The Governor, the British Officer, and One Tiny Revenue Cutter

Elisha P. Ferry came over from Olympia yesterday and is in the city. Samuel Crawford met him and related an interesting incident of the territorial governor at the time England and the United States were disputing which country owned the San Juan Islands. Mr. Crawford said:

'I was a youngster then, but I remember the controversy distinctly. When Emperor William of Germany decided that the islands were American territory, there was general satisfaction everywhere. Up to that time the English claimed the islands and had a post on the disputed territory. When Emperor William announced his decision, Governor Ferry notified the English officer in charge of the troops on the island to vacate, but the officer wanted a long time in which to make preparations to go. This nettled the governor, and he sent word to the officer that unless he moved immediately he would put him off by force.

'The funny part of the whole affair is that at that time the only man-of-war ship on the Sound was the old revenue cutter Oliver Wolcott, and her fighting machines consisted of a howitzer or two and a small gun. But that was in the days before the work of creating a new navy was commenced. At all events, the commission were old worn-out hulks that could scarcely make the trip from San Francisco to the Sound. But that didn't cut any figure. The governor demanded that the removal be made, and the officer in charge quietly left the island.'