The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 31, 1897, Page 1

SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY MORNING, JULY 31, 1897. "PRICE FIVE CENTS, 10 COLLECT DUTIES O DUTFLT Canada Will Tighten the Cinch on the Gold Hunters. CUSTOMS MUST BE PAID ON SUPPLIES. Every Miher leo Enters Over Chilcoot “or White Pass to Be Held Up. PLANS FOR RETALIATION ARE BEING CONSIDERED. Seatt! will Withdrawal of Dyea as a Sub- Port of Entry. Merchants TTLE, the 30.—Secretary mbe Com- 6 of 1 response received the fol LNE, Collector. the proposition that every s into the Yuk oot or White Paes: and compeiled to his ‘supplies, whether he in- will be e tory or wheth sound for the Anteriesy minit in Alaska. A mus ing_has been called by the merchants aud out e “plans for retaiiat icesa is that sin this city to v action. The s action of the Victoria taken in the interesisof collecting Tevenue, but to try to compel parties to buy their outfits in Victoria. The Becretary of the Treasury will be me- morialized and requested to withdraw his order making Uyeaa sub-port of entry. It was so designated solely for the purpose tting Britisb steamers to land ector isn i exists why Dyes, which is merely ng-post, should be made a port. It eved here that sound policy would the part of Dominion Government, s jure American me be properly met by withdrawing a solely designed to assist British nersin a competition with American vesselsin the carrying of American citi- zens to a'port in American waters. There is a great deal of feeling here over the is beli dictate that official action on thi \e bonding’ privilezes be withdrawn and rom British Columbia be required duty. guard of the Alaska immigra- tion. fr the East is bere. All of the hotels in ‘town are commencing to get cramped for roonr, and guests are regis- | tered from¥ every State in the Union. At armer named Pas- grown ge. Within after he struck town he had ased for Dawson City by the Cievelund and the river boats. The majority of those who have thus far ar- ed’ are’ apparently well to do, well dressed, have money: in their pockets and are-stopping at the best hotels. Most of the#m are young, but a few gray beards are observable, Robert ran of Mo the contract for buiid déelined 1o talk a Bros., who have e torpedo-boat bout his request 10t avy Department for further time for the tompletion of this vessel. Her hull is dlready:completed and ber ma- ery-is. being put in place. Moran, ever, .admitted that some of his best men bad léfc’iim to go north to the Kion- dykeand that he was having difficulty in filling their places. ALASKA’S BOUNDARY. Controversy - With England That Has Been: Ncglected Too Long. WASHINGTON,. D. terest i , July 30.—In- € vontroversy of the United States with ‘Eqgland over the Alaska bounaary -line. 1as been increased with the ‘gold “discoveries on Great rigret is fell by of ure of:the’ Senate the Kiondyke. Is at the fail- act upon the long- delayed -boundary treaiy. It has been before the Foreizn Relations Committee since.early” last wint:r, but none seemed interested enough. to have it disposed of. Now tiie importance of an exact boundary liné.is on‘y foo.ciearly manifest. General. Duffield, super-ntendent of the Coast-a@nd Geodetic Survey, in the course of a long statement on the conflicting claims of the Uniied States and Canada, all the maps from 1825 1o’ 1884 the ndary Las been shown in general terms parallel to the winding of the coast and ® miles: from it, but in 1884, the ¢ ad.an’'mapshowed a marked de- flection in thisline at its southend. Since that time1lie Jispute as to the true line from Mount 8t, Eltas to the southeast has continued. By this defl:ction a piece of territory avoit-the size of the Stale of Connecticui was inciuded with the Briti-h possessions. ater officia! Canadian maps continue t6 make like-deflections with a like absorption of American ter.itory. The very latest'map published at Ottawa, only a few days ago, while it runs no line at all southeast of - Alaskd, uses .the words “British.Columbia” over portions of Lynn to canai, the northernmost extensicn of the | Alexander archipelago, which runs north of Juneau: ‘aud is the land outlet for Yukon .irade. These portions of Lynn canalare now administered by the United No other | t all miners’ outfits landed 1n Aiaskan | | Urge the query yesierday | |ing Vi VA ' The British Ship Lancing and the American Steamer Progreso as They Appeared in the Bay Last November. The Lancing Is to Carry Gold Miners to Peru in Search cf the Gold Mines of Progreso Is Bound for Alaska, One Going Toward the North Pole and the Other to the Equator. the Incas, and the States. The report of the United States surveyors