The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-07-19
IN ALASKAN WATERS.
The Boring Ssa Patrol Gathers
ct Sand Point.
INDIAN HUNTERS USING Gums.


eAyp Poyrr. Alsska. Juns A-iSpeciai.l
-Ysfteen, sesIesp. tuo ashine vsaseis snd
thsse Of IL United States eruisss in port
= ~ eaue dis has nAds things quits
1tv0iy hsso dnfing the pess week The
vessels begsn coming IN on the lStn M
Ntoas. and stnce shaS time from two 70 hsaf
. dossn havs entered dsiiy. The Unifed
0tsess steamer Ksnees seached hers from
t1ska On the idsh and was followed closely
~ the Albatross and C0Swsn and iatsr ~
The Rush, The latter vessel esing somsshss
delayed BY having 70 visit III os shs pofss
elon9 the Aiaskan coast and peninsula
With the exception oe the part q the
esailng nsst which has gone over 70 liant
On The japanese side Of the ocean OF
esound the Copper islands. most Of the
oealsu haye hesn boarded BY the American
eYuissss and warned not 70 sntse Bsring
30 under pain Of seizure. But few OF the
vessels boarded by the cruis<rs or which
bsye sntersd this port are American ssAi-
en-. Most Of the latter havs gone directly
over toward the Copper islands. The catch
OF seals among the vessels which did their
hunting on this side Of the ocean hss been
lAfes. eome Of the vessels have besu al
spady suecessfui enough 70 return home
with . good balances in their favor. u they
ls3s like It.; but thsrs u very little doubt
bat that the majority will ship their skins
through the custom house from this port
% Victoria The schooner Borsaiis. Of
Victoria. hiss been already chartered for
ths purpose. The British schooner
Triumph, manned By crew Of Indians
picked up 81 various settlements along
The coast, has the largest number Of skins
% isr reported. She has taken !. so and
The Henry Dennis, Of seattle. comes next
With catch of $50. Doth vessels report
having had poor luck since the middle Of
Msy.
This year the native hunters, contrary to
usual custom, are using sh0tguns TO kill the
ssais, instead Of spearinx them, a. hereto
fore. This VIII undoubtedly tend TO kill
Cd the scala more rapidly than ever before.
o. the natives are but indifferent marks
mon and fail 90 get more Of the seals struck
than the white huaters On the other
hand, they are more persistent in hunting.
can stay out In = boat longer and usually
bring back 10 the vessel more seals. This.
However, simply means that they have
eeen more OF the animals, and. owing 10
their bad shooting. have wounded great
'mnny more seals than the white hunters
would have done under similar circum-
;stancep. Speaking Of this matter with
Capt. Minor. Of the Henry Dennis, he
said:
The seals are undoubt teddy being rapidly cx.
ssninased " dfiveu away from the Alaskan
seosst 1hs largo catchss made simply mean
that the huates. ara growing mors expert aud
.nos sbs: seals are more plentiful. Il will only
- very lev years uusu seal hunting will Be- .
thing 81 the past. The reals ses becoming 80
sesfcs and shy thss IL viii not be long before IL
viii be unpsehssbie TO follow them on the opsn
-. and II will b. the best thing that ever hap
bsssd Tor TIE Paeide slope whsa this occufa
IN what wayf
Why, ~ compelling the owners oil these zeal.
ing vessels % turn their sttsntion 70 tho nshiug
spduatsy. The most ct the sealing vessels are
Msssd fos ashing and would b good Tor soothing
sise. 4 considerable unmbsS oil them were nsh-
lag vessels on the Atlantic side and were sens
around here b. their ownsss TO 60 into the zeal
rng business Thsrs 10 no doubt Of tho fact that
shsrs are Immense cod and haiibut fishing banks
;3H along the Alaskan coast and they only
swat development TO BE- made tho source Of an
tadustsy aiorsside Of which the seal business
Atll be too Insignificant 10 notice. II Eastsru
sspstal. especially Eastern Ashtns nsms, eau Be
t'sssssstsd In the schsme, terms can b made
with the railroads which will permit Alaskan
Sab TO bs shipped 70 points in the interior 1t
rtossnt supplied from the East. but which are
~ pfcssut iusocsssibao on account oil excessive
atstshta lnstsad OF Gsss OF seventy ava yes
hsas which are ct present engaged In the sealing
sAdasty. there IL no reason in The world why
Nom 80 10 no sell should not now be 1t work
t'ingiag the Alaskan cod. herring and haiibus
snto the Pacific posts Of the United states.
cgps. Minor IL ono Of the best-known
sad successful seaiers on tho Coast and
hss views on this question are for that
reason grea. deal more valuable than tho
saecu.ntioas Of so-called seal experts, !"
,ecs: Of whom know next TO nothing Of
tie practical side OF the question.
The commander OF the Rush reports
having boarded the schooner Fisher Maid,
et Fort Townsend. Off the south end OF
Kodiak island, en- the 18th inst. The
xaasser Of the schooner stated that be had
hren since the middle Of April making his
way across from Cape Fiatsery and was
hsiort OF water. What little they had on
ks,srd was 80 bad that il made everybody
Esck To drink 1t. Tho hunters had sue
cseded In getting only fo.ty-three skins,
his ;hey were stall hopeful of better sue
cess on the other side ot the ocean IL they
could ever get there. Permission to land
aad get fresh water was given the vessel
sad directions for entering sheltered hay
where IL could be obtained were furnished
es tho ofhcsss OF the cutter
Capt Crois~r. of the schooner Willard
ellsworth, of Seattle. reports a novel at.
tempt on the part of one of his hunters "a
Set possession OF some sealskins on board
hss vessel. IL appears that while the Aims
worth MAS on the sealing ground. ahoa,
nsts miles Al sea. westward of Cane Suck
lag. the hunter mentioned was ieft on
watch one night while the rest of the crew
wsrs asleep The night vas clear aud tn,
sfa caltn. The high land Of the Alaskar
saere doubtless appearing much c!osel
tsan II was In reality sa the lookout. .
htssiisnt scheme for breaking tho tsssius.
o. Longer sea voyage aud a. the .an,
time desas a good s;roEe Of business on nj
osn account occurred 10 him. Careful,
E.sexing ere as tho hoass into IN
~slsF. the hunter placed in her eur,
SrFnt prosEsseas - iass hisa q few asx.
aisa shen procccsssi 10 load her with 50,
sksnA When this was eaunless>f n
s.ioveS eli from sas schooner aud mil.
a.Yay toward the Land. 4 few Nous .s,s,
w&r's the captain MAJ awakened hv sotu
as9sesnstesned noise ca deck, and utsc
gssnr ar To SEQ what 10 uas be found n
veesel drifting ea before light hs-s.
v.sa nobody in the lookout Inaair
sc' essessei the facs that the .ookoas "a
missing. and that be had nee faliea owe
ecssFd was shown by she absence Of one {
sh'* beats. Sail vas quickly made on th
Atessossh. and she VAS headed on for a
laf.s where IL sss expected the runasa
vessld doubtless head for. When ia
breSe the boat was discovered . short al.