The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-09-15
AN INDIGNANT sEALER.
The Dennis to Become an English Ship
Injustice to Americans.

The Dennis to Become an English Ship
Injustice to Americans.
Sealing schooner Henry Dennis, in command
of Captain Miner, arrived In port last evening
about o'clock from her seasons cruise, bring
ing in l, lis skins. She sent in ia skins in the
early part of the season, making a total of 1852
for the season. This looks like q pretty good
seasons work. when it is considered that skins
are selling at $50 to s22 a piece, yet Captain
Miner is not satisfied with 1t at ALL for the very
good reason that had he gone out under the
British flag he feels sure he would have taken a
great many more. The vessel left
Seattle shortly after January / and spent
some time in san Francisco fitting out for her
cruise. She was one of the earliest to start in
hunting on the coast. Captain Miner last night
gave Observation-Disclosures reporter the follow
lug account of his seasons work:
"We had a fair season" said he, shut the LIST
OF July we were ordered away from Sand Point,
on the Shumagin islands in the Pacific ocean
The officials had no business interfering with us
here at all, and they soon found 1t out. II
shows how far they carry this farce They
served notice on us at Sand Point not to enter
Boring sea, SO we thought we had better
put in at Unalaska and learn some
thing about how things were going We
learned at Unalaska that there were eighteen
cruisers out in Bering sea-nfns American and
nine British. / knew, OF course, that eighteen
cruisers could patrol Bering sea so as 10 make il
absolutely impossible to do anything there and
escape them. so we concluded TO keep outside
We were becaimed at Unalaska for tweuty-three
days. We then went to the Russian side but
succeeded in taking very few skins. We cruised
around Copper island awhile and spoke the
Oscar and Attic, which reported catch OF 900
skins, 146 OF which were taken in one day. The
Teresa, which was cruising on the Russian side
reported one vessel having been seized by a Rus
sian gunboat have heard thai another sealer
was seized, but we were not troubled. The
hunting was poor, however, so we concluded TO
return home.
'You can say that the Henry Dennis will go
out hereafter under the British flag until such
time as this sealing question is settled so that
American sealers are given the same privileges
British seaiers have. Anybody knows that
those cutters can guard Bering sea so rs to make
IL impossible 10 hunt there and escape, anu
when an American vessel is captured, IL is con-
fseated, but not so with British vessels II is
generally understood that they are returned 10
their owners, SO British sealers can afford to
take chances, knowing they are IN no danger of
losing their vessels. How far this theory
is correct is proven by the fact that the (. b.
Marvin, a British vessel which was seized ia
Boring sea, was returned to her owners at Vic
toria "a short time ago. at least have been So in
formed on good authority. Why. the British
vessels have been hunting within forty-ive
miles of the islands, and have taken enormous
catches and have scarcely been molested but
let an American try it and see how successful he
will be.
al tell you this question OF protecting the
seals is a gigantic swindle. II is reported that
seals have not been so thick on aud around
the islands in ten years as they
have been this season. The enormous
catches OF those vessels which were allowed to
hunt in the forbidden regions proves this. Is
this evidence that they are being exte-yni natei7
l fully agree with Captain Williams statement
in an interview you published in sunday morn
iugs paper, that sealskins are a luxury and
ish necessity. aud that it would b more rea-
sonable to protect the fish by exterminating the
seals Those vessels could al engage in tie
fishing industry just as we'll as in the sealing
business However. I would not object. nor
would any seaier object to protecting to the
fullest extent the seas on the islands On which
they are born
"Neither would there be so much complaint If
the sealers of all countries were treated alike,
but we positively are not Then, on the Islands
the North American Commercial COMPANY was
supposed TO be restricted. by proclamation Of
the president to 800 skins, bur when We were
in Unalaska il was currently reported that tie
company had then exceeded this limit. and the
killing was still going on II 10 Ks 10 American
seAlers ike grand swindle on the part of gov
eminent ofieialS 90 permit this corporation TO
do as il likes aud then vhsck ups
The Henry Dennis is q new vessel. built in
Seattle IAst winter. and owned by J. C. Nixon.
She is the finest vessel in the sealing business.
Mr. Nixon has not decided what the vessel will
co until she starts out on her next cruise She
brought down so skins from the schooner Allie
!. Agar, also Owned by Mr. Nixon. The Agar
has had very poor luck, her entire catch amount
Ing 70 only 10 skins.