The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-03-17
Big FLEET FOR
THE FISHERIES.
FIFTEEN VESSELS HAVE BEEN
CHARTERED FOR ALASKAN
PORTS.
WORK FOR MANY WHITE MEN
TRADE WILL BE BRISK ON THE
WATER FRONT-THE SALMON
COMBINE.

The ship Llewellyn ]. Morse was towed
to Howard-street wharf yesterday after
noon, and tomorrow afternoon she will
commence taking in stores, canning sup
plies, ETC., for Karluk, Alaska. With the
departure of the Morse will commence the
exodus of big fleet of vessels for the
Alaska fisheries. The Skolfeld, which left
last week with her Chinese and Italians, is
bound for the Copper River, and she will
be the only vessel to go to that port this
year. Karluk is the main station for the
fisheries, and it is at this point that the
opposition is conferred.
Some years since there were no less than
eight canneries on the Karluk River. The
packers found that they were flooding the
market with salmon. Several failures re-
suited, and finally combine was formed
which is known as the Alaska Packers
Association. There are now only three
canneries on the Karluk, the association
having one, R. D. Hume another and the
Alaska improvement Company a third.
The combine has already chartered eleven
vessels, which are intended for various
ports in Alaska.
The ship Highland Light is getting ready
for sea at Harrlson-street wharf, and she
will sail the latter part of the month for
Cooks Inlet. The ship Raphael is dis
charging her cargo of coal at Pacific street
wharf. She has been chartered to go to
Chignik Bay and will commence fitting out
as soon as her coal is removed. The bark
James A. Borland which has been laid up
in Oakland Greek all winter will come out
early this week and go to Howard street
wharf 3. New mastS will be put in the ves-
sci and she will be sent to Wrangel. The
bark Electra will also be hauled out of
0aElanH Craal- shortly on6 uill 60
Loring in southeastern Alaska. The barks
Nicholas Thayer, w. w. Carl, Merom and
Alex Mcneil have been chartered for
Bristol Bay where the compact has four
canneries. The ship Prussia has also been
chartered, but she will not leave for Kar-
LUX until about April Is, taking with her
white and Chinese fishermen. The
Llewellyn ]. Morse will take only the men
to be employed in the cannery where the
packing cans are manufactured.
The steamer Ella Rohlffs will sail for
Karluk by way of Afognak on April 1. On
this vessel will go the superintendent and
head men of the cannery, and the crews
of the combines steamer, which have been
lying at Afognak during the winter. There
are i've of these Steamers-the Jeanne,
Alert, Royal, Olga and Northern Light
In the season they are employed carrying
the catch from the outside ports to Karluk
whence the salmon is shipped to San
Francisco.
The opposition firms have chartered the
banks Harvester and Ferris Thompson, the
schooner Premier and the barkentine
Marion. The barks go to karluk, the Har-
vester for the Alaska improvement Com
pany, and the Thompson for r. d. Hume
The Premier and Marion go to Bristol
Bay.
much to the water front. Nearly 600 white
| men will go north in various capacities,
| over 200 sailors alone being required for
! the manning of the vessels which will go
| into service. This means an outfit for
| each seafaring man, a paid board-bill for
| the seaman's landlord, food and supplies
| for the slop-chest, stores and material for
| the canneries, supplies for the fishermen,
| ship-chandlery-in short, all sorts of ar
| ticles, from needle to an anchor, will be
, required, and tradesmen of all classes will
have chance to do business with the
| fleet. Tugs will find work in plenty and
| the pilots will have the last whack at the
outgoing vessels.
| The Llewelyn Morse will return from
Karluk directly she has landed her cannery
men and stores, but the rest of the fleet
will remain in Alaskan waters until early
| in the fall. Each cannery while in opera
| ton will employ from 40 to IS white men
and from 80 to 40 Chinese. There will be
no Italian fishermen at Karluk, Chinese
being preferred
The steamer Dora sailed on Thursday for
Sitka, taking among her passengers Gov
ernor Shakeley of Alaska. The Dora is
owned by the Alaska Commercial Com
pany, which company has the Alaskan
mail contract: Commencing on April 1
| the steamer will connect with the Pacific
Coast steamers at Juneau, carrying the
| United States mail between that port and
| Sitka, Karluk, Sand Point and Oonalaska.
| The steamer Bertha will arrive in few
| days from Alaska by way of Port Town
send. When she returns to Alaska she
| will have as passenger Captain James
| Wilson, one of the oldest men in the en-
| ploy of the Alaska Commercial Company.
He returned few days ago from Scotland,
where he has been visiting relatives Cap
tain Wilson has been located at Cook s
| Inlet for the past twenty years,