Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-24
PUGET SOUND PUNCH
And the HospitabIe Indians of
Busy Vancouver.
THE USUAL SYMPTOMS
Four Hours Afoat With a Hair-Trig-
ger Stomach.
THE LAZY CONFEDERATION
Yukon Craft and Their Passengers-
The Dog That Died Hor-
rible Death.
THE LAZY CONFEDERATION
VANCOUVER.

August 10, 1906.
I don't know as much about this city as
I might. OF course I could give you some
cold storage facts from the guide books and
a plate Of statistical hash from the census
reports. I might mention the average
rainfall, the birth rate, the maximum tenn
perature in December and the price OF
turnips day before yesterday. But won't.
I'm callous in spots, but my conscience is
still alive. though somewhat sluggish.
There's just this much I noticed, however,
Vancouver and Victoria are only four hours
apart in time of transportation, but CEN
fury or so In everything else. l told you
yesterday about Victoria-about the home
sweet-home atmosphere, the gentle and
soothing effect it has on the nerves and all
that sort of thing. 'Tfas true-and Vancou-
yer is or the other side, Of the earth.
The minute the transient male lands
within the confines of the city of Vancou-
ve, he begins to step high and breathe
loudly through his nose. And the symp-
toms grow steadily worse right along. But
perhaps I'm prejudiced. 1t may be.
There's a lot of cause.
We were only in Vancouver short time,
but that time was crowded to death. The
event Of the day was luncheon at the
Vancouver Club in honor OF our crowd.
Incidentally, 1t was here that we were
world-famous Puget sound punch, pink
ish-looking mixture that smelled like hair
oil, tasted like lemonade and exploded like
dynamite. The worst of 1t was that each
glass was set with a time fuse. I don't
know what was in it and 1 don't care to
find out. l might forget myself some time
and serve 1t to man l didn't like AND
there's no crime great enough to call for
punishment like that. After the luncheon
Mr.. fPence of our party was bitten by "a
dog in the eighborhood-usually a fatal
spot-but seemed quite grateful for the at
tention: He grieved, though, because he
didn't have a chance to wait around and
watch the dog die.
Such Young Town.
I picked up somewhere the interesting
information that until May, 1906 the site
of Vancouver had been covered by dense
forest. Think of 1t! The Iaxity Of the
Canadian laws is something scandalous. I
wonder why they let the vandals cut it
down. From May to July the. new town
fourished, but in the latter month great
misfortune befell-a fire that swept the town
left one house standing. OF course there
is no use wondering at this late day
whether or no the early settlers would
have rebuilt Vancouver had the fire done
its work properly, but there are many
pleasing conjectures in the thought that 1
dislike to let go Of it. But at any rate
they did rebuild and today Vancouver is a
hustling, bustling place, the coast terminus
of the Canadian Pacific railway and the
port of last call for outward-bound YES
'Tis very civilized city, too, considering
that its population in the late eighties was
made up largely Of Indians. There are a
good many Indians left. Many of them
belong to the Vancouver Club.
one OF them, person named Nichols,
apparently clings tenaciously to some old
tribal rite of great antiquity. Back in
Washington l have at odd moments come
rih nd Jo
like, but never before have 1 met profess
sional muscle-twister. Twas either, as l
say, an ancient rite of his particular tribe,
or else some wandering Jap who was a
member of the seventeenth degree of ex-
pert jiu-jitsuists had given him an illus
trated lecture in friendly torture. This
Nichols person was comparatively quiet
throughout the luncheon, but after he had
bathed in the Puget sound knock out drops,
to which I have referred, he became the
village cut-up.
The Strenuous Indian.
Several members of the party spent to-:
day in a haze Of arnica and witch hazel
at a result Of this Nichols persons playful
attentions. He made motions toward me
at one time but courteously showed him
rugged-looking cobble stone that I hap
pened to be carrying, and he took the
switch and blew off steam on a siding He
seemed to lose interest all of sudden
amusement by picking fight with a digni-
fed member of parliament who happened
to be in the vicinity.
There's one thing I haven't mentioned
In connection with either Victoria and VAN
couver. That is the four-hour sail on
Puget sound that gets you from one city
to the other. If there is a more delightful
trip Of its kind anywhere I'd like to know
about 1t. One of the steamers that makes
daily trips between the two cities-the
Princess Victoria-is the fastest thing on
the Pacific ocean, being able to grind out
twenty-five knots without breathing hard
or humping herself any to speak of. The
scenery Is simply scrumptious, and even
the unfortunate with a hair-trigger stomach
can enjoy every minute of the trip without
longing for the seclusion Of lethal cham
Der.
Perhaps that's the reason I enjoyed It so
much. Usually when 1 see steamboat
coming 1 cross to the other side Of the
street, and some days. when the wind is
from the east, the sight of a wharf will
make me take to the woods. But on this
sail never had to worry for a minute, and
consequently before the trip was over felt
SO set up that climbed up the front stairs
to the hurricane deck and patronized the
captain. I told him he had pretty fair
boat, as boats went out here, but that if he
wanted to see the real thing in thu way Of
bang-up steamship he ought to come
down to Washington and take look at the
Jane Mosely, the Mary Washington, the Ar
rowsmith or some of our fleet of ma mmolh
Speeu-liHllI WTGchcrS. lie seemed very much
impressed.
Those Yukon Craft.
1t was on this trip from Victoria to Van
couver that our good ship slid by couple,
of Yukon steamers, one bound for the great
gold-plated unknown Of the Alaskan treas
ure fields, the other hurrying toward her
home wharf as fast as steam could drive
her. We didn't have to be told-irrespective
or direction-which was which. For on the
outWard-bound steamer the gold seekers
crowded againt the rail to stare at our fast
hying ship-that went by them like a race
horse passing billy goat-and to cheer and
wave handkerchiefs and throw hats in the
air They We're the jolliest, happiest crowd
I've seen in many a day. I have no doubt
that to every one of them a special fortune
beckoned, misty-eyed and smiling, coaxlng
their willing feet along the close-pac ked
trail that leads to the home of the buried
gold and the land of drowsy death. Young
men they were and old, and sprinkling Of
women, too, for though we speak of the
Alaska gold rush as if it were a thing of
the past, it is not 80, by any means, and a
steady stream Of humanity flows from the
states and from Canada northward, and
spreads itself in living eddies and rippIes
over the great land where dwell the Es-