The Portland daily press., 1898-07-11

Ships.
New York, July 1o-A Vancouver N.
T., special to the Sun says:
The story that Spanish privateer is
lying in wait for the gold fleet from the
Yukon seems to have some foundation
besides mere rumor. A. H. B. MacGawan,
a well known steamboat man of British
Columbia, told the following story to the
Sun correspondent today:
"Pilot Olaf Westerlund is often engaged
by me to pilot steamers in the northern
watersaq He was overdue and turned up
at my office the night before last I'm
expectedly. ]
"He seemed, very excited and said he
wished me to give him advice on mat
ter OF business. He then made the start.
ling statement that he and another pilot
had been approached by man in the
city VINO had offered them $4,000 each to
pilot war cruiser flying the Spanish
flag in the islands of Queen Charlotte
Sound.
"It was promised that no lives would
be taken The man explained that the
object was to seize the treasure ships
llchi bH0 UaUfOnnS,
expected down with $4,000, 900, take the
passengers on board and burn tho ships
II advised Westerlund to have nothing
! to do with such dangerous business. AS
in duty bound I then went direct to the
United States consul, Col. Dudley, and
reported the matter to him, sending my
son with the same information to tho ad-
| miral of the British fleet in the har.
| Dor. -
The admiral is supposed to have acted
promptly, sending two of his ships to
Queen Charlotte sound. Consul Dudley
wired to. United Consul Smith at Victoria
who at once looked up Westerlund and
MacGowan, SO that it was through Mr.
Smith that the story first got out. Mr.
Westerlund on being interviewed said
said that he did not deny the story but
| that he had not seriously considered ac-
cepting the offer at the time. He had
a grudge against the United States gov
ernment because it bad seized his sealing
| schooner, but he proposed to get even in
some other way. Some more facts in the
case came to light this evening, bringing
into tie story Capt. Mellon, the Spanish
| consul, who is an English man and a
British subject and one whom no one
would be likely to suspect of warlike in
tentions as he is a simple minded old
gentleman. The story is that he was in
terested in the matter by Count Emanuel
Cruez, Spanish agent who came to
British Columbia ostensibIy to look after
| cOntraband coal. The movements of
Capt. Cruez and Mr.. Mellon are interest
ing. They have been traced all over the
province and have made several attempts
to buy cruisers. They finally closed ne
| gotiations with the owners of the much
talked of steamer Manunese, which is
known on the Pacific coast as the Klon-
dixie whiskey ship because she sailed
from Liverpool to Skaguay with the big
gest consignment of whiskey afioat. 1t
is said that the Manuense is now waiting
orders in Queen Charlotte sound.
Having partly arranged for the boat
and having attempted to get the crew,
it was old Capt. Mellon who approached
Waterlund and three other pilots. Further
evidence comes from Capt. Scott, as
captain of long experience, who is noted
for his daring. Capt. Scott once took
sh1pload OF dynamite to British Columbia
during the CHILEAN CIVIL war and stopped
in a CHILEAN CART The officers of a Chill
ian warship told him the cargo was con.
traband and if he attempted to move he
would shoot holes through his vessel.
Capt. Scott replied:
| "I'm going to move and if you attempt
| to stop me I'll ram you and We'll go
to hell together. - Then Capt. Scott took
his dynamite to British Columbia unmo-
! Tested.
| Mellon knew his man and when the
| Spanish agent called on him Capt. Scott
says that they offered him command of
the Manuense. They said the ship would
be unaer the Spanish flag, and he would
receive letters of lnarque and full creden-
| tials from the Spanish government. Capt.
| Scott said he was so thunderStruck at old
Mellon being roped into such bloody
scheme that ne pretended to consent to
see what more they had to say. They
stated that it was not their intention to
| kill anyone if they could help it but
| simply to take as prisoners all the passen-
| gers on the treasure ships, seize the treas
ure ond burn the ships.
| Capt Scott said that it would be i'm
possible for him to live in British Column
bia if such thing happened. Whereupon
the Spanish agent replied that it would
not be necessary to live in British Column
bia that Scott's share of the prize money
would be $500, 900, and that they intended
to confer the title of count on him i'm
mediately after their scheme had been
carried out These temptatic ms did not
phase the captain, however. Capt. Mellon
on being told that he was charged with
panning the expedition said:
mo, I haven't done so, but if l was
a man of % Instead of Is 1 would head
such an expedition. The United States
have been plrating to their hearts con-
tent, and they should be given il taste
! OF their own medicine
| British Columbia is very much excited
over the matter and the authorities are
considering the adylsability Of allowing