The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-09-26

ing sea otter with firearms and seised the
skins taken, . we'll - the .contraband
arms. OF course this win entail incon-
venierce for the time being, but II 1t
serves to bring the matter sharply before
the authorities at Washingtog City. time
will prove that Commander Evans drastic
treatment is the proper remedy for an evil
which everyone sees but no one seems to
know exactly how to prevent The par.
ticulaf o6ense for which these native
hunters have been arrested and punished
is that of having in their possession
breach-loading firearms and s1sing them
to kill ses otter inside the -four league
limit prescribed by Law. AZ has been
stated before, composition Of white hunt
ers in the pursuit of sea otter has all but
driven the natives to the wall. and unless
something is done to check the white
hunters the natives must either 60 under
or become charge on the government.
At the present time there are some fifteen
or twenty schooners, ranging in size from
fifteen to ninety tons owned and
operated by white men in the sea
otter industry. These vessels are manned
in most cases entirely by white men armed
with the most approved weapons and are
enabled to hunt the sea otter further off
shore than the native hunter dare venture
In his frail bidarke. So it happens that the
law originally framed for heEpurpose of
securing to the natives the exclusive prod
uct of this pursuit. which is and has been
for hundred years his only means Of liv-
ing. actually works to his disadvantage as
the matter now stands. The general opin-
ion among people who understand the sit
uation is that the government should
either prohibit the shooting of the sea
otter by white hunters anywhere inside Q
line drawn four leagues at sea from the
most distant island or reef contiguous to
the Alaskan coast, or that the use of fire.
arms by the natives to capture the otter
wherever it can be found will no longer be
forbidden. 1t white hunters are to be per-
mitted to shoot, kill and exterminate this
valuable animal it certainly seems fair
that the native should be allowed at least
equal privileges.
The British schooner Mountain Chief.
before reported as having been seized by
the United States steamer Adams for TAX
ing seals inside Boring sea, sailed hence
for Victoria on August 16. She was towed
out of port and clear of the passes into the
Pacific ocean by the Daphne and then Or
dered to proceed directly to Victoria for
trial.
The whaler Jane Gray has been released
by the United States authorities at Sitka,
where she was sent for trial on charge of
bringing arms and sealing gear into Ber-
ing sea. The evidence against the vessel
being too little to hold her, she has been
allowed to proceed on her voyage.
The schooner Helen, of Seattle, Capt.
Edward Simpson, owner and rnaster, was
towed into Unalaska August by the rev.
enue cutter Rush, which found her outside
In the Pacific with damaged rsldder. As
soon as necessary repairs can be made
Capt. Simpson intends sailing for Port
Clarence. where he is going On q mining
prospecting trip. Charles Gordon, a mi
ner, has been examining the country in
the interior back of Port Clarence and has
brought out some valuable specimens Of
argentiferous galena ore. The two men
have formed copartnership. and the
present venture is the result. The
country which Simpson and Gordon
propose to explore is not entirely un.
known to mining men in Alaska, as it lies
In the same region and doubtless forms
continuation of the same geological forma-
ton as that found 200 miles further north
on the shores of Golovine bay. where are
located the rich Omailik silver mines. Fl
is confidently believed that when this re-
gion is fully and properly examined there
will be discovered the richest gold-bearing
lodges on the continent Its remoteness
from civilization has been in the past the
chief cause of lack of development, but q
few more hardy spirits like Simpson and
Gordon coming up here will soon do away
with the unfounded fear that the place IS
tout of the world" and beyond reach of
development.
The health of the United States and
British fleets is good, and the weather
during the past month has been simply
perfect. The Daphne is billed to sail for
home on the 18th, and the Melpemene two
weeks later. The American vessels will
probably remain until October /, and two,
at least, of the cruisers, the adams and
Bear, will remain on guard at the Seal
islands until December or later, should
any seals still be there.
Dutch HARBoR, Sept 5.-[Speeial. Two
more seizures of British vessels have been
made by the American fleet in Berng sea.
This time one of the big fellowship Oscar
and Hattie-has been run down and seized
by the Mohican away out at Alton island,
and the Yorktown caught the Henriette,
one of the small sealsrs, half way between
Unalaska and st. George island. Both
vessels are now on their way to Unalaska
for condemnation. The Oscar and Hattie
will be turned over to the British fleet
commander, but the Henriete. is one of
the vessels against which a change is held
for illegally transferring skins TO and re-
ceiving stores from the supply vessel that
met the sealers in Tonki bay last June. In
consequence of this fact she will be sent to
Sitka under convoy of the revenue cutter
CorwIn and will be tried there for viola
ton of the United States custom laws.
Should the Henriette escape eondemna-
ton at the hands of the Sitka court she
will be turned over to the British authori-
ties for trial for q violation of che modus
vivendi.
The steamer Alice Blancha ara touched
here on September on her way down
ported party of prospectors ah1 traders
bound up the Yukon river.
The schooner Helen, of Seattle, before
reported as having arrived here professedly
bound on mining prospecting trip to the
far North, left here September l bound
back to Seattle. It is rumored that the
mining voyage was simply . ruse to de-
ceive the authorities here and that the
vessel really intended to seal in Boring
sea and, perhaps. raid the rookeries later
on. But the signs of extreme vigilance of
the blockading feet caused the master of