recently say “In substance these determinations throw the diz ings at the mouth of Forty- mile Creek within the rterritory of the United Siat. The whole vailey of Biren Creek, another most valuable gold-pro- ducing part of the country, is aiso in the United Scates. Most of the ¢old is to the west of the crossing of the 141st meridian at Forty-mile Creek. If we produce the 141st meridian on a chart the mouth of Millers Creek, & tributary of Sixty-mile Creek and a valuable gold region, is five miles west in an air line, or seven accord- to the winding of the stream, all within the territory of the United States. In substance the only places of the Yukon region where geld in quantities has been found are therefore all to the west of the ‘boundary line betwesn Canada and the United States.” According to the detailed statement of | General Duffield regarding the outlines of Canadian-United States maps the claims of England directly oppose the United States. . SENDING AN AGENT. Commissloner Wright to Investi- gats Ques'ions In the Klondyke of Interest to Labor. WASHINGTON, D. C.,, July 30.—United States Commissioner of Labor Wright will send a cpecizl agent to Klondyke to make a thorough study of existing conditions, and especially of the opportunity for the investment of capital, employment of labor, wages paid, cost of living, and everything likelv to prove of interest to laboring men. The Commissioner’s agent will be an expert in mining emploved for the past twelve years in making investiga- tions and compiling statistics. Commis- sioner Wrignt says: “The agent will leave here Saturday night. I have not announced his name for the reason that I do not want him em- barrassed in his preparations by those who would like to accompany htm. He is going alone, but will co-overate with the officials of the Treasury Department who are now in Alaska or vicinity. The Treas ary Department is taking a great interest in the expedition, and instructions will be given officess of revenue culters and agents of the department to accord our agent all the assistance possible.” B i e THERE IS GREAT DANGER. Pneumonia Will B> a Flarce Enemy to Combat in the Northern Regions. PORTLAND, O, July 30.—The steamer | | E der sailed for the north to-night with ] | every available space taken. During the | early part of the night there were about | 10,000 people on the dock. Among the | most prominent Portlanders roing clear to the Klondyke is ‘Detective William H. Welch, in ihe interest of President Wat- son of the Merchants' National Bank. | From leiters he has received within the past few days from Seattle, written by two old friends just down from the so-called end of the eartn, Mr. Welch freely aimits t at he does not look forward to a plens- ure trip, bat, on the contrary, expects the coming winter to be the most severs and fraught with the greatest hardships he ever spent in his life. “My friends write me,” says Welch, “tliat ~ pneumonia will be the tiercest enemy to combat in that region this com- ing winter. This will prove very fatal 10 the physically weak, as it did at the high altitude of Bodie, the Mono County min- ing camnp, in the wintér of 1879.”" One of Welch’s correspondents says that the phystcally weak or those not powerful enough to undergo any hardship are mak- ing the mistakes of their lives in ventur- ing to reach the Klondyke at this season, The rush for goid. is so absorbing that those falling sick on the way will be over- looked, cs the wounded .of a retreating army lying ‘on the battl-field. “Besides that,’”” writes another, ‘“notonein thres of the men going north will take half of the necessary nourishing provisions with bim. i *Most men while - surrounded by a plenitude of everything,’ writes he, ‘“‘are negleciful of what they might need in cases of emergency, and this will arise especially in this instance, as the gold- hunters have had nc previous experience in frontier itfe. The majority of the emi- grants [ have seen sailing for the north since I came down to Seattle were com- paratively voung men, who never did any work outside of a store or an office. And most of these fellows will go hunzry be- fore the winter 1s over if they can’t make backtracks. It is just from this ciass I iook for the irouble. Hunger will drive the mildest man to acts of desperation, and especially soif bhe knows that physical force will satisfy his cravings. The rest I leave Lo your ima ination.” EITE P GIVES A SHORT ROUTE. Surveyor Sinclair Qutlines the Easl- est Way to Reach the Kiondyke. CAREON, NEv., July 30.