The San Francisco call., 1907-03-26
Shipping News and Gossip
of the Water Front
Seal POachers in the Bering Sea
Must Be Careful This Season

Posching seals in Bering Sea during
the coming closed season viii be a task
that win require all the ingenuity and
daring OF the Japanese poaohers. The
seals are going TO have the real thing
THIS year in the way Of police protection.
Livery revenue cutter on this coast has
been ordered 10 the northern seal pre-
serves. Two United States cruisers.
two japanese cruisers and two Russian
cruisers also viii be among those pres
ent
The activity OF the revenue cutters
last season showed the Treasury De-
partment the necessity for even more
activity and this year the 4a1anning. Nc
Culloch. Rush. Thetis. Bear and Perry
viii patrol Bering Sea The Navy De-
partment viii send two cruisers to the
far north.
Several japanese poachers were
killed last year. A number OF the
rool1eries that were raided belonged TO
Russia and several months ago the
Russian Government ordered two cruis-
ers TO prepare for duty IN Bering Sea.
When Japan learned OF Russia's in
tention two Japanese cruisers were de-
tached for similar service and in the
course OF month or so the well-pro-
tected seals viii be entertained by the
most elaborate display OF international
northern waters.
The japanese poachers responsible
for all this naval activity had been
taught the art Of stealing other people s
seals by the Yankee sealers, who were
legislated out OF business when Uncle
sam extended his sheltering arm for
the protection Of the seals. These
Yankee sealers, barred from plying
their remunerative industry IN vessels
Hrrfr, he
their schooners in Japan and under the
Japanese flag and with Japanese crews
continued the slaughter OF the seals.
They made fortunes and one by one
retired from the business. The japanese
who had worked with them had abb
sorbed their lesson well, however, and
they have been raiding rookeries with
growing frequency and daring every
year since.
This year the poacher win have to
keep a sharp lookout for the cop, and
the cops may have TO use considerable
diplomacy lest in exercising their duty
they precipitate an international war.
First of the Salmon Fleet
The ship Santa Clara. Captain Sparr,
cleared yesterday for Kussfloh and VIII
be the hrst OF the salmon feet to start
for the north A big feet viii be en-
gagged this season in bringing TO mar
the first time in years most OF the ships
have not been out OF commission since
last season. When they returned from
the north the demand for lumber was
so great that most Of them, instead OF
lying up, found profitable employment
in the coast lumber trade
New Inspectors Arrive
fl. c. Loud, assistant inspector Of
boilers, and Evan Grifhths, assistant IN
spector Of hulls, arrived from Seattle
yesterday having been assigned tenn
porarily TO duty at this port
Water Front Notes
The Oceanic Steamship Company's s
liner Alameda, Captain Dowdell is due
today from Honolulu. She Is bringing
q large number OF cabin passengers
The oil carrier Santiago sailed yes
terday for Monterey in tow OF the tug
Defiance.
The steamer Costa Rica. which ar
rived yesterday from the Columbia
River. was only So hours from Astoria
in spite of the fact that she buckeo
hoo 6uvfrSS and a high sea all the way.