The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-08-17
CAUGHT IN THE ACT.
How the Flying Dutchman's
P0acher Was Seized.
AsusPlc,ous wHALER TIED UP.
Fate OF the st. Matthews Island Bear
Hunters-Arrival Of tho Alice
Blanchard.

Dutchman" among the sealers, was over
hauled in Bering sea July 20 and seized by
the United States revenue cutter Rush.
When found the Winifred was undoubted-
ly sealing, and no denial of the fact was
attempted, but after towing his prize to
Unalaska Captain Paulsen, of the Rush,
received information that decided him to
seize the Winifred on account of violation
of the revenue laws, and she will be first
sent to Sitka for trial before the United
States courts, and if there is anything left
of the Winifred and her ubiquitous mas
ter after going through the Sitka courts it
has been agreed by joint conference of
the United States and British authorities
here that the prize is to be turned over to
the English authorities at Victoria for vio-
lation of the terms of the modus vivendi
at present existing between the United
States and Great Britain. The Winifred
is one of the schooners which entered
Tenki bay and transferred cargo without
properly entering at the custom-house,
and she is to be tried for this ofiense first.
The Winifred entered Bering sea on
June Ii, through Umniak pass, the
weather at the time being thick and
stormy, so that she escaped the cruisers
patroliing the forbidden waters and got
we'll inside the lines. The weather. how
ever, did not remain long propitious for
sealing operations, and as it cleared Cap
tain Hansen began to see, from the numer-
Gus tell-tale columns of smoke visible from
his vessel, that he was in constant danger
OF detection by the active cruising of the
biockading fleet of war steamers. He
therefore gave up the idea of remaining
in the sea, especially as he found seals
very much scarcer than he anticipated,
and turned the Winifred's head toward
the Pacific ocean again. Light winds pre-
vailed, however, and he made but little
Roadway in the desired direction. Finally,
on July Is, dead calm fell, and the Wlni-
fred was hung up waiting breeze, some
twenty miles to the northward of the
nearest exit from Boring sea. Finding it
impossible to get any further at present,
the boats were lowered and the hunters
were sent out after seals. A dense fog set
in on the 18th and lasted until the
afternoon of the Goth instant, SO
that Captain Hansen's hopes of escape
were suctained to the last. But
when the fog cleared away on the Goth,
the weather still remaining perfectly calm,
he realized that nothing would save him
from seizure, as he could see at least three
cruisers in his neighborhood. Although
very small object in the vast expanse of
glazing sea, and with his sails down as an
additional precaution, he we'll knew that
the lookouts on the cruisers would hardly
pass him by. Captain Hansen's surmises
proved correct, for hardly had the air
cleared from fog when one of the cruisers
grew larger and larger to the sight as she
neared him, and soon the revenue cutter
Rush was recognized by one Of the crew
bearing down upon them. and he ventured
the opinion that their name was Dennis.
When the Rush came up with the
Winifred one of her boats was lowered
and an officer boarded the schooner. He
found fresh dead seals on deck and Cap
tain Hansen acknowledged he had taken
them in the sea. As one of his boats was
even then away sealing there was no pos
sible way of escape. 1t is true that he ac-
counted for his presence in Bering sea by
saying he had been blown in by swift
easter, but as the boarding officer very
aptly answered: "How else could you
get in, captain? Your vessel
isn't steamer" Captain Hansen
appreciated the fact that he was caught
beyond any question of doubt in violation
of the proclamation of both his own gov
~.
and he submitted as gracefully as possible
to the seizure of his vessel, which followed
the report rendered by the boarding officer
to the commander of the Rush. The
Winifred is small vessel and had very
poor outfit aboard. and by many it is con-
sidered that she may have been purposelv
exposed to seizure so as to make test
case before the courts. But one thing is
certain, if she does not suffer the full
penalties of the law at the hands of the
British authorities it will be for some
other reason than lack of evidence to con-
Wet her.
Another seizure, which was made by the
United States steamer Mohican about the
same time, was that of the whaling
schooner Jane Gray, OF San Francisco,
Kelly master. 1t will be remembered that
the Jane Gray was chased by the York
town, overhauled and towed into port at
Dutch Harbor, and on examination
showed that she had on board quantity
of salt far in excess of that required for a
whaling voyage, and also four furyseal
skins, which Captain Kelly claimed had
been secured in the Pacific. After careful
investigation of the matter Commander
Evans decided to let the Jane GRAY
proceed ION her voyage for want Of suifi-
cient evidence to detain her. But there
was yet doubt lingering in the minds of
the authorities as to the legitimate nature
of her cruise, and all the government yes-
sells were ordered to keep watchful ewes on
her movements. About the 18th of the
month the Jane Gray was discovered
lowering around in dangerous proximity
to the seal rookeries on the Pribilof
islands, and an officer was sent to board
her and warn her off. An examination of
the vessel then disclosed the fact that she
had a number of guns and other imp,e-
ments for sealing on board, which were
not in the ships manifest, and CAPTAIN
Johnson, of the Mohican, decided to send
her to Sitka for trial on the charge of hay.
ing sealing implements on board. Whether
the government has case against the
schooner or not is question. But il is
question which ought to be settled at
once. and can be done in no other way
than by decision of the courts. The re-
suit of the trial will be awaited bv all the
whalemen with interest. as they are all
more or less liable to seizure On the same
grounds-that is, if the law is to be en-
forced strictly and without any discretion
on the part OF commanders OF cruisers.
The steamer St. Paul arrived al UnaIaska
July Is, with q number of passengers and
late news from the far north. Report,
from the mining camp on the Yukon and
Goodwin bar indicate that good work has
been done during the winter and spripg
Many rich claims have been worked on
the famous Forty Mile creek and it's trim.