Stikeen River journal., 1898-01-22
The Stikeen River Route
TIFF W|LDMAN PARTY IN TOWN
WAITING FOR THEIR OUTFITS
After Canvassing the Situation, They Conclude that up the Stiheen is the best and
 Most Practical Route.

The Wildman party of Argonauts, bound for the gold fields came to Fort Wrangle last Sunday morning on the Steamer City of Seattle. After look ing carefully over all the routes, when in Seattle, they decided on the Stikeen river route as the best, and propose going that way. The Seattle was so ovcrcrowded when she landed and the amount of freight so large that fully d quarter of their outfits were carried on to the upper ports. When the boat re- turned it was found that q large part of the goods had been left on the dock at Seattle with about fifty tons more of freight that the boat could not handle at all. It is not likely that the party will be able to get away from here un- til the latter part of next week. as the goods left behind are a very essential part of their outfit. The gentlemen composing the party are domiciled at the barracks. and from the appearance of the game hung up around the out side of the building, there must be a goodly number of crack shots among them. Fifteen beautiful Angora goats. now Quartcred in Duncan McKinnon's s stable, will do the hauling. these ani- mals have been selected in preference to dogs. Robert Wildman. a boiler manufacturer and civil engineer, from Bay City, Mich., a great husky fellow heads the party. Judging from his :4,- pearance mercurial thermometer would need to freeze before the weather affected his giant frame.
 Andrew Wildman, a newspaper man of wide experience, is from Philadel- phia He has travelled extensively through the East and South during the past eight months and considers the BOG. GOO mark conservative estimate of the number of people that will start for the gold fields during the next few months. He thinks Fort Wrangle could get the greater part of this busi- ness if they could handle the people. and the advantages of the Stikeen river route were better known. He is d gen. tlcman of rare elocutionary ability, and gave d two hours talk to a select few at the barracks, last Monday evening.
 Theodore Dilks, another member of the party, is d capitalist, but is on the lookout for still another million
 William Powell and Thomas Mor- com. are experienced miners from Dead- wood. Dakota.
 Jerry O'Conncr. an old miner from Cripple Creek. is a forty-niner. and the comedian of the party. He can make mouth organ talk.
 Arthur Leniham. of Birthstone, Mon- tana, is practical miner, has a phy- sique like the Gods and looks like u hard proposition for the klondike weather to phase.
 Jack NJ. Wilcox. of Waco, Texas, gave up fine jewelry business in his native town to dig for gold in the Alas kan fields.
 .'Texas Jack" F. Mulhall, of the same place, disposed of his ranch in the Lone Star state, and will search for mug gets and dust in the land over which the whole world has gone wild.
 Dan. w. Davis, alias ''Siwash Bill, - of Stockton, Cal, and H. A. Langley, of Lodi, Cal, two practical miners gave up q fine mine at Cripple Creek, to go in with the crowd.
 A. Howard, of Sheridan, Montana another experienced miner, completes the list.
 All of the above named gentlemen are confident that Fort Wrangle is bound to be the leading city of Alaska, and that the Stikeen river route is to be the route of all routes to the great Alaskan gold fields, if the citizens of the town will put themselves in shape to care for the rush.