The times., 1898-02-26


mentally determined, will leave Washing
ton over the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad
at HIS O'Clock this morning to seek
| their fortunes in the frozen gold fields OF
! the Klondike. They viii be Joined in Sc
attic by another man, who left here rs
| substitute I'm the band of argonauts that
! started from Washington short while
back for the Copper River district in
| Alaska, and who are now on Alaskan
| soil.
The members of the party are Messrs.
| Earle c. Quackenbush. one of the best
known young men in Washington, an all
around athlete. and n prominent member
| of the Capital Bicycle Club: Ashby T..
| Balm, a young man well known in de-
partmental circles. who resigned a s.. 400
position in the auditors office of the
Postoffice Department to join the party
James Crosby, stairbuilder, who has
been in business for himself at No PIG
Tenth street northwest; Harry E. Clafin
son of the well-known optician on +
street. and Thornton Silcott, an engineer
who has had charge of the plant of the
Washington Post during the day for sew
who was in the flour and feed business
here up TO the time he started for Alaska
with the other Washington party, will
join them in Seattle.
In the entire party there is not one who
is not a fine specimen of physical man
hood, the flower of the youth of Wash
ington, and their undoubted courage and
pluck, coupled with a determination to
succeed. and banded together for mutual
aid, Will doubtless give them a better
chance than hundreds Of others who have
been affected by the gold fever and Joined
the rush for the klondike Some of them
expect 10 remain in the gold fields six
years but Mr.. Crosby. the only married
man in the party, hopes TO return much
sooner
When the start is made this morning
the members of the party will take only
the amount of personal baggage. about
15o pounds each, allowed by the railroads,
and will outfit in Seattle. where Mr. Cor
coran has been laying in supplies for all.
Among their personal effects the men will
carry with them today. are a rifle and a
pistol each. with which they expect TO
add 10 their stock of supplies on the
march with such game as their rifles may
bring down, and the reyolvers may bark
defiance If an attempt is made to Jump
any claims they may he so lucky as TO
locate. None of the men is an expert
prospector or miner. and they will prob
ably work on claims that have already
been staked until they get practical ex-
perience. and then prospect for them
selves.
Seattle will be reached over the Great
Northern Railway. and on account of the
rate war passage will be secured thus
far at very low rates.
81. aF l. L.
tie. and on March u they will take the
steamer City Of Columbia. which left
New York some time ago and made the
trip around the Horn. and land in Skag-
uay. This is the finest steamer that will
be engaged in the Rlondike traffic this
spring, and the members of the party
consider themselves fortunate to have Sc
cured passage on her. Here the outfits
consisting OF heavy clothing, tents, cook
stoves, medicines. provisions and mining
implements, TO the amount of 600 pounds
TO each man. will be packed on slods
and the start for Dawson City made by
way OF the White Pass. which is a little
longer than Chilkoot Pass. but not so
high by l.lo0 feet. 1t has not been decid-
ed yet whether dogs will bc used to draw
the sleds, or whether the men will per-
form the work themselves. Good dogs
are hard TO secure, and when used re-
quiro an additional amount of provisions
on an extra sled for their food. This
pass has been reported in very good con-
dition, and according to their calcula
tionS they ought TO reach Dawson about
the middle of April. The stock of pro-
visions they will carry will last them "A
year and q half. but with the aid of
rod and gun they expect it will be two
years before they will need q fresh sup
ply.
The center of news for the gold re-
gions is at Dawson. and here the young
men expect to gain experience and learn
about the new strikes and direct their
movements accordingly. They will not
hesitate TO strike out for new regions,
and, believing that there is much undls-
covered pay dirt on the different tributa
ries of the Yukon, consider their chances
as good as those of the men who have
already dug out fortunes in the yellow
metal.
Mr.. Crosby will be valuable member
of the party. as be will be called upon
tosuse his craft in erecting dwelling
places for the party, sluices and other
woodworks used in gold mining. Mr.. Sill
colt Will also be a valuable acquisition
on account of his thorough knowledge
of machinery, and should he not be
lucky in mining could doubtless find re-
munerative employment in the sawmills
and stamping mills to be erected in the
~ h-OnU1hG IIllk SpElIlS. MI
will spend his spare hours collecting
specimen skins of all the fur-bearing an
imals of that region for the Smithsonian
Institution. from which he holds a COM
mission for this work. In Seattle they
will meet some men who have had prac-
teal experience in Quitting and among
the gold fields. and they also have friends
among the most successful miners in the
Klondilie.
Last night a farewell dinner was eX-
tended Mr.. Quackenbush al the Raleigh |
Hotel by members of the Capital Bicy-
Gle Club. and the menu, especially ar
ranged for the occasion. was decidedly
unique. After starting off with Copper
River Blue Points, the guests reached
'consomme printaniere royale." under
which was printed the admonition.
''Quackenbush, keep out of it, medal
lon of Yukon bass" '-fiIet de St Bernard
a la Esqumo." great aux stuffed with
eiderdown,' and ''precipitated glaciers
were among the delicacies discussed by
the guests. and a rousing send-off was
given the young klondiker.
At the train this morning large num-
ber of their friends will be present to bid
the young men farewell and good luck
on their perilous undertaking. and the
little band viii carry the good wishes
of hundreds left behind with them to the
region Of snow-crowned mountains and
rushing waters, where strong men are
delving in the frozen earth for the pre-
cieus yellow metal.