The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-19
A FIGHT IN BERlNC SEA.
A Revenue Cutter Reported Disabled
By a Shot.

! The Poaching Steamer Alexandria Rep
resented as Answering an Order to
Halt With a Bail From a Six Pound
Cannon-The Story Discredited BY
Treasury Department officials.
Seattle, Washington July lS.-The
steamer City of Topeka, from Alaska,
which arrived here last night, brought
the following advices, which finally set
ties the mystery concerning the steamer
Alexandria, which was fitted out in San
Francisco some timo ago, 6stensibly for a
fishing cruise. The Alexandria. under
command of Capt. Mclean, sailed from
San Francisco for Honolulu last April,
and later left Honolulu at night. On
June %, the Alexandria was intercepted
IN Bering sea by the United States war
ship, Mohican.
The Mohican ordered the Alexandria to
lay to, but instead of doing so the Alex
| andria increased her speed and attempted
to escape. The Mohican pursued her and
fired two blank shots across her bow as a
signal for her to heaVe to- In supreme
disregard of orders the Alexandria
steamed faster, and when the Mohican
fired another blank cartridge, the Alex
andria trained her six-pounder on her pur-
Suer and sent shell crashing through
the sides of the warship into her engine
! room. The ball played havoc among the
ships machinery and completely disabled
| the MOhican. At this juncture a dense
fog arose, and the Alexandria made her
escape, while the Mohican had to anchor
for six hours for repairs.
THE STORY DIsCREDITED.
Washington, July 1S.-Navy depart
ment officials do not credit the story that
the United States Steamship Mohican
veruc raf,f1,, ! 1s.,, III \
ing steamer in Alaskan waters on June
% last. One strong reason for their in
credulity is the following telegram re-
celved this morning from Capt. Hooper,
commanding the revenue cutter Rush:
"Naniamo, B. c., July 17.-Secretary
! OF the Navy, Washington, D. c.: BY
order Of Commander Ludlow, the
steamer Rush seized on July 2, at CHR
akaf Island, the American schooner St.
Paul and Alexander for violation of sec
ton 1856, revised statues.
the events mentioned in the
above dispatch were of d later date than
the first, upon which the alleged firing
took place, but no mention is made of it,
although the order for the seizure was
given by Capt. Ludlow, and presumably
his vessel, the Mohican was in company
with the Rush. Commodore Ramsay,
! acting secretary of the navy, believes
| that Capt. Ludlow would certainly not
have failed to mention 50 important an
| event as the disablement of his ship if
| it were true.
HAD A FIGHTING CREW.
San Francisco, July 18-The Steamer
| Alexandria sailed from here last April
| under the Hawaiian flag, ostensibly for
| hunting and fishing voyage in the North
| pacific ocean. The popularity of her
| outfit was that she carried over sixty
men, many of them expert seal hunters.
and that she had forty Winchester rifles
and several small cannon. She also car
rled an unusually large amount of salt for
preserving skins, as well as many hogs
heads IN which to pack her catches of
skins. The men selected by Skipper Nc
Lean We're notorious in San Francisco as
fellows who would enjoy fight. 1t was
given out that she was to visit the JaDau
seal roolzerles, and perhaps those of Cop
per Island on the Siberian coast Nc
Lean, her commander, was notorious as
having conducted several raids on the
japanese coasts. One of his vessels was
seized by Russians after a lively fight
THE CUTTERS ON THE WATCH.
In spite of the fact that her destination
was given out as the Japan coast. it was
believed that she contemplated raids on
the Russian or Bering seal rookeries, ,
and the American patrolling feet was
warned to look out for her. The story
OF her recent adventures brought from
Sitka is that at daylight on Nav
25th the Alexandria was observed
by the Mohican coming out from under
the lee of an island where seals usually
cOngregate in large numbers. The
Mohican spent several days searching
for The Alexandria after repairing her
machinery and returned to Oonalaska Just
as the steamer Crescent City was leaving
forrSitka. The Mohican visited the island
where the Alexandria has been and found
ample evidence to warrant the assump-
tion that a large number Of seals had
been killed lately.