The San Francisco call., 1908-12-03
CUTTER CAPTURES
SEAL POACHFRS
Japanese Raiders on St. Paul
-:RoOkeries Seized by Bear
After Exciting Chase
PiraticaI Schooner HeaveS To
When. Shell From Government
Craft Strikes Rigging

Three overbold japanese poachers
from the sealer Kinsei Maru, venturing
= TOO close to the rooSeries at St Paul
island ia the Bering sea, caused a
panic among the native guards, who
believed a., raid was imminent and
p, brought about the capture Of their yes
. SCI and the Ssiki Maru July % last. by
the revenue cutter Bear, which arrived
in. this port yesterday morning. Sixty
men weere taken TO Valdez. where they
were sentenced 10 serve three months
in Jail The schooners were condemned
. I'D the catch Of seals. amounting in
. value to $4,000. taken over by the
Emitted states government
The Bear, under command of Captain
T.. T. Bertholf. had been patrolling the
waters inside the three mile limit.
':wken. coming close TO shore, native
!, guard approached in a small boat and
:: :signaled TO be taken aboard. He re-
. ported that for several days shots had
heen heard at regular intervals near
lhe fOokeries for some miles along the
coast He feared that a raid was about
p 70 be made under cover of the fog, as
the fndica tions were that more than
one vessel was in the immediate Vicin-
ity. and the bOldness Of one boat crew
hunting close to shore a few hours be-
fore could only mean that they were
prepared for immediate action.
CAPTURE BOAT
Lieutenants Hinkley and Alexander
were dispatched in charge Of a small
hoat and soon came upon fishing
boat with a crew of three Japanese.
-iIhey were caught without resistance,
land two seals. which had been freshly
killed. were found in the boat They
=. we're taken aboard the Bear. which set
jrit in direction in which the shooting
had been heard by the guards.
After half an hours careful steaming
through the dense fog. several shots
. were heard and soon the sound of the
firing of rifles came from various direc-
tions. All at once half a dozen small
boats appeared directly under the bow
% the Bear and as quickly disappesfed
into the fog. sailing in one direction.
Following this course the fog became
less dense and the fleet of small boats
were-Seen scUrrying TO a schooner now
plainly visible from the bridge of the
Bear
Then an exciting chase began in
which the Kinsei was taken in tow by
her boats while she unfurled sail and
got into the wind, which had now
sprung up Then the boats were
quickly shipped one after another and
the schooner, under full sail. was
given lively pursuit by the Bear under
fun steam. The government boat blew
frantic whistles in signal TO stop, but
THE bounding poacher paid no heed.
POACHER FIRED AT
There We're sharp orders from the
bridge Of the Bear, and the forward
10 pounder was loaded and aimed al
the japanese craft More whistles. un-
answered by the schooner. and the gun
was fired, the projectile whistling
through the rigging Of the poacher
This brought the chase TO an end. and
-f@I.
further resistance.
Soon afterward the Saiki Maru was
taken. and both vessels put IN charge
of the revenue cutter Rush, which
90 took them down TO Unalaska More
than 500 skins, valued at S25 each, as
'sveu as the vessels and equipment,
worth $4,000, were condemned by the
government
While awaiting trial at Valdez the
!: JapaQese became violent and an at
tempted break was made by about 20
;of them who were being held in a
church building under an armed guard.
. IT he prisoners We're not manacled and
had behaved well enough until on the
evening OF September u at dinner time
four Of them rushed upon the guard
throwing boiling tea into his face
: he guard discharged his rife and be-
Tore the Japanese could escape a score
OF citizens had run into the yard. These
men were NdElOASiy armed, many OF
them having seized iron bars from a
blacks smith shop adjoining, and the
prisoners We're forced back into the
Church. A double guard was after
ward put in charge. and there was no
fdrther attempt TO escape.
FARMS ARE RAIDED
- The American and British farmers
fishermen who inhabit the small pro-
ductive islands Of the Shumagin
gTSoup-suffered great loss during the
fishing season by the raiding of their
PASTURES by japanese sealers. Cattle
left. grazing on the island of Simeonoff
during the temporary absence of the
owners were killed by the japanese
and taken aboard their boats Many
head Of stock We're lost in this way,
but the farmers could give the revenue
cutters no description of the vessels so
that they could be identified. Provision
viii be made TO protect these islands
next year by the government.
An official survey Of the Northeast
point and Reef point was made by the
officers OF the Bear. and a chart with
the findings forwarded to Washington.
This shows soundings Of the coast and
viii be adopted officially by the gov
eminent Lieutenant Ward took charge