Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-22
Dominion CRUISER FIRES
ON YANKEE FISHERMAN.
Ha|ibut Craft Has Sails Torn and Masts SpIintered
By -Four Rounds. .SurrenderS and Taken Into
Vancouver -ProtestFiedby AmericanCaptain.

| Vancouver, B. c., April 21-The Do
minion government cruiser Kestrel ar
rived in port today having in charge
the American halibut fishing schooner
Charles Levi Woodbury., which she
captured after firing four rounds from
her machine guns and threatening -
| sink the alleged poaching vessel unless
she surrendered.
| The action took place Sunday after
noon in northern waters alleged to be
contiguous to Canada.
| Five bullets tore through the air in
the direction of the Woodbury., each
| time the machine gun was fired as the
| vessels headed at full speed from the
| west coast of Vancouver island pointed
toward the middle Of the Pacific.
Three of the rounds were merely in
tended to call attention to the conf
| mand to heave to, which had been
| issued to the American schooner But
the last series Of shots meant business
| The gun was pointed at the fish boat,
which was then at distance of about
| 200 yards and still making for the open
| sea as rapidly as possible. The bullets,
which were aimed high. ripped the
mainsail of the schooner and one Or
| two knocked splintars off the main
mast.
Capt. Sinclair feared that he would
be sunk right there il he did not stop.
At the same moment the second gun
of the Kestrel was swung across her
deck to get into range of the fishing
boat The Woodbury's engines We're
then stopped and her sails, ,gashed by
the British bullets, hauled down. A
few minutes later. an officer and thr,e
men from the KeStrel boarded the
Woodbury. and took charge.
Capt Newcombe of the Kestrel de-
clares that if he ever had a clear case
against an American vessel this is tn"
one Early Sunday afternoon he de-
clares the Kestrel was steaming u
from Quatsine sound on the west coast.
when he spied an American vessel fish
ing between East and West Haycock
islands
These islands lie about 10 miles off
Cape Scott, the northernmost point OF
Vancouver island. The islands are
themselves five miles apart, so that
from Capt Newcombe's figuring. it il
impossible that the American boa,
could be more than two and hall
miles from either shore.
AS a matter of fact. Newcombe says
that when he first observed her tho
vessel was within a mile of East island.
BY the time she had picked up her
dories she was within a short distance
of West island.
Capt Sinclair of the Woodbury. APP
parentlv did not notice the arrival OF
va he
eminent vessel was within about three
miles.
Then the American ran along, pick
ing up his five dories. the fishermen
cutting their gear without wasting time
to pull a fathom of it in. Within 20
minutes after the kestrel was sighted
| the last dory had been picked up and
the schooner with her motor power
working to it's fun capacity and her
sails spread to 4 full western breeze.
turned toward the highland Of the Pa
cihc. The cruiser gradually overhauled
the American schooner and by the time
| they We're four and a quarter miles
| off shore the kestrel was alongside and
| the captains of the two vessels were
| converSing.
Capt. Newcombe had been vigorously
cour ding blasts from his siren as the
| signal for the American to stop, but
| she kept on her course. The first round
| from the machine gun was fired when
the race had been well begun and the
next two were directed to send the
| outlets across the bows of the Yankee
lessel, hut the captain Of the latter
| made no attempt to stop. When Capt.
Newcolnhe got abreast the American,
ne opened communication with a
speaking trumpet. N
stop or l will put hole through
Iou," called Newcombe.
II don't think so,'' said Sinclair, in
4 reply that came plainly over the
water
Then the big gun went off and lit
lie section Of the Woodbury's sail was
N shreds.
When the second gun of the Kestrel
had been unswung and trained on the,
Woodbury., Capt. Sinclair realized that
urther fight was useless and surren-
dered. lie refused, however, to navi-
gate his vessel to port and would not
even make fast hawser His engineer
declined to turn, over the gasoline
equipment. The warship then took the
w OOuDuFy III LOW anu Hedueu loT Vail
couver, arriving this morning when the
| prize was tied up at a wharf.
The Woodbury. is a schooner about
| 100 feet long and is of 120 tons burden.
She has been fishing out of Seattle
for, number of years. She had about
1000 pounds of fish on board when
taken There was no time to clean the
i 18th and the cargo was destroyed.
| Capt Sinclair, master of the Charles
Levi Woodbury., visited the United
States consulate today and lodged a
complaint with Col. West, the Ameri-
can consul.
West will take the sworn dispositions