—The Appeal of this morning published the following: Mr. Sinclair, formerly an English en- gineer and now a United States Govern- ment surveyor, who is in this city, says | opens next spring. The boats have al- that the route to the Klondvke by way of the Yuken is the long and hard route. He has been a survevor in that country and savs that he can go to the Kiondyke all the way by water éxcept sixty miles. His route is Seattle t0 Vancouver, then up the coast to the mouth of a stream to Port Essington, a trading-post. On the other side of the river to the north three miles is Balmoral, where a trading-post is run by Jack Cunningham, the only white man in the country. He is married to a native and has several daug iters. By going.up this river it is only sixty mules overland to the gold fields, and the distance is over a | level country that can be made in two days. Any one who will addrees Mr. Saunders, druggist, on Johnson street, Victoria, B. C., can get all the informa- tion regarding this route, and can also hire smail boats and schooners from him to go. This route enables one to reach the Klondyke by a <hort and inexpensive wrip. It also avoias the Chilcoot Pass. Sl et ST. HELENA IN LINE. Several Men and One Young Wc= man to Journey North in Quest of Gold. ST. HELEN4A, CALn, Julv 30. — The Klondyke excitement is rather rampant in 81, Helens. Dick Heath, who figured in the sensational McWiiirier murder case at Fresno, had a ticket for'the ‘goli fields of Ala:ka on the Exceclsior. Edward Simpson, who has been a prospector in Inyo County and in the Death Valley claims, has returned to St. Helena, and expects to leave Monday for the goid fields 1f transportation is available. *“‘Gen- tle Willie”” Harrinzton, famous as Stan- ford’s football heto, is in San Francisco trying to secure passage to Dawson City. Alaska is known- aiready to him, and he stands a show in the headlong ~cramble. One lady is going, ‘a8 Miss Dood, haying been grubstaked. Titus Yohe leaves in the spring 1ntent on norifiern riches. - The District Attorney’s brother, B. Bell, will try to go this fall. He wasat Cooks Iniet last summer, but did not strike it. Bl I STEAMERS AND RAILROAD. The BEritish Yukon Cempany F paring for Business on a Larze Scale, BOSTON, Mass, Juiy 30.—A Montreal special ssys: C. H. Wilkinson, Canadian representative of the British Yukon Com- pany, says that tlie company has com- pleted arrangements for p'acing a fleet of between ten and twenty steamboats on the Yukon River as soon as the river - | ready been contracted for and will be in readiness for the opening of navigation These boats will be flat bottomad, with stern wheels, very much of the same style as the old Mississippi River craft. They will be buiit to draw, when empty, only some eight inches of water and when loaded about twenty inches. Half of the fleet will piy between the point where the trail over the White Pass strikes the headwaters of the Yukon at Miles Canyon, in the heart of the Klon- dyke district. This distance is 650 miles. The remaining half of the fleet will ply on the greater Yukon, between Miles Canyon and the mouth of theriver. Com- munication will thus be established by the two principal routes by which the gold- fields are reached. Mr. Atkinson says it is now altogether probabie that the British Yukon Company will begin the construction of a narrow- gauge railroad over the White Pass as early next spring as operations can be begun. 1In view of the great rush, the company has praetically decided to buiid the railroad at once. . TO TRANSPORT ALL. Los Ang-las Men Offer All Kinds of Traveling Accommo- dations. LOS ANGELES, Carn, July 30. — To Southern California people who contem- plate a’ gold-hunting frip to Alaska there is offered plenty of transportation facili- ties, such as they are. A local firm of ticket-brokers has been adverii-ing a steamer that would jeave here soon for Junsau to curry passengers at §100 a head, and now comes an individual, presum- ably acting as an agent, who advertises a sailing vessel to leave San Pedro on Au- gust 16 direct for Juneau and Dyea. Pas- sage is offered on this boat for §50 a head and each passeuger can take a ton of freight with nim without extra charge and pe fed on the way. The advertiser says h:s boat can carry 100 passengers, but wiil go with fifty, and claims to have twenty-six already booked. He does not say when he will guarantee to 1and pas- sengers at Dyea. s e Plenty of Gold In California.l WASHINGTON, D. C., July 20.