Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-07
ALL ROADS TO NOME.
Routeof Gold Seekers to the New
Fields.
GOVERNMENT AFTER BRITISH BOAT
She Sailed Without Proper Clearance
Papers-Carried 800 Miners
Seattle Completes for Alaska
Rusiness-ls Prosperous.

Seattle Completes for Alaska
Business-ls Prosperous.
Seattle, Washington, June 1.-(Spe-
cial Correspondence.)- "All roads lead
to Nome (via Seattle) just now, as
was once said of ancient Rome-and
all roads are apparently profiting by
this more recent fact. The railroads
| leading to Seattle have simply been
taxed to their utmost during the past
few weeks in bringing gold-seeksrs,
| homeseelers, etc, to the promising
shores of Puget Sound-some to re-
main and cast their fortunes with the
thriving city, while others take the
first possible steamer accommodations
for the land of promise and bright gold
All thru the winter months the travel
toward Nome has been in progress by
| way of the Yukon river, and it is esti-
mated that several thousands have al
ready arrived there over that route,
! from Dawson City and from the s.out-
lside." Soon other crowds will be float
ing down the big river, in canoes and
river steamers-all bound for the city
a house built upon the sands shall per-
ish, and SO may Nome in time, but a
local publisher there is willing to wag-
er that the output for the next four
years will aggregate S10o,000,000.
/ just at present there sis no place
i like Nome" to about 10000 people en-
route to that city where one year ago
less than 500 inhabitants dwelt. Seat
4 tie has been OVERLOOKING with these ar
gonauts for several weeks, and al1ho
fully 5000 have already sailed for the
north, there seems TO be little. differ
eace in the crowds of strangers who
throng Seattles busy streets.
4 The first craft which sailed for Nome
this spring was the British boat Al
pha, which took away 300 passengers
from Victoria, B. c., and sailed with
out proper clearance papsrs-a govern
mept cutter now being in search OF
her. The Alpha intended to sail well
over to the Siberia coast, leaving port
April Is, and endeavor to strike the
Japan currents, which it was expected
would take the vessel very near Nome,
; on rather roundabout trip, but en-
abling the adventurous prospectors to
!, get to the diggings over the ice of
: Behring sea long before other craft
could possibly arrive. AT last ac-
, counts the vessel had returned to
Dutch Harbor, failing to find the sup
posed open passage.
The subsequent sailings We're on the
. Goth, 2sth. 29th and 30th. when ten sail
ing vessels departed With cargoes OF
supplies and from 10 to 30 passenger:
! each. From May 3 10 inclusive, nine
j sailing vessels and Gre steamer depart
, led, the latter e.i1s - 30 passengers
and the Others from ,ei: io.sN; y-'il.s>
each The ENcsiS w.ss he sIeamer
referred TO, siilin., ~ he tn. May
1871. ;le Ro5eri i, i! s:lilea with $50
passengers, The Disc..A y, lurwin, Full:
ton aud Ninsiow geiti::g away on the
18th and nth. The giant barge Shook
UNI sailed on the 18th with an i'm
mensc cargo and fifty-two passengers
or .deck-hands." Three other freight
ers sailed on the nth with no pas
sengers, then came the South Port.
land on the 18th, with ITO passengers
and several newsboy srowaways; the
Cleveland, 10th, 1875 passengers; Ore
gon, Goth, 600 passengers; Senator
500; Alliance, $50; and Aberdeen, $50;
all on the Goth; the Lahme (2Oo), Eli.
HUI Thompson qso), Charles Nelson
QsO), Olympia (60o) and Utopia (250)
on the 21st-a grand total of 4,99S pas.
sengers since the voyage by the water
route began. Over 10000 tons OF
freight were also carried by the above
mentioned vessels.
n O+l,ar l.rra c4o,p,ors cobed,lod IN ora1
away by the 25th, were the Garrone
with 600, the Ohio with 700, the Roam.
olSe, Centennial, Victoria, Ia japanese
liner) Brunswick, San Bias and Sants
Ana, all large and powerful ocean-go
! ing craft, most of them having beer
employed in the government transport
business until recently. These will
add about 1000 passengers to the frs
total, making between 1000 and 5000
3 passengers for Nome for the first sail
ings by the all-water route. This mum
Der will be duplicated on the next sail
ings of these vessels, and if the stories
to come out ON the returning steamers
are up to local expectations, the seconc
exodus will be even greater than the
first. Then next comes the deluge!
When these steamers shall have return
ed to Seattle. not only will they bring
the latest news from the frozen north
but the winters cleanup of golddus1
and nuggets will then reach Seattle
and something to substantiate previous
, statements will then be on exhibition
at the Seattle assay office, where eigh.
, teen millions of Alaska gold have thus
far been received. Altho the Klondilse
I diggings are not SO much in evidence
these days, because of Cape Nome dis
4 coveries-on Uncle Sans territory
/, there will be several millions in dust
e arrive on the first steamers out, and
: other millions are expected direct from
n Nome, altho the facilities for winter
a mining there are not like those at Daw
e son, where wood and other fuel ha!
a been ample for all demands.
Transportation companies report
! IfhoIsan6c If aasfarn paopla o1yo;+;nf