Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-07-31
OUR SEAL PRESERVES
The q. s. s. Rush Overhaul
ing COntraband Sealers.
TIE BLACK DIAMONDS CAPTURE.
A Fleet of Her Majesty's Ships in
American Waters-British
Buster.
Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.

Associated Press Dispatches to the HERALD.
SAN FRANCISCO, July 30.-The steamer
Dora arrived from Behring Sea last
night, and brings the first detailed &C.
count of the capture of the British sealel
Black Diamond, by the United States
revenue cutter Richard Rush, July 11th
The Rush overlook the Black Diamond
and ordered her TO heave to. The Cap.
tain of the Black Diamond refused to dc
this. Thereupon the Commander of the
Rush ordered the lowering of the ports
and running out of the guns, which
caused the schooner to heave to.
Captain Sheppard and Lieutenant Tut.
tie boarded the English craft and asked
for her papers. The officers of the Black
Diamond offered no armed resistance,
but refused to deliver the ships papers.
Captain Sheppard at once broke open
the cabin, forced the hinges of the strong
box and Captains chest, thereby secur-
ing the papers which he wanted. A
search of the vessel disclosed 106 seal
skins, which had been taken in Behring
Sea.
Captain Sheppard placed non-commis-
stoned officers from the Rush in charge
of the Black Diamond and ordered the
vessel taken to Sitka to await further in
structions.
DISPOSED TO BE DEFIANT.
The Captain of the Black Diamond
made the statement that when in Vic.
toria he had been ordered to pay no at
tention in case he was overtaken by the
Rush and requested to heave to. He
said he would not have surrendered if
the Rush had had an inferior force to
that of his own.
On July 18th the schooner Triumph
was also boarded by Captain Sheppard,
but no arrest was made, the skins on
board the vessel having been captured in
the Pacific and not in Behring sea-
A passenger who arrived here on the
steamer Dora last night said: ION our
way down from st. Paul's Island we saw
six sealers, and the Rush was closely in
In pursuit of them. We left st. Paul's
Island July 14th, and on the following
day saw the Rush in pursuit of her prey.
Undoubtedly by this time the Rush has
made additional captures"
A SMART TRICK.
VICTORIA, B. c., July S0.-Captain Nc
Lean, of the Triumph, is rather reticent
about imparting information relative to
affairs in Behring Sea. However, con-
siderable has been learned from others
on the vessel.
1t is asserted that Mclean played the
Rush smart trick. The story is that
when the Rush was sighted there were
thirty seals dead, lying on the Triumph's 3
deck. These were hurriedly skinned and
the pelts hidden among a large quantity
of salt. This salt also formed heavy
coating to about 800 sealskins which lay
at the bottom of the schooner.
Lieutenant Tuttle made an examina-
tion, but seeing nothing but salt, de-
parted. Captain Owens, of the seized
Black Diamond, refused to give up his
papers, but was told he must submit, as
the Rush had power to take her anyway.
The men on the Triumph say that Cap
tain Dodd, of the Maggie Mac, had said
he would fire on any American officer
attempting to board bis vessel.
When the Triumph left, the seals were
plentiful. A large number of seals had
been killed, one vessel having taken
fifty. Lieutenant Tuttle told Captain
ulCL0al 1C hdu bOC0 uNO bChOOuoTb
tering Behring Sea on the 4th of July
viz: Maggie Mac, the Triumph, Mary
Ellen, Lille L. and Black Diamond
The latter was captured, but the fate Of
the others is unknown.
BRITISH MEN OF WAR.
The Corona arrived to-day. Captain
Carroll says that VIXEN he left Juneau
on Wednesday, the British men-of. wal
Swiftsure, Icarius and Amphion were
there. They left for Port Simpson on
the following day. The Corona had
heard nothing of the seizure of the Black
Diamond.
A number of prominent sealing men
waited on the Captain of Her Majesty e
ship Champion today, previous to his
sailing for the North to join the fleet, and
gave him full particulars in writing. He
will convey them personally to Admiral
Henesge. The deputation also waited
on Hon. John Robson, the Provincial
Secretary. He has telegraphed to Otta'
wa demanding the protection of the I'm
perial Government. kilograms have
also been sent by the most prominent
public men of the province. The action
of the Imperial Government is anxiously