Omaha daily bee., 1893-08-20
GOT THE WORST OF 1T.
Captain Evans Gives hi. Opinion OF the
Icring Sea Dicision.

Captain Evans Gives his Opinion OF the
I,cring Sea Dicision.
WASHINGTON, ID. c., Aug. 1--we got
the hot end of the stock" remarked CAPTAIN
Robeley d. Evans. naval secretary of tho
light house board today, concerning the re-
cent decision of the Berng sea arbitration.
CAPTAIN Evans spent several years in the
Artic ocean lodging icebergs and catching
poachers and is as familiar with the byways
Of that sea as an ordinary husbandman Is
with the paths in his garden.
ION every contention" continued CAPTAIN
Evans, 'the United States was beaten,
with the single exception Of the use of fire.
arms in capturing seals, and on this point
the regulations prescribed are impractieaole
of inforcement. The sixty mile zone limit
is entirely valuess in u practical point of
view. The region around the PribYloff
islands is constantly over hung with dense
fog making accurate observations almost
impossible. We will be continually in dis
pute as to whether in case seizure is made
for violating the regulations. the distance is
sixty, seventy of forty miles from the
islands VIII need an extensive force
The entire navy of the United States, with
the English navy thrown in. could not estab-
| lish an effective patrol about these islands.
| Poachers use usually light draft craft,
| an1 can easily slip through the marine
patrol, attack the seals IN the islands and
| in the dense fog escape without detection.
| Even IL seen raiding the seal rookerles,
| war ships could not pursue them close to the
| reef-infested islands, as the waters are un-
| surveyed, the current unknown, and the
| risk, therefore, would be entirely too great
| to be taken. The most effective means, per-
| haps, of protecting the seals, would be a
large land force sufficiently strong to repel
an ordinary attack.
"Vieved in any light, we can get little
comfort out of the decision. The permission
to kill seals after the stof August amounts
to nothing, as seals in that season are in
what Is called q STACEY" condition, and
unfit for commercial use. No one ever kills
them then unless in pure malice. Even
the restrictions, as regards the use
OF firearms, are of little value
Vessels clear, say for hunting pur
poses, to the north Arctic. HeI
equipments consists of implements in whale
and seal fishing, including limited number
of guns for shooting wild fowl in the extreme
north. She is boarded by man-of-war
doubtful right at best; firearms are found
and then comes the contention, whether tn,
vessel intended to use the arms for capturing
seals or for killing fowl for food. Thus W,
will be in hot water all the time.
Osher Nations Free to Poach.
'Then again, the decision of the Bering Sc;
commission, affects only American ant
British vessels having declared Berng Sc
to De an open sea the vessels of all nation
are, of course, entitled to plough its water
and catch fish and seals at will The Berin
sea decision cannot, of course bind the gov
ernments of France, Germany, Japan ant
other nations engaged in whale and sealin
fisheries. So, that looking at it from praC
tical standpoint, it see MS to me that tn
regulations are impracticable and cannot b
enforced at less expense than 81, 900 70
every seal life preserved"