The daily morning Alaskan. (Skagway, Alaska) 1899-1904, 1900-05-19
Inspectors Strictly EnfOrc-
ing Shipping Laws.
NOT STEAMERS ENOUGH
Thousands VIII Have to Come This
Way, And as Soon as Navigation
Opens The Seattle Rush Will
Head For Skagway.

Travellers and papers from the south are
beginning to bring authenticated reports of
congested and complicated conditions ex-
sting on the Sound in connection with the
handling OF traffic for Nome bv the ocean
route. At the same time there comes from
the interior news that steamers have got
down the river to Dawson, and that the
lake will be open for navigation next week.
and then the great and serene highway
down the beautiful sun kissed valley of the
Yukon, to the verv threshold of Nome,
will be open and inviting the perplexed
and weary argonaut to embark upon its
bosom and sail to the land of his dreams.
| From Seattle to Skagwav is only four
! days journey, and to Bennett the heads
waters of the Yukon, is only a half dav
by rail- At Bennett one may build his
own scow, embark with his freight under
I his own care, and be his own skipper to
the mouth of the Yukon. Or one NAV
take river steamers from Bennett and make
the journey the entire length of the Yukon
and thence by steamer right to the Nome
fields
Already the movement for Nome by this
route is starting. Hundreds, if not thou
sands, are expected to start down the river
from Dawson for Nome in a few weeks.
G. G.. Field, who arrived YESTERDAY en-
route from his home In Tacoma to Daw>
son, reports that just before the City of
: Seattle sailed last Sunday from Seattle.
the United States inspectors made an in
speotion of the steamer Robert Dollar.
about to sail for Nome, and found she had
aboard sixtv-five more passengers than the
law allows her to carry. After getting the
surplus passengers ashore, the officers con-
tinued their search and found twenty stow
aways aboard the ship.
+, The barge Skoolsum, Mr.. Field also re-
ports, was stopped at Seattle from sailing
for Nome until she discharged a part of
her cargo. The authorities deemed her
too heavily laden to make the trip In
safety.
E. T. Pope, agent for the Washington
x Alaska Steamship Company, has re-
ceived letter by the last msl from his
brother who is manager of the Yesler
dock in Seattle, stating that the rush to
Klondike in 'oS was nothing as compared
to the present rush to Nome. In regard to
the Robert Dollar he says the vessel load
ed 1900 tons of freight, and then was COM
PEELED to leave on the wharf 1000 tons
which she had contracted for Nome. as
we'll as sxty-fve passengers.
The situation was further complicated by
some of the passengers who, being the last
to buy tickets. and so compelled to leave
the ship, had their freight aboard the YES
sci and in the very bottom of the craft,
and further by some who were permitted
to remain on the vessel for the trip having
all their freight LETT behind. riot was
almost precipitated.
"Much of the trouble as to the over
loading of vessel in this rush." says E.
r. Pope, come from lnexperienoe on the
part of men who have jumped into the
Nome trade. Thew have estimated that a
ship having capacity of 1000 tons, for
instance, should carry 1000 tons of freight.
They are wrong. She will not carry more
than two-thirds that amount. The Dod-
wells, who have long been big shipping
men nave contracted for their steamer Ia
coma, far less than the apparent capacity
| IF tba yascaI yat che will have all che ran
carry"