The morning call., 1893-07-19
THE ALEXANDER.
Owned by San Francisco Trading
COMPANY.

The warlke news from Bering Sea yes
terday created 10 little excitement here.
The poaching steamer Alexander, which
is reported to have escaped after an alleged
battle with the United States man-of-w ar
Mohican. is owned in San Francisco, and
sailed from this port for Japanese waters
10 January last.
The steamer Alexander, which is an
Hawaiian craft. was formerly the property
of the Alaskan Commercial Company of
this city. When the Alaska Company lost
its franchise from the Government aud
was succeeded by the North American
Company In the Bering Sea sealing traffic,
the Alaska Company sold the steamer
Alexander to Roth. Blum & Co. OF this
city on September 6. 1892. The following
December the steamer was again sold to
the then newly organized Pacific Fishing
and Trading Company of San Francisco.
When the Alexander sailed from this
port on January q last for Hakodate,
Japan. by way of Honolulu, it was gen
orally reported that she was being fitted
oat as seal poacher. She flew the Hawai-
ian colors and left here ostensibly on q
hunting and fishing voyage in the North
Pacific Ocean. She carried an extra large
crew, some sixty-six men in all, the M most
Of them expert seal-hunters, picked up
with care and discretion along the water
front. She carried as arms four small
cannon and forty-eight Winchester rifles
of the latest pattern. She was fitted
throughout with the necessary parapher-
MALTA for making extensive raids on the
seal rookeres, and carried in her hold
casks and salt sufficient for the packing of
over 10000 skins. She loaded at Mission
wharf No. 1, and sailed on the afternoon
of the date named.
The captain of the Alexander had evil
IDENTITY been selected with extraordinary
care and precaution. As the commander
OF the sealing schooner Joserh Hamilton
Lewis last year Captain. Alexander Nc
Lean had met with serio,tt trouble in Rus
sian waters, his schooner being seized and
conhscated as a pOAcher by the Russian
Government. The crew selected by Cap
tain Mclean in fitting out the Alexander
were many Of them professional pOachers
who had been in many a battle on the
northern seas
Inc Pacific Fishing and Trading Com
pany was organized in Decem ber last in
THIS city very quietly, for the reason that
the business TO be engaged in was the
hunting OF seals in Japan and other
waters with danger of encroachinp upon
the regulations Of the Russian and Ameri-
can Governments. The Pacific Fishinp
and Trading Company was incorporated
with the following directors: p. Lor-
entzen. formerly shipping agent of the
| furrier house Of H. Liebes & Co. w r
| Bradbury, l.. X. Fulda, NJ. j. Ivons and
| d. V. Kelly.
| After the orgs niZation of the Pacific
Fishing and Trading Company and not long
after the sailing of the steamer Alexsnder
for Hakodate mum Der of lawsuits were in.
stltuted against the company.
| When Attorney Carroll Cook departed
| for the East in April he took with him
affidavts and other legal documents Civ.
ing a history of the Pacific Fishing and
Trading Company. and information that
the company's vessels were engaged in
poaching in Russian and American waters.
These afidavits and other legal evidence
were taken to Washington, and early in
May the whole matter was laid before the
Secretary of the Treasury. Like hungry
fish after worm the officials of the Treas
ury Department took cogniZance of the In
formation conveyed in the affidavts. and
after Investigating the charges telegraphed
orders to Mare Island. directing the reve-
nue. cutter Rush and the United States
man-of-war Mohican to sail at once for
Behrlng Sea and hunt for the poachers.
The Office of the Pacific Trading Com
pany was found to be at 11k Stenart
street. 1t is in dingy, tumble-down two-
story structure with no sign Ia sight but a
solitary weather-beaten board bearing the
word ance." After climbing q
rickaty flight of narrow and very dirty
stairs CALL reporter found two stuffy
little rooms. presided over by a young