Los Angeles herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1890-1893, 1891-10-15
WEST COAST NEWS.
The Steamer Axis Return
from Alaska.
Her Experience as a Prison Ship
at 0unalaSka.
A Mutiny Aboard Because the Men
Wanted Fresh Meat.
A Fight Between Bear and Two Sail
ors - 1. w. HelIman Reelected
President of the Nevada
Bank-Other Items.
Associated Press Dispatches.

SAN Francisco, Oct. 14.-This morn
ing the steamer Al-Ki, Captain Plum
mer, arrived from Ounalaska after
passage of nine days. The AK had
been stopping at Ounalaska as prison
ship, chartered by the United States
government. The steamer brought
down Commander Meade, U. S. N.
Lieutenants Turner and Pendleton, U.
S. M. c.; United States District Judge
Tarpley, and Captain Cochran in COM
mand of party of marines who will be
transferred to the marine barracks at
Mare island. The Al-Ki had also on
board nine invalids, all belonging to diff
ferent war ships at Ounalaska.
Captain Plummer states that the
Thetis sailed from Ounalaska for this
port the 18th instant, but was compelled
to return on account of bad weather.
She intended to make another start as
soon as the gale moderated. The Mo
hican intended sailing from Ounalaska
on the 10th instant.
Captain Plummer said "The Al-Ki
sailed from San Francisco on the 22d of
June and made the run to Ounalaska in
ten DAYS. She laid thirty-three days as
prison ship for seized sealers, and in
that time had on board three sealers'
crews belonging to the English schooner
E. B. Marvin and the American schoon-
ers La Ninfa and Ethel. On August
4th we sailed for Sitka with the Ethel
and La Nina in tow, and arrived on
August 10th, at noon, with no mishaps.
On August 18th the crew of the Al-Ki
refused to do duty, and the fremen and
coal passers also. | put six OF the crew
in jail, and on the 18th OF August
they were taken out and put
on board the Mohican. l man
aged to get a crew from the sail
ing schooner La Nina, and put them
on board, but the tiremen and coal pass
ers refused to let them work and would
not work themselves. It was nothing
more nor less than a mutiny. The men
expected to live on fresh meat, which
was almost impossible to get in those
waters. Some concessions were made
and we sailed from Sitka August 18th
and arrived at Ounalaska August Goth.
While lying in Ounalaska there were at
times as many as fifteen ships in port,
and during the summer as many as
fifty-four ships had been in OunAlaska
harbor. The sealers had quite hard
time to dodge so many war
ships, for there were nine
OF them, English and American,
cruising. On July 4th, while at Ouna-
laska, the crew refused to obey some
necessary order issued by the first Off
Ger. | found it necessary to call on
Captain Cochrane, and he informed me
that the next time the crew revolted to
put every one of them on shore and he
would give whatever assistance was de-
sired to get the ship back to San Fran
cisco. As soon as the crew heard this
matters changed and no further diff
Guilty arose."
Among those whom she brought down
from Alaska were Thomas Boswell and
Henry Sheh'ner, of the crew of the
schooner Marguerite, Captain Poole,
which left Seattle May 10th. The
schooner was under charter to mining
company to survey certain portions of
the Alaskan coast. When the vessel
anchored at Molar bay, 200 miles north
west OF Sitka, Boswell and Sheffner went
ashore. They came upon bear tracks
| and followed them, with the result that
they had a close fight with ear,which
succeeded in knocking Boswell down
and breaking the bones of his right leg
with its jaws. Sheffner shot and killed
the bear, then bore his companion to
| the coast, distance of about eighteen
miles. From the schooner they were
| transferred to the Al-Ki.