The San Francisco call., 1909-04-22
Yankee Ship Seized
At Sea by Canadians
British Cruiser Forces American Fishing Vessel
to Heave to Under Fire

VANCOUVER, 3. c.. April 21.-tor
cry cruiser service has attempted to
interfere with American halibut fish
ing in northern waters, alleged to be
contiguous to Canada, the dominion
government cruiser Kestrel last sun
day afternoon got in real action with
it's big Nordenfeldt machine gun.
Four rounds were fred at the Seattle
halibut fishing schooner Charles Levi
Woodbury. Five bullets tore through
the atmosphere in the direction OF the
Woodbury. each time as the vessels
headed at full speed from the west
coast of Vancouver island and pointed
toward the middle of the Pacific ocean.
Three of the rounds were merely
directed to call attention to the com
mand to heave to which had peen
issued to the American schooner But
the last series of shots meant business
The gun was pointed at the fshboat.
which was then at a distance of about
200 yards and still making for the
open sea as rapidly as possible me
bullets, aimed high, ripped the main
sail of the schooner and one or two
knocked spinters off the mainmast-
Captain Sinclair feared that he would
be sunk right there if he did not stop.
At the same moment the second gun
of the Kestrel was swung across its
deck to get into range of the hsning
boat.
HAULS DOWN SAILS
Immediately the Woodbury's engines
were stopped and its sails gashed by
British bullets, were hauled down But
even then the American captain would
not willingly surrender. He declined
to tie a hawser aboard his vessel, but
a few minutes later an officer and three
men from the Kestrel boarded his
vessel and took charge.
Captain Newcomb of the Kestrel de-
clares that if he ever had clear case
against an American vessel this is the
one Early Sunday afternoon the kes-
trel was steaming north from Quatsino
sound on the west coast, when Captain
Newcomb espied an American vessel
fishing between East and West Hay
cock islands. These islands lie about
10 miles off Cape Scott. the northern
most point of Vancouver island. The
islands are themselves five miles apart,
so that from Captain Newcomb's fgur-
ing. it is impossible that the American
boat could have been more than two
and a half miles from either shore
AS a matter of fact Newcomb says that
Wnen ne ufSI ODSSTN6u II tlA6 NtooSA
was within mile of East island. By
the time 1t had picked up its dories
it was within short distance of West
island.
MAKES FORMAL PROTEST
Early this morning Captain Sin
clair visited the United states con-
sulate and lodged a complaint with
Colonel West, the American consul
Captain Sinclair said.
I'VE left Seattle on Monday. April
-. and after a stay Of two days at
BeIlingham proceeded north with
crew of 25 hands all told We were
seized about 2:30 p. M on Sunday, April
lis The Canadian cruiser steamed
alongside and ordered me to heave to.
/ asked why and was told that my
vessel was under seizure. / ordered
the engines stopped and the Kestrel
sent her first officer aboard of me- L
asked what was the matter and he
told me | was seized and ne wanted
me to go into Bull harbor- l refused
to do so. as / was in the Pacific ocean
on the high seas, and so the Kestrel
passed a hawser to my schooner and
towed me to Bull harbor, where we
stayed that night.
.Where were you when you We're
seized"
"As near as can tell. I was steer
ing a southwest course and was four
or FIVE miles in that direction from
Haycock islands
Were you fishing at the time
mo, all my dories were aboard and
[ was making a passage. l told the
first officer of the Kestrel when he
boarded me that l was on the high
seas and he agreed that l was then in
the Pacific and not in territorial
waters.
rs it fact that the Kestrel fred
on you
Fl don't know anything about that
Some of my men told me we were
fired on. but I am not prepared to say
anything about that
rs it your opinion that the seizure
was unjustified?"
I'VE claim that when the Kestrel