The Strange Detention of the British Yeoman
A British ship captain claims he was arbitrarily detained at Port Townsend while trying to sail for Seattle, fueling local frustration with customs enforcement.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The British ship British Yeoman, Capt. R. White, which was detained at Port Townsend by Collector Saunders and has caused much talk, arrived here at noon yesterday, and is now tied up at Baker's wharf. Capt. White, who has been in command of the British Yeoman for thirteen years, tells the story of his detention: 'We entered the Straits in a thick fog. We arrived at Port Townsend about 2 o'clock on Thursday morning and dropped anchor. The customs inspector, Mayor Tucker, came on board and examined the ship's stores. I asked the inspector if it was necessary for me to enter the ship there. He replied that he could not tell, but would advise me to enter there. I took the ship's papers ashore, but was told by several parties that I could enter just as well in Seattle or Tacoma. As I knew the tug was going on to Seattle, I made arrangements to take my ship there. I hove up the anchor and was under way when the custom house boat came and ordered me to enter the ship. I was told that if a vessel anchored there it must enter. After that I could not get a tug until this morning.' P.J. Frandoll, agent for the ship's consignees, added: 'I am in doubt about the real reason for detaining this ship, but it is a fake and must be ferreted out and such business stopped.'
“I am in doubt about the real reason for detaining this ship, but it is a fake and must be ferreted out and such business stopped.”
Customs jurisdiction and bureaucratic friction remain perennial themes in Puget Sound maritime commerce. While the geography of trade has shifted, the tug-of-war between local business interests and federal port authority echoes contemporary disputes over harbor regulations.
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