers and
trzaie, TO and from the kl0ndske. A free
translation Of Dr. Monod's letter Is as
follows:
"sinc, reached Seattle / have rot re-
ceiyed the Paris newspapers. bat pre-
ss,,,se that the first burst Of astonishmeiit
cau5ed Dy the extraordinary news That
cane from the frozen plains Of Alaska
m;1st HOW be 4 thing Of the past. We,
tho French. are TOO far away. Here. In
Seattle. through which passes everybody
that Ia going 20 Alaska and every body
that comes back from there. one IL almost
on the spot: In fact. one Is better situated
than If one were on the very spot IL was
Gt this port that the steamer Portland
arrived. bringing back from the banks OF
the Kiondske a group Of gold seekers
whose treasure in dust and nuggets was
valued az si.oe0.00o. or 5.nJoee francs. IL
~ here tina. within a few weeks la.gJ ar
xan uats, that is now the name dedicated
to them. set out. II is here. also. that
one sees almost every day disappointed
miners dIsembark. coming back because
fhey were unable TO make ths passes that
lead across the mountain ranges into the
land OF gold. Nowhere better than here
can one make a study OF the gold fever
note IFS symptoms. trace its course. watch
ffs delirium: "A fever which nothing can
assuage which smits a whole population
and decimates IL.
P.-I. Enterprise Recognized.
s~The epidemic IS universal. II spares
no class or rank OF people. It's victims
give up good positions: judges leave the
bench physicians forsake their practice.
postoffice employees step down from be-
hind their desks, policemen leave the
streets. even the owners OF good gold
mines give up the substance for the
shadow.
''One cannot help marvsling at a scene
such as that presented at the docks in
Seattle on the 18th day of last July upon
tho arrival of the Portland. A special cor
respondent sent out At night 10 meet the
steamer down the straits. brought the
wide-awake newspaper, the Seattle Post
inteiiigencer so that IL was able In its
first morning edition TO give its readers
the names of the fortunate Adventures
and the precise amount OF the fortune
brought back By each of them. Soon
afterward the Portland was sighted and
the enormous throng OF people FASTENED
TO the dock to greet the argonauts. and
cav, with a kind OF stupor. coming down
Hss af csTt1
which they would trust to no other hands.
men whom they had seen leave Seattle
almost paupers a year before. One OF
these men brought back $50 600. another
50. 600. while others had more than 800 go
each. and all from gold-bearing land
which they had scarcely begun to develop.
Business Grows Apace.
ION that day the merchants OF Seattle
Were overwhelmed with orders. and the
various shipping companies promptly be-
Kan TO equip all available steamers. even
down To the oldest in contemplation OF
The rush toward the new gold fields OF
The north In four days nearly 5o0eo
words We're sent out by telegraph from
the press ard special correspondents at
Seattle In response To demands which
came in from all quarters OF the United
States. The streets of the city took on
an unwOnted animation Prospective min
fields. visited the various supply stores.
pricing their equipments and looking
over tho material which was offered them
The old miners. who had come back from
the klonaike. were recounting their adj
ventures In the midst OF groups OF eager
listeners. greedy for tho very smallest de-
tai. pulling ever and anon from, their
pockets their prcttiest nuggets and ex-
plaining the best route TO the Klondike.
This route was excltedly studied on the
maps hung in the show windows of the
book stores. Those who thus described
their success forgot to tell of the suffer
ifigs and misery which they had cncolln-
tered along the road which had led them
60 fortune To hear them speak one would
Imagine thar the klondike and Eldorads
and Bonanza creeks simply rolled along
golden gravel which Il was only neees-
sary 10 gather MP and put into the bags
The result OF ali this was that people
went back 80 their homes aud after
spending sleeplcss night came back next
day 20 cell all their possessions IN order
10 buy an outfit ard ticket fer Alaska
Seattle merchants. who had bad annie
experience during previous years or trade
with Alaska. were promptly able - eauin
man FAR better and Al better prices than
oil the other merchants of thu United
states pat tnEethers They had studied
the peculiar demands 81 the Alaska trade.
ard had prepared themselves - meet that
desnasd. The result was that for ara
amount ranging from sloe 10 $eoo Il man
could set out frofn Seattle fui}v equipped
fer years seiourn Ia the kiondlke
Steamer Departures Common.
.'rhe daily Departure of steamers FOR
Alaska has grown 10 he actually o com
mon sight one day Il IS an elegant
STEAMER. which. instead ~ taking her
usual cargo Of tourists. Is chartered BY a
vel organized company ~ miners An
other aav II Is some old schooner. reno
waited IN haste. yet With every possible
ticket on her In demand.
ION the outgoing steamers thsre j. pr8c-
tscsiiv no GistiRt tion OF class ar Fank
The price Is ths Same Tor at Tac~e who
hell fiTst-elase tickets cecupv the cabins.
These who hold sseond~ci0ss tickets lie
Down in tae strggaEe. When meal iirf&
couls~ Sfa people wranEla among ths1~
selves for hundred seats IL the dining
reafa."
After a graphic description Of an Alas
ka steamer casting OF from the docs at
Seattle Dr. Mepod says. NO description
can give Soa as accurate idea as the pho
teeraphs whsch | sand ycs luctass
a