The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-07-14
POACHERS IN A TRAP.
Warship Thetis Catches the
Whole Victoria Fleet.
THEY TURN MouRNFuLLY HOME.
American Vessel Shadowed Them
When They Met the Danube.
After the Schooners Had Given Their
Skins to the Steamer They Were Be-
calmad, and Naval Crews Boarded
Them Before They Could Get Back.

VICTORIA, July Especial. The seal
ers are coming home. and the catch of the
schooners brought down by the DANUBE a
week ago may now be taken as the sea-
sons work. Captain Dodd, of the Maggie
Mac, leads the homeward-bound process
son. He dropped anchor in James bay
this evening, and reported two or three
others following close behind. 1t appears
from reports brought by the Maggie Mac
that the American gunboats have fol-
lowed close in the wake of the Danube and
are now patrolling the entrance to Bering
sea, with the intention of preventing any
of the fleet returning to the hunting
grounds. The policy of dodging, which
many captains intended to pursue in the
sea. Is not to be thought of outside, and the
sealers. seeing there is nothing else to be
done, are pocketing their disappointment
and their copies of the presidents proc
lamation. with the international
agreement to q modus vivendi and
the customary warning attached, at
one and the same time. and shaping their
course for Victoria. Captain Dodds is Of
the opinion that the commanders of the
government steamers have utilized the
visit of the Danube to their own ends very
cleyeriy. saving themselves long chase
after individual schooners in the sea by
hovering about the meeting place of the
heet and the Danube, so as to be able to
swoop down upon all the schooners to-
gether. His own experience he relates as
follows:
The Maggie Mac met with the others on Ko-
disk island and transferred her 6S5 skins to the
Danube. Then we sailed down to Sand Point
and laid in $3.50 worth more of provisions, in
tending to strike back for the hunting grounds
fast as the wind would carry Us. In our COM
pany were the C. II. Tupper, Allie c. Agar,
Maud Belle, E. B. Marvin, Ocean Belle, Vivi,
Ainoke, Annie E., Paint, Henry Dennis and Bes-
sic Rutter We had light breeze down to
German straits, and then it fell dead calm.
Hour after hour went by without breath OF
wind stirring, and then we saw on the horizon
the smoke OF q steamer. 1t came nearer, and
we soon made out the Thetis crawling toward
Us at six miles an hour. With any decent wind at
all We could have run of aud left her. but as II
was there was not enough to smell. We
watched her and waited and longed for
breeze, but it did not come. The gunboat
called on me first, sending . lieutenant
with a boats crew on board. He handed me
copy of this years proclamation, wit the modus
rirendi agreement attached, and also letter from
Commander Ritter, of the Thetis, warning me
not to enter Bering sea, and informing me that
my name would be at once furnished to all yes-
sells OF war and revenue american and Britishl
in northern waters, and ii / had fafied
in obeying orders the schooner i was
liable to seizure without further no.
tiee. Then each OF the others chooners was
visited and their captains got copies of the
papers, too. What made me hottest was that
had reprovisioned at Sand Point for the cruise.
had plenty of provisions to bring me home
The Thetis got to Sand Point on the 18th and
heard that the Danube had called She then
commenced to patrol between the Shumagin
islands and sand Point. The wind came I'D
few hours after the Thetis got through with us,
and we had far run down. The E. B. Marvin
is close at our heels, and l expect that all the
rest will follow.