—Repre- sentative Hilbern of California predicts that the rich findings in the Klondyke will cause prospectors in all parts of the coantry to hnnt for gold. Hesays by 1900 more gold will be mined in California than was taken out in the golden daye. Hil- born believes the production of gold in the next lew years wil be so great as to cause its demonetization. THE INCAS IN SIGHT Capitalists Will Send an Expedition to the Mines of the South. FIVE HUNDRED MEN MAY GO ON THE LANCING. Captain Hatfield Says Rich Men Have Faith in Peru and They Want to Chatter His Ship for a Voyage of Exploration. There is a strong prospect that it will not be long until adventurous capitalists will seek gold 1n the land of the Incas. | For several years there have been en- | couraging Teports of vast wealth in the | heart of Peru. The hospitality of the | climate is such, compared with the rigors | oi the boreal north, that the odds are all in 1tavor of the famous Peruvian mines. The treasures for which the old bucca- neers struggled in the land of lost arts, the land made fam ous by the researches of Prescott and the scholars who have studied the lore of the ancient sun-wor- | shivers, are believed to be within reach 1o-day. Prominent men from Per u have lately reported great gold discoveries in the land invaded by Cortez in the long ago. Sev- eral Americans and a number of English- men are said to have taken out hundreds of pounds of gold from the mines that were worked in a primitive and superfi- cial way ages ago. It is said to be the belief of many mining engineers and geol- ngists ihal theg> are great goldfields in Peru. They sa~ the country is compara- | tively unknown hnd unexplored, and that it gives promise of great productiveness if worked by modern methods. The most direct information on the subject of proposed adventures in Pum.i come from Captain G. A. Hatfield, one of | the owners ‘of the English ship Lancing; formerly the French steamer Periere. | paratus aboard the siip to more-tha This four-masted vessel is to be taken to Oakiand to-day for the discharge of her’| cargo, so that she may be used for a trip | to Peru, provided capitalists now inter- | ested in the gold fields desire to charter the vessel for the trip. Captain Hatfield believes in the reports concerning the wealth of Peru, and he is anxious to make the charter with the capitalists who are about to undertake the | expioration. The ship will carry 1000 | men, but it is not thought that more than | 500 will be carried on the first expedition. | While the sturdy skipper would not di- | vulge the names of the capitalists contem- plating the trip he talked freely on the | subject of the venture, | In mining circles the trip has been | heard of and it is said thata large num- ber of men stand ready to offer their services and put a reasonable amount of money in the pool. It is believed that the projectors have had mining experts on the ground and that the proposed tripis being outlined from definite information, Captain Hatfield was visited on board ot his vessel last night and admitted that negotiations are pending for the charter- ing of his ship for a trip to the Peruvian coast. Hedisavowed, however, any knowl- edge regarding the gold diggings whick it was proposed to exploit. On being asked the names of the gentlemen who were back of the enterprise, he said he regretted that he was not in a position to give them, as they had varticularly requested him not to divalge them. When the negotia- tions and preliminaries were in proper shape, he remarked that he bad no doubt but the entire scheme in all its details would be given to the pubiic by the pro- jectors. “There seems to be an ideain the minds of many people,’” said Captain Hatfield, “that the old goldfields of the Incas of Peru are stiil extant, and that it requires bnt a persistent and systematic search to discover them. Recent reports of rich finds in that country have strengihened this idea, evidently, in the minds of the gentlemen who are uow negotiating for | the charter of the Lancing. ‘Another fact that has probably sug- rested this enterprise is the Klondyke ex- citement. There is no reason why peonle should go into the northern region. of ex- treme cold and take chances of ireezing to death, and, pernaps, also suffering the hardships brought on by a lack of pro- visions, when they can go to a warmer climate and be entirely exempt from both these dangers. *“All that I am at liberty to say in re- gavd to this matter is that the men who have been negotiating with me are weli- known capitalists of San Francisco, who are responsible in every wav. They have nouyet coma to any determination. They are waiting for some further information. They do not care {0 have their names con- nected with the project untii they are readv to announce the fact that the expe- |- dition will be undertaken. We have been talking the scheme over for the past | week. 2 “It is proposed to take a large party down there. There are many who heve been disappointed in not being able to gei to