Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1882-06-02

tsry by vsassls AtsSd IN San Fransisus.
and also By vessels belonging 20 Puget
Sound, bat without success, and the 81
terpfise Wns abandoned.
In 1879 the schooner Emily Stephens,
Of Astoria, Oregon, 6 5000 tons bur
then, Capt. Alexander A. Henderson, az
rived at Eeah Bay on the 18th day of
July. from San Francisco, and sailed on
the 18th on . cruise for halibut, and TO
turned on the 18th wish 1900 pounds of
hslibut in ice. These fish we're reported
to me to have been taken 10 miles Oh
Capo BoaJo, 1t the entrance TO Barclay
Soand, IN s. 70 70 fathoms Of water.
Capt. Hsndsrsoa stated 70 me that he
saught . number Of vsry large halibut,
5000 Of them measuring test n length
AnA WSt9h1ag 20 p0undR
In tho ropogt o& AlsxAnder 9. And9-
con, Eeq-, Inspector Of fiahn1ees Brit
ish Columbia, for 1850, (pege 2D) The
Emily Stephens issmantionsd e having
made two Illicit voyages 20 Eavhitsi
Bar, one In May, 1879, and again In
July. Having procured loo ct glacier
in Knights Inlet, B. O., tho Attention OF
tho Canadian 0oveRnmsnt wae called 70
this illicit proceeding By II. Anderson.
Thsoe halibut Woro sold In tAo San iran
CISCO market, and although good prices
were Gaid 70 b realised, yet the voyage
was an Improbable one and the vessel
was sold. Since that time no other YES
sci hes been engaged in fishing on tbs
banks Of the Strait Of Euoa, except 90.
casionally for pastims. A tug boat Will
run OF and take few halibut and rock
fish. The whole business on tho Amsri-
can side II, therefore, confined 70 the
fisheries Of the Nakah Indians.
The halibut IL staple article OF food
for these Indians, and takes the place OF
the dried salmon Of the interior tribes.
The season commences in June, a. soon
as the fur Aeal fishing 10 over, and oon-
tinues at intervals till October, OK, a.
late AZ the weather will permit canoes to
| 60 to the fishing grounds:
The villages of the Makah tr1be are AZ
| Neah Bay, whore is also the official resi-
dence Of the Indian agent in charge. and
the employees Of the reservation. the
whole OF Caps Flattery being reserved
by the government for the Indians.
The other villages are. Watch. at the
mouth of creek emptyin2 into the Pa
cifio Ocean, Tsoosz, ON the Tsooyes
River, a few miles south Of Watch, and
Hoset:. at Flattery Rocks, Is miles south
Of Iatoosh Light. These villages con-
sti.uts the winter quarters OF the tribe.
| Their summer Residences, or warm
houses" as they are called, are at Kidd
| chubbett. few miles west OF Neay Bay,
ratoosh Island, off Cape Flattery, and
| Archawat, on the west side OF the Cape
between TatooSh Island and Watch
These villages are resOrted to Tor ths
purpose OF being more convsnlens 10
ths nalibut banks.
Souti, of Fattsry Rocks il tho Quilleute
River, where a band OF Indians OF the
same name reside. These belong to the
Makah agency, and during the SUMMED
months some OF them reside at the
"warmhousos" for halibut fishing, add
ing to the number of fishermen. Bu: ths
Quilleute tribe ~ q general thing do no.
depend 80 much IN the haiibut for foOe
as the MakAhs do. Tho Qailleutes TAX
quantities Of salmon in their river. aae
dry tons of the surf smslt, which ,isi
that locality in myriads during the sum
mer months.
! The blakahs usually go to the bank
in largo sized canoes At the commence
mon. VI the season. These are the ROC
ular whaling canoes, ana usually carr,
SIX Indians. A the season advances
and she weather becomes more settled
they 20 In smaller canoes with two ant
three men in each. their usual tine OF
starting is very early in the morning a
tho top Of high wafer. They then run
out with the ebb tide, and On roachin.
the banks they fish until she return o.
the tide, and as soon AZ tho current rum
too strong to enable them to keep thel
lines on tho bottom they start for home
and usually return late In the afternoon
Owing to the strong currents and tids
rips at the entrance 80 Fuca Strait, anC
she danger Of going to SEA in al oper
canoe, this fishing can only be pursued
at such time as tho winds and tides are
fav. rable; consequently tho amount Of
| iish taken is not as large 40 might be ex
| psntnd. nor "A Largo a. would be the 70
suit II S0hoOnef8 were Employed Capa
bio Of remaining on the banks ut anchor
to ride ont gales or await q favorable
state Of the tide.
During the usual run, common almost
evcry season, the tribe catch and cure
enough halibnt not only for their swr
consumption, but have large quantities
10 sell TO Indians of other tribes. But
40 they care their fish without the add
ton Of salt, they find no sale among the
| whites.
Tho ancient method adopted BY these
Indians for taking halibut, which i
pretty generally adhered to at the pres
ent, is by fishing lines made Of the giant
kc!p, and by hooks made Of splints from
hvmlock knots steamed and bent into q
shape like an OF bow, with barb Of
bone fastened ON with . thong to the
under eide f.the bow, the line beina
made fast to the upper side.
The kslp used grows from i've to At
teen or twenty fathoms in length. il
grows longer than the perpendicular
depth Of the water where it il found
This il occasioned BY the strong tides
and as the plant in it, growth struggles
to reach the surface il has to grow pro
portionately longer, or the tide would
consantly run il under and il could only
reach the surface at low water; conss
qusn:ly, kelp growing in fifteen fathoml
Of water win b often found over thirty
fathoms long.
In order 70 cut this kelp at the root 4
very simple plan 10 used. A couple Of
sticks In the form Of Y are dashed q
their lower end with stone inserted IL
the lashing for sinksy. just above thu
stone knife blade il fixed, usually .
piece Of hoop iron or strip Of c0ppel
sheathing and line attached 10 the up
per ends Of tho sticks. This instrument
IL clipped over the bulb Of the kslp and
lowered to the bottom. A slight pul
sewers the stem close 70 the ground.
There are two kinds of kslp. Thu