The Portland daily press., 1886-08-23
The Men of Gloucester and Portland
Generally Happy and Doing Well.
The Dominion Fishermen and Farm
ers the Worst Sufferers by the
Present State of Affairs.


not sealed, and the destination and object of
the trip were we'll understood by the officers
of both vessels. Neither was there any par
ticular significance in the visits of these YES
sells to the fishing grounds 1t is usual for
the fleet to cruise in that direction nearly
every season. This season there was an es-
pecial desire to do so in order to give assist
ance should any fishermen be in distress,
needing medical service, provisions, or any
similar aid. The naval authorities realized
that the fishermen, whose position is some
what novel and perplexing under the new
relations with Canada, might feel more as
sured if government vessels should cruise
among them, board them and render them
needed assistance. Such a mission is not at
all out Of the ordinary duty of man of war.
The Yantic, which arrived in Portland
first, cruised through the Strait of Canso and
up towards the Bay of Chaleur. She board
ed several fishermen, and her commander
saw Captain Scott, of the Canadian cruiser
Lansdowne. 1t was at this time that Cap
tain Scott announced the intention Of the
Canadian government to close the Bay of
Chaleur to fishermen. Canadian newspapers
reported at the time that Captain Scott and
the commander of the Yantic made an ar
rangement whereby our fishermen could be
admitted to Port Daniel and Miscou, ports
on the opposite sides of the entrance to the
Bay of Chaleur, for the wood, water, shelter
and repairs stipulated in the treaty of 1873
While it is true that these ports will be open
to Americans for such purposes, there is
nothing in the report that the American off
Ger arranged this with Captain Scott. Meth
er had any authority to make such an ar
rangement; Captain Scott simply announced
that while the Bay of Chaleur would be
closed, the Americans would find convenient
places of refuge and supply at Port Daniel
and Miscou. There were, however, very
few American fishermen in the vicinity of
the Bay of Chaleur.
There was no truth, either, in the report
that the. Yantic was warning the fisher
men to obey the regulations of the treaty of
1918. Not more than dozen were boarded;
none of them had any complaints of i'll treat
ment. 1t was the general impression, gained
by the people of the Yantic, that the officers
of the Canadian cruisers were courteous and
eonsiderate in their work Of course there
were captains, as well as some customs Off
GERS, who thought an enforcement of the reg
ulations meant the infliction of the greatest
possible amount of discomfort on the
Yankees. These, however, were the
exception. The patrol which the cruisers
make is very Intellectual so far as
covering the coast is concerned, and is cost
ing the Dominion great deal of money. The
new vessel, the Acadia, formerly the Yosem-
sta will 1>o !,
ed. She is large, luxuriously finished, car
ries big crew of men and consumes great
deal of coal Already there are Canadian
papers that hint that she was purchased
more for the convenience of the Minister of
Marine and Fisheries than for the protection
of the fishing grounds.
During the cruise of the Yantic the mack
erel were around Prince Edward Island, and
generally outside the three-mile limit. The
fishermen had been doing very well during
the month of July.
The Galena, however, devoted the most at
tention to the fishermen. She cruised around
Prince Edward Island. visiting North Bay
first, and returning through Northumberland
Strait. The fishing fleets were in the eastern
portion of North Bay, around North Cape
and thence along the east shore towards
Northumberland Strait. They were gradally
working into the Strait. The Galena board
ed sixty American vessels and offered them
whatever assistance they might need. A
few needed medical assistance, and several
were in need of provisions, as they had not
dared to go into Canadian ports for fear of
possible seizure. Everything needed was
supplied by the Galena. Most of the skip
pers were feeling very well over their pros
poets; with one or two exceptions they had
no complaints to make at their treatment
by the Canadians; and their luck had been
fair. During the whole time the Galena was
with the fishermen, no one of her officers
saw Canadian cruiser, although subse-
quently they met Captain Scott of the Lans-
downe. The Canadians seemed to be more
anxious to enforce strict observance of
their customs laws, than to be on the lookout
to make any seizures that would raise an is
sue under the treaty of 1918. The fishermen,
however, were very generally observing the
Canadian regulations; although a few of
course were ready to take chances of seizure
for the sake of buying bait, etc. But the
mackerel during the Galena's visit were still
without the three-mile limit. In the enforce
ment of the customs laws, the Dominion Of
ficials seem to exercise the greatest severity
towards those American vessels that are
manned by Canadians. A Gloucester or
Portland man stands much better show of
civil and cOnsiderate treatment than one
from Prince Edward Island, Cape Breton or
Nova Scotia does.
One significant fact was observed by the
Galena's officers. When they asked the
shippers of the vessels which they boarded
whether the treaty of 1918 was giving them
considerable hardship, the reply generally
was that, while it was unsafe to land for
supplies as they felt liable to seizure, and
while the enforcement of the customs laws
was irksome, they were still getting along
very well; they complained very little. But
the condition of the Canadian fishermen,
they said, was pitiable; and during the
whole cruise the Galena found more pity for
the people down there than complaint at i'll
: +..nn nn..+A IS aAr-af- the Galena saws
that while at Port Hastings, in the Strait Of
Canso, he talked with an official of the port,
who said that the business of the place had
been almost Frustrated The official himself
had been doing profitable trading business,
but the prohibition of selling supplies to
Americans had ruined it, One American
vessel, which had run aground on the west
shore of Prince Edward Island, was in the
dry dock at Port Hastings for repairs. One
of the Canadians, pointing to her, said:
''We are glad when an accident of that sort
happens, for it gives us chance to sell you
something" This is the state of affairs at
Cape Breton. There is little money stirring,
and the fourishing trade which was once
enjoyed by the Provincial fishermen and
farmers is now gone, except when wreck
sends an American craft in for repairs.
Produce is extremely low. The Yantic's
officers bought potatoes for eight cents
bushel, and the stew ard of the Galena
bought chickens, ducks and eggs at rates far
below anything known in the States AS is
natural, the enforcement of the strict terms
of the treaty is making great hardship, and
this hardship seems to be mostly on the side
of the Dominion fishermen and farmers
Our fishermen are often treated arbitrarily
and put to great trouble, but after all their
lot is fortunate compared with that of their