Hongkong

Hongkong

In the News~

November 8, 1896 [SFCall]: “Gives chase to poaching craft. Steamer Pacheco leaves San Diego in quest of trespassers. Sent to capture vessels at Guano Islands off the Mexican coast. Seeks for eight offenders. Concessionaires attempt to enforce the payment of large royalties. San Diego, Cal., Nov. 7. — The steamer Pacheco, which sailed from here Wednesday night, ostensibly on its regular trip to San Quintin and way ports in Lower California, is now said to be on a chase after eight guano-poaching schooners which are believed to be gathered in Vizcaino Bay. These craft are the junk Acme, Captain Chase, and the Pekin, Captain Moodlin; the schooners Ellen, Captain Jinsen; Whalberg. Captain Martin; Hongkong, Captain Hornstein; Alta, Captain Farwell; Sailor Boy, Captain Edwardson, and Ida, Captain Atwood. Most of these schooners sailed from this port the latter part of October and are now probably at the Guano Islands. These islands are about 350 miles south of San Diego. All of them were formerly covered with guano and have kept a fleet of small craft busy carrying the fertilizer to this port. The deposits are owned by the Mexican Land and Colonization Company, which has a concession from the Government for all the fisheries and deposits on the peninsula coast. The company claims a royalty of $2.50 per ton and the Ensenada customs officials impose port charges of about $70 on each schooner. The skippers say this is too much to make the business profitable, and therefore they run down and get the guano and bring it to San Diego without stopping to visit the Ensenada officials or to render an account to the company. WHen O. J. Creweread assumed the management of the company a few weeks ago he served notice on the guano-poachers that they would be prosecuted for further encroachments on the company's preserves. The present trip of the Pacheco is for the purpose of apprehending the schooners. Last year the Pacheco made a similar trip and overtook the schooner Pekin at San Martin Island. Two boys were on the island gathering guano and another on the schooner. The schooner got away but the steamer captured the boys on the island, together with 900 sacks of guano. The boys are now serving sentence of eighteen months in the Ensenada jail.”

May 10, 1898 [SBMP]: “The Chinese junk, Hongkong, Captain Forrest, arrived yesterday from San Miguel Island, with 40 sacks of wool and 100 head of sheep. Captain Waters also came over from the island. The Hongkong will go to Santa Rosa Island in a day or two.”