the Klondyke country. Many of these are well-to-do people who are anxious to go north, but do not care to take chances of leaving here anv later than the 1st of ugust for fear of being frozen in befecre they gel to their destination. . .young . Lemaitre said: - “It is believed by the people who 'ara interesting themselves in ‘the ~Péruvian gold-mining enterprises that thé.charncés of securing a fortune are: equally: goow:in the land to the south and withoiit-taking any of the risks that the Klondykers are running. “The ship would Le Kept-on - the. codst to serve as a rallyin# point forall whe go. into the interior. Should any. of them ‘ha unsuccessful they ‘would have a comfort~ abie home for a year at léast -on bourd. 6t the vessel, and would bé.sure’ of béing brought back in comfort and safety. “I expect to' have -the- véssel unlaadea and ready for the' trip, shéuld it ‘be de: cided upon, within four :weeks. ' It will take about tén'days to gét the ¢argo out of her, and another iwo weeks to-réfit her so as to accommodate passerigers. Eheé ‘can be made ready in that time to.carry 1000 people, but -there will probably be - orily half that number taken.” We could carry |about 1200 toms - of - fresh- .Water as ballast, and ° this would.'be ‘suf- ficient. to". last the. ‘entiré ‘company about a vear, 'If it became.necessary we could condense enough water withi the'as: ply our needs. Our-coudensing. facilities will give about ‘9000 -callons-‘a.-day enoazh, according to the:Government reg« ulations, ior'2000 people.” : “How .about the’daiiger from feverin that country?'’ was asked. “There is no féver. in the mountain dis- tricts, The soil is sandy ‘and dry;.: Fevar prevails only in ‘damp, ‘marshy lands, as at Papama, but we ‘shail not go anywhere near Panama. -We ‘shall keep weil ont to sea and.there. will not be" the . slightest danger from that.source.”” The Lansing’is a handsome and .com- modious vessel 6f 2600.tons:capacity. -She is 400.feet long and. has'a beam of 45 féet. Her lines are extremely graceful and she has the appearance of bsing a vessel capa- blie of great speed .under -anything like favorable eircumstances: Whoever travels with.-Captain Hatfield will find him a gentleman of-great genial~ | 1ty and one who not.only takes a:deep. in- terest in his ship,” but: in all who may make their temporary - homeé. aboard of her. : In further conversation the .captain de- clared that he.did not know ‘anything in detail of the proposed. plans of the . gentle- men who intended to charter. the: Vessel He could not say whetlier. ‘it was their purpose to form a sort of joint ‘stock com- pany to go in search ‘of ‘the -long-hidden golden treasure;-or whether the inténding argonauts would simply-be taken ‘as pas- sengers and be left free t6 seek -their: for- tunes in whatever way théy’ might: think best. > The first propesition made to him~ was to take his vessél north. This; however, he did not caré to do. ‘owing. to the dan- ger of being frozen in and having kis ship damaged. The vessel had originally been built as a passenger-steamer.: She -was bought a few years ‘ago-b¥ .the. captain; and converted into as fine a sailing. craft as ever entered the harbor of San: Fran cisco. . - Giving his individual 6pinion of the. én- terprise, Captain Hatfield said Le believed that it offered better. chances: of bringing. fortunes to those who took-part in it than the Klondyke goldflelds, and without any of the attendant dangers of that ‘bléak and almost unknown country.. GOING . TO " GET: RICH: Two Little Boys Run:Away. From Newark, and:Are Bound for the Kiondyk:=. S NEWARK, N. J..’ July ‘80.-<Panl Le- maitre and Cyrus Willock; each fourteen’ vears old, have gone io the gold fields of Alaska to bring back fortumes, . They dis- appeared from home on Wednesday night. Yesterday young Lemaitre’s fatner found anote in his bureau ‘drawer.” The -nole was from the boy, who told i in simple but emphatic language what he and -his companion intended to.do: “In - We- ain’ on any dime novel.trip. -We~ the newspapers;.and-we believe wiat they, ~ay about ‘the gold in Alaska::-T. remém- ber you. told ine ‘about thatinan Baines Bernato, how . rich he was, and. &1l th We intend_to, become.just. as richiii: get the charnce.. We are young,. ful ambition and willy D expect us’ back for ten:yéur: g ; take ug that Jong .to do Wwhat.we.expect. You will find ary sehoolbooks alk in my room, . We will walk: fforh biére To. San Francisco.’’ - = © .5 i Eriaiias In an. interview -today’ -Mr. Lemaitre. said _that ‘the. boys 160k . He will make no -attemp He believes thiat before his:son:gets to-San : . Francisco he will be so tiréd that. he will turn afound. without muchi.coaxing.