The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-04-26


:: lures more profitable than seal hunt
iAg. Bur, then, there are many blanks
to prize; and after tting TOR weeks
with the pillows, amid these ice-cns-
ereI seas, where over hundreds of
squire miles the seals are to be sought,
th.' poor tien often return to port,
their vessel 'clea,i' and their prospe is
dismal. The profits of the enterprise
are, however, OH the whole very large.
when we take into account that the
! Eumher of seals taken each spring
ranges from $50 600 to 500 0Je.
/; Tue seal hunt era, or, as they are
cllled in the vernscular, ssoilers,' like
best to tait in viii that species of seal
called the harp 1t is So named
from the old male aHiniat having in
addition to Il number of spots, "a broad
curved line of connected blot..hes pro-
ceeding from each shoulder and meet
I ing on the back above the t:iii, TORN
:. ing figure something like au-in
cient harp or Tyre, Tie lemale has
not this harp; neither has the male
till after his second year. The Young,
when born, are covered with thick
white fur and are called by the sill
ers whitrcnats.' When about six
weeks. old they shed this whitecnat
and Il smooth spotted skin appears.
They are thea young 'harps. a When
II months old, the males are still
!, scarcely dis. iaguishahle from the te-
males; and during that season they
are called 'bedlamers Tire next sea
son the male has assumed his harp. -
They are never seen ON the coa2t of
Newfoundland except during breeding
season. and come from tue Arctic soil
iay!es for the purpose %, bringing forth
their young The mothers leave their
young on ibe ice and f<h about in the
, neighboIhoo for their own subsiSt--
;enee. returning occasionally To give
suck. The Young ones -ares latest
/ when three weeks old. 1t is seid to he
ii pitiihle sight when the mother seal
letirns for the purpose f'Aacking
her young, and finds i,er wlnte,eonted
darling gone, Il mass oi fiesh ssshich
she fails To recognize IA her lost off
spring, being the only relict Her
signs of griet are then quite touching,
'hoorlel seal, the square firper' and
the hay seal The last is founl only
on The coast
Soon after sealing vessel reaches
port with her fat cargo, the SINNERS
go to work ard separate the fat and
skins. Tie latter are, then salte'l AMI
exported to England where boots,
el,nps harness rorfD,o ufa,Ds ora man
ufacturel from them. The fat, alter
being weighed. is thiown into huge
vats. where the oil isextfaesetl hy heat
and pressure, then drawn Of anil bar
relied for expectation. This is a te-
dious process; am,l OF ! te years, the
! great innovation, steam, has been called
Oh To quicken the extraction OF the
! oil By steam driven machinery the
fat is rapidly cut into minute pieces.
then steamed, stewed, pressed, and
the oil passed into stout casks. BY
/ this process the work OF two months is
! completed in Il fortnight. Not only so,
but the di>agreeahle smell of the oil
is removed, the quality improved, and
the quantity ircrrase,,. The refuse,
i, when mixed with earth and hog,
makes most fertilizing manure. The
average value OF 4 run or seal oil in
Newfoundland is 1852. 1t is used
largely in lighthouses tor machinery,
and in the manufacture of the finer
kinds of soap
VALUE OF TIE SEAL FISHERY.
A sailing vessel of the largest size
Cal ries usually from so to 70 men;
steamers from $50 to 1870. Should u
sailing vess bring in 5000 oi u 10
seals, it is considered most Success
fuI voyage. The three largest stram-
ers last ear brought in 75,U 0 seals.
The average value of the seal fishery
annually y might be prt down at ST.
$780, 900. OF. course this is the es,i-
mated value here ; in foreign markets
it is much greater. At a time when
: tie inhabitants of other northