New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1853-11-03


,,...,, On 70 The manufacturers Of caps and other
! i0r msU'gn" ticb fhey ore specially adapted fsw
hHci" f"' ~ nifty Of efalfkin caps manufactured
Jfns agy the IN, Atlantic cihes Has mpch greater
1nd foh ID W, .ho Of bead-eear bayinv gone out Of
onac m ,lose ,ogtiona o, the country most subjected
10 rapd chonqos Of fasii.h Du5 'ne nt1 ,,t SUI
afe'y usod IN portions ~ % ta - "a.
A considerable quantity Of fbese hDh' "n" sn .
Why 10 tic fapnefes Tic commerce connected WIZ
tho EeuGundlaDd fe1l6sherics dates back ~ far az
15D5. though II did not assume an important aspect
until 1SlJ Tie FIRST years operations dd not amount
10 moro than 4.DCD skins but IN lc5O tbey were
swcicd 10 so 212, giving employment 20 go mon
Tie most reliabc statistics Ut hand Indicate cO1siera
bic meditation in the trade, the highest figures being
tiose Of icD, which gave 6oj,j5O skins, taken by
ans fishermen In 1850, which is the latest date Of
The exhibits before ~, the number taken 10000
There IN estDato " the force employed thai year.
bat II probably quite large that Of the proyi-
year. which numbered 9,Js5 men, the product OF
who're labor was only 3l6,O72 skins The number Of
vessels employed aud their tunnage also vary greatly.
For example The vessels stood in 1899 az o. aud their
tunDnge ~ g. lJr Two years after there were ij3
vcgseh in the business, measuring II ,4G2 tuns The
very next year, the vessels dropped down to LOG,
and their aggregate tnnnage TO 1862 The sfats-
ties show pretty steady operations till 1889 and
1910, when the number II vessels suddenly dmin-
ighed 10 about IS. In 1919 they stood at 2TS.
During most Of these variations in the number
Of vessels employed the number Of men changed but
slightly and the results in seal skins did not vary much.
though o good deal OF unsfeadiness is exhibited BY the
reports as Wc have already The amount OF tun-
D8ge employ ed in scaling does not run up as IN other
going enterprises The reason Of this is that heavy
vessels are too uuWiedy for tho ice-bOund SECS of
the north Nor is the number OF the vessels employed
very important, Judging from the above results Much
more depends the tact and industry OF the opera
tyes, joined with their knowledge Of the haunts and
habits Of their prey than the vessels they employ.
description OF the processes of taking the seal will
here be Interesting and appropriate We have al
10 81 fb..l Otp If ala at tin
paTatiyely recent period OF 1873 But not even
Len nor for nearly twenty years later, was it prose-
cuied to any considerable extent The general reign OF
peace after lsl4 dates its active commencement. The
seals are migratory animals and found the coasts
of Newfoundland only in the spring The females seek
the ceeds OF the great Polar Seas TO bring forth their
young and are accompanied thither by their mates.
Then being swept by the currents to milder regions.
myriads of them killed while stil upon the ice.
During their soioum in the more northern ATTITUDES,
they apparently live oOdlesS llte-but nevertheless,
they become quite fat. The vessels employed in the
seal fisheries generally of from fifty to two hundred
uns burden aud carry from forty TO fifty men each.
They leave the coast of Newfoundland early in the
spring and proceed seward until they encounter the
ice On falling in with it, they get into the midst oft
as far as possible by the aid OF implements arrangedfor
the express purpose The vessel soon becomes securely
fixed in miess fields Office without the aid of anchor
age and the dispose OF themselves in all directions
in search of their game The seals taken with
spears clubs and guns The younger ones general
II uc QUICKLY, ana are, therefore, easily
larger often give battle 20 their assaiants
pecialy when the parental instinct arouses their
sentiment Amid these deathstruggles the most pite-
sent out by the young.
The flesh being unit for human food, they are sought
for their hides and fat alone In stripping the hides the
fat usually comes off with them The donuded bodies
are lett upon the ice when the weather will permit
the stripping 10 be done there. At other times they
are carried bodily TO the vessel and skinned there un
der shelter.
Thu cool eeason IL ver, hrief In sting only from
tie first Of March till about the last of April Hence
the of operations busy one The most fortunate
vessels make two voyages each fishing After
the arrival of the vessels in port the process of sep
arang the fat from the skins and preparing oil from il,
gives On poy ment to great number Of persons. The
IA is cut into pieces and placed in watts, where the
warmth Of the sun does the work OF separating the
oil from the fiber OF the bubber The oeaginous
property having OOzed out the skins alted in
LAYERS in similar mode to that employed in packing
green cattle hides. When deemed sufficiently cured
they are put in the bundles in which they arrive in the
ports OF foreign countries
Within the entire circle of human enterprises there
ale perous than the operations of the seal
fisheries The hunters sometimes caughtin storms
Of hail and sleet which come on at night and expose
them to trials which make the st0utes heart quake
and quail. While the vessels are absent from ST.
Johns the intensest anxiety prevails among the fm
lies ard friends Of the adventurous Norris this
fearful anxiety of friends which feeds upon the slightest
rumOr Of disaster merely imaginary. The northeast
Ntrseio 10
them TO pieces, making terrific havoc of property
and life In ls43 the wrecks of sealing vessels
were very numerous. In lsi9 number moro were
lost together with valuable cargoes and portions 4
their hardy crews Last years history partcu-
lary marked by such calamities The memorable gaze
Of April 10th, 1852, was woully disastrous A
single arrival from 81 Johns, at Halifax put upon the
egaphc wires the tale OF the wreck OF at least fifty
vessels hundreds Of whose found watery grave,
while others left stranded upon Of the islands
in BOnaista Bay, andexposed to intense cold and nun
ger from hich OF them died. And yet these mis-
laps and losses seemed TO put check whatever upon
the business. 1t has gone on as though nothing had
aflording striking illustration Of the
daring energy and devotion employed in the service Of
rl..lnl ornn