The morning call., 1890-09-12
SAILORS SHOT.
Seal Hunters Fired Upon Near
Copper Island.
One of the Crew Of the C. G. White Killed
and Two Others Badly Wounded-Rsscued
BY the J. Hamilton Lewis.

The schooner j. Hamilton Lewis, Captain
| Alex Mclean, arrived yesterday from seal
ing and hunting cruise, bringing 1864 seal
skins. She reports that she caught 1854
| skins for the season.
Captain Mclean reported that on August
| 18th, when sixty miles southeast of Copper
Island, he picked up three boats and eleven
of the crew of the sealing schooner c. e.
White. They had been five days away from
| the schooner lost in fog.
The following are the names of those
picked up: Dan Clausen, Frank Morrow,
| Ben Adair, ii. Berwin, hunters; Thomas
| Austin, Joseph Seabird, AL Finn, William
| Cregor, f. Smith and A. Hazen, seameD.
SHOT AT COPPER ISLAND.
The crew of the c. G. White report that
| William jackson, one of the crew, was shot
| through the leg, II. Berwin was shot
| through the shoulder near the breast and
| James Kerr was shot dead. The boat was
| riddleo with bullets while trying to lind
shelter and water at Copper Island. Rerr
was taken ashore at night and buried by
| the boats crew. Kerr was native OF San
| Francisco and lived on Fremont street.
ON BOARD THE LEWIS.
Shortly after the Lewis anchored off
Meiggs Wharf she was boarded by reporters,
ing story: I'VE left here on January 18th
and went up north sealing. We had pretty
good luck and landed orr catch at Alatak
Bay, and then stood across for the coral
islands off the coast of Japan and sealed
there, getting 1464 skins
1--WE then started back for San Francisco.
coming along the Great Circle track, intend
ing to work on another sealing ground on
the way. At O'Clock on the afternoon Of
August 9th, while we were bowling along
with a good breeze, The lookout sighted a
boat on the port bow. We bore down 10 1t
and found that it contained five men. They
were very weak and hungry and said that
they had been five days in the boat without
anything TO eat except little raw seal that
they had captured. They said they were
hunters from the sealing schooner G.. Il.
White and had lost their vessel in a fog off
Copper Island. We were then almost sixty
miles off the Island.
COULD NOT FIND TIE SHIP.
1.-The men said Il at they went out from
the vessel hunting and when they wanted to
return, fog setting in, they could not md
her, They then made for Copper Island for
shelter. They struck an inlet. but the water
was so rough they could not land.
The next morning they went under the
lee OF the island for shelf er, ana while lying
there were fired upon; one man was killed
and two wounded. The boat pulled off from
the shore and at night pulled back and
buried the man WHO had been killed. His
name was Kerr, and his mother, Mrs. |.
Kerr. lives at 1928 Fremont street in this city.
After we had picked the men up and
hoisted up their boat they told US that
there was auother boats crew somewhere to
leewar We ran down and found them and
picked them up too"
A HUMANE CAPTAIN.
Captain Mclean did ali in his power to
make the Rescued men comfortable after get
ting them on board. Berwin, who had a
bullet wound in the left breast, was almost
fully recovered when the schooner anchored
ard was able to GENE ashore. William Jack
son, who was shot in the left thigh, was con-
fined to his bunk. Part of the bullet had
passed through the bone. and Captain Nc
Lean, Oh the passage down, took out some
spintered pieces oil bone and the bullet
from the thigh. JacksUn's relatives lived at
South Park when he left the city, but since
then they have moved, and the mess niger
that Captain Mclean sent could not find
them last evening
When Captain Mclean got the derelict
crews on board his vessel he made all haste
for this port SO that the wounded men could
get medical attendance. Had he not done
SO, and continued his sealing operations, he
would probably have secured from 800 to
1000 skins more, which would have placed
several thousand additional dollars to his
credit
WHAT BERwIN SAID.
II. Berwin, one Of the hunters who was
shot, said: ION the morning of August I'd,
while off Copper Island, we lowered six
b ats, with three men in each boat, leaving
three men liz charge of the schooner. About
O'Clock in the afternoon heavy fog. set In
and We could not find our way back tu the
vessel. We then pulled in shore and re-
NAMED there all night.
In the morning the surf was heavy and
the wind strong, and we decided 10 80 on
the lee side Of the island for safety. We
ban alg a "a
lee side when suddenly we were fired at
from the shore. We could hardly see the
shore.
jackson was shot in the thigh. Kerr
was shot in the breast, the bullet first going
through tho stern Of the boat as we We're
pulling to get ont OF range. A few moments
after was shot in the breast over the left
nipple, and the ball passed through my body
and IS now lodged in the skin in my back.
We nred signal guns, and the other boats
came up TO us and lowed US out to sea.
kerr died two hours later, and at night
we returned to the island and buried him.
Next morning we started out again, and
We were about sixty miles off shore when we
were picked up by the Lewis. Captain Alex
ander Mclean was very kind to us, and did
al in his power to make US comfortable.
We shall never forget his kindness"
WHERE is THE SCHOONER?
1t is thought on the front that the c. G.
White Is now on the way down to this city
and she Is coming very short-handed. Be-
sides the eleven of her crew who came down
on the Lewis and the dead man Kerr, SIX
men who got lost from her in fog off
Copper Island came down in the steamer
Karuk on Tuesday.
They were three days and nights in an
open boat without food or water and they
claim that Captain HaZeman OF the White
wantonly deserted them. They managed to
reach Copper Island where they were made
prisoners by the Russian officials and sent
by the steamer Alexander III TO Petr0paul-
ofski Through the intercessi0n of the
agent OF the Alaska Commercial Company
at PetrOpaulofski. the men were released
and passage was obtained for them on the
Karluk to this city.
NOT THE c. ii. WHITE.
An evening paper yesterday and morn
ing paper couple Of days ago in giving an
account OF the rescue of the men who had
been lost from the sealing schooner gave
the name OF the vessel as tile c. I'll. White.
Many people who have friends or relatives
| on the latter vessel have felt very much
| distressed at reading the reports and have
been since constantly besiegIng the Office Of
the managing owner Of the vessel for news.
The G. 81. White is an otter hunter and is
now in the BehrDg Sea. She has never
| been on the other side. She sends out four
men in each boat, two boatpullers, one
boat-steerer and hunter. The G. q.
White, sealer, sends out three men In
bUat, two boat-pullers and hunter. James
BOyes, managing owner of the G. Ii. White:
| received letter from his vessel from Sa nd
Point, Alaska, dated August 18th. The YES