The Yukon River Sternwheeler Jennie M.

The Philadelphia Inquirer - Wednesday, March 9, 1898

    Professor Angelo Heilprin, the well-known geologist, will return during the latter part of the week from an extended trip through the West, where he has been making arrangements for the transportation of a party of eight scientific men to the Klondike. This expedition has been organized through the efforts of Professor Heilprin, who is president of the company, the title of which is the Philadelphia Exploration and Mining Company. The corporation has been chartered under the laws of New Jersey, with a capital of $250,000, and all the shares, which originally sold at $1 each, have been subscribed for.

    The officers of the company are exceedingly reticent in regard to the expedition, and refer all inquiries to Professor Heilprin, who gave instructions before he left the city that nothing should be given out for publication.

    On the statements by the most conservative of experts that $20,000,000 will be taken out of the Yukon before July, it is probably the intention of the company to seek the yellow metal in the most thorough manner possible, beside making scientific researches. The officers of the company are; Angelo Heilprin, president; F. C. Howell and Amos Bonsall, vice-presidents; W. K. Hurff, secretary, and W. H. Hollis, treasurer. The consulting engineer is Arthur Falkenau, ex-president of the Engineers' Club, who will not, however, accompany the party, the actual work of this kind being undertaken by J. M. Jardine, a mining engineer of wide experience.

UNIQUE EXPEDITION.

    Professor Heilprin and Mr. Bonsall will not go with the expedition, the former will for one year act as advisory geologist, but in 1899 expects to go to inspect the claims which the company will in the meantime have secured. In fact, the expedition will be the most unique one that has ever left this city, and the results attained will be watched with great interest by scientific men and capitalists everywhere.

    Among other things an elaborate map of Alaska will be prepared by the scientists of the party, this in itself to take up at least two years of their time. The expedition will go overland to Tacoma, and thence by sea to Alaska. They will ascend the Yukon River in their own boat, which has just been completed. This vessel is of original design and was constructed by Captain Lewis Nixon, at the Crescent ship yard, at Elizabethport, N. J., from drawings made by members of the party.

    It is built of steel, and its dimensions are as follows: Length between perpendiculars, 70 feet; beam, 15 feet; depth 3 feet; draught not to exceed 18 inches; machinery, double high speed stern-wheel engine; diameter of cylinders, 7 inches, and 28 inches stroke, with a fire box marine boiler 48 inches in diameter and 10 feet long, burning wood or coal.

PLEASANT QUARTERS.

    This boat is furnished with every convenience to make life pleasant, and when winter comes can be hauled up on the banks so as to be secure trom the resistless ice floes.

    During this week the boat will be taken apart and shipped in sections by rail to Tacoma and thence carried to Alaska on a steamer's deck. In such a palatial floating home the members of the party will be able to sail up the Yukon and its tributaries and besides making their investigations will be able to locate suitable claims and purchase them.

    Vice-president Bonsall was seen yesterday afternoon at his office, and said that every arrangement had been completed even to purchasing the provisions. He said that the capital had been fixed at $500,000 at first, but by mutual agreement had been reduced one half. The shares were not advertised, but were purchased almost immediately.