The morning call., 1894-04-12
RUMORS OF WAR.
Salmon CatChers Are at
Loggerheads.
The Alaska Canning Company lnvad-
ing K. D.. Hume'S Stronghold.
Origin of the Fight.

There is one grain of consolation for the
heads of families these hard times, and
that is, If money continues scarce and
larders become low every body Is likely to
have plenty Of salmon. There need be no
starvation for those who can subsist on a
fish diet, for the beautiful pink flesh of the
prime species of the tinny tribe is going to
be dirt cheap.
Alaska is such vast country and the
salmon are so plentiful away up in the
Bering Sea that 1t would be i'm possible for
the company to exclude outsiders from the
fishing grounds. SO the only deterrent
measure that can be taken is to make
salmon so cheap that the catching and
packing of the m viii not pay expenses.
Il is currently reported that this is to be
done, though the Alaska Packing Company
is conservative in the matter # giving out
information on that score.
As ls well known, 1t Is formidable c0u-
Germ, including almost all the packing
houses in the city. r. ID. Hume and the
Alaska Improvement Company are not in
the combine. and they stand alone in that
respect But they are Gamers, and the
army of independent fishers whom the cut
in prices will principally affect are salteTs.
One of these, Oliver Smith, VINO will set
out in the schooner G. T. Hill for the north
next week, said yesterday that he had
little hope OF making anything out of the
trip and that he would not 20 If he had not
left large quantity Of material up there
last year. He was going after his prop
erty aud would of course bring back as
large quantity of salmon as he could get,
When asked why so many expeditions
were being fitted out in the face OF a
promise of 0ver-supply he said Ii was be-
cause the cost of trip was so small.
''There are so many vessels lying idle now
that they may be chartered for $500 or
$500 month. Many men are idle and
willing to go for their keep and small
sum on each barrel of salmon packed, so
that If few fish are caught the loss will not
be heavy. That started people. and they
will probably bring back more fish than
here will be any demand for. 1 under
stand that Armsby & Co., commission
merchants, had already offered salmon at
81 barrel of this seasons catch.
They have already sent out several
vessels and are now fitting out the schooner
Glenn. &. d. Whitney is also fitting out a
schooner, Charles Meson will send several.
and-well, the list is long one. This is
what Is going to hurt the trade. l hardly
think the Alaska Packing Company Will
cut prices because they would lose heavily
by such step and the outsiders would go
in again next year. It's strong concern,
though, and could make things very un-
comfortable for the Others"
The fight between r. d. Hume and the
Alaska company is still on and Will prob
ably be waged with renewed vigor this
year. The company has again sent Its
steamer. the Thistle. to Rogue River.
Oregon. which may be considered Mr..
Hume's preserve. and Hume has sent the
Ferris S. Thompson to Karluk, Kodiak
VaIa nd N m
packing establishment, within few miles
of the c0mpany's cannary.
/. Last year Hume put up big caDnery at
Karluk and proceeded to make 10000
pack, in spite of the opposition Of the COM
pany. AS a retaliatory measure the
Alaska Canning Company sent the steam
er Thistle up Rogue River, and 1.-THE vessel
nchored off the caDnery and stayed there
during the run. Hume's friends contend
that this was done for no other reason than
to injure his business. because the COM
pany had no cannery there and could only
salt the fish. Salmon were scarce and
Hume's season very Improbable. There
is no money in sailing on Rogue River,
and the Alaska company lost $4,000 on
the venture. Nevertheless 1t goes Daek
again this year.
While the Thistle was lying off the can
merry last October the buildings took fire
and were almost totally destroyed.
Hume's men fought the fire bravely. but
vanly, and the men aboard the Thistle
stayed aboard and rendered no assistance
to their rivals. This has not tended to iD-
crease Mr.. Hume's fondness for his oppo-
nents.
The fight has been carried across the
continent to Washington, where it got into
Congress. The cannery company wanted
to have bill passed which would have
been detrimental to the interests OF Hume.
They sent an agent to Washington to pro-
mote the passage OF the law and Hume
went on himself to see that it did not pass.
he explained the situation to the Califor-
MIA delegation and the bill did not become
law.
1t is now said that the. company will put
up a cannery on Rogue River and endeavor
to run Hume out OF his own country. He
owns LAND on both sides of the river for
miles from us mouth. but the Alaska con-
Germ has succeeded. in getting section OF
ground higher up and may establish Itself
there.
William P. Bradford. secretary OF the
Alaska company. refused yesterday to dis
cuss the controversy,