The San Francisco call., 1898-05-08
A Party of Twenty-Five From Iowa Going to
 Kotzebue Sound.
They Have Purchased and Are Now Fitting Out the
 LuiSa D.
There Will Be Plenty of Steamers In Port To-Morrow to Carry
 Troops to Manila.

The sealing schooner Luisa D has been changed into passenger vessel and will carry @ party of gold hunters to Kotzebue Sound. The expedition was organized in Iowa, and the schooner was purchased here by Captain Johnston. The party ar rived from the East a couple of days ago, and the Luisa D is now being got ready for the voyage quickly as possible
 All the gold hunters are from Nevada and Des Moines, Iowa, and while they have brought some necessary articles with them, nearly all their outfits will be purchased here. Those who are going to Kotzebue on the schooner are: Messrs. Simser, Funson, Pool. Ashford, A. w.. Jones, Fitzpatrick, Sleover, Curl, Lyman. J. B. Jones and wife, ". Williams, Brick CT R. Williams, Fish, Buckley, Gault, Curtis, Rhodes, Montgomery, Bedding. Young, Beim, Dougherty and Dr. de France.
 Mrs. Jones is really on her honeymoon trip, as she and her husband were only married a few days before they left the East Her relatives wanted her to remain behind but she insisted upon going to the gold fields, saying that she would fare just as well as her husband ir the Arc tic. Besides gold hunting, pr. de France will look out for the health of the party and see to 1t that everybody returns able to enjoy the fortune he expects to find. A steam launch and three large boats are now being built for the Luisa D expe- dition, and as soon as they are completed a start will be made.
 Should TTncle Sam require any vessels to carry his troops and supplies to Ma nila there will be plenty in port to pick and choose from tomorrow. The Pacific Mali Company's City of Pekiug can be got ready in very short order, and if wanted it would not take long to put the City of Sydney and San Jose in commits sion. Both vessels will be due tomorrow from Panama, the Sydney on her regular schedule time, but the San Jose was not looked for just yet a while. Besides these the big colliers Progreso and Willamette will be in port from Puget Sound, and 1t would not take long to get them ready. They are both good twelve-knot vessels, and would make good carriers of food, munitions of war and coal, they could he fitted out as troop ships. In any event there will be lively times around the Oceanic and Pacific Mail docks this week. as it looks as though both the City of Picking and Australia will be fitted out to go to Manila.
 George ". McNear was out with his family in his new launch Port Costa yes terday. She is very handsome craft and one of the fastest of her kind on the bay She is fitted with a gas engine, and as if drives her a good twelve knots an hour MT McNear is perfectly satisfied The Port Costa will be used as a pleasure HOat and also as dispatch boat between San Francisco and Mir. McNear's ware houses at Port Costa.
 Another Klondike steamer arrived from the East yesterday. She was formerly a British vessel. but large sum of money was spent in repairing her by her Ameri- can owners. so she was put under the stars and stripes as the Leelanaw. After discharging her cargo of coal the steamer will be put in the St. Michael trade. but should the occasion warrant she will also continue her voyages as far as the Ku- buck River gold fields. The Leelanaw took sixty-five days to come here from Baltimore. but considerable time was lost in the Straits of Magellan.
 The schooner Emma Utter bad to return to port yesterday on account of having carried away her forestay. She left here on the 9th inst. for Wilapa Bay but was caught in a gale that was blowing out side, and had to return on account of the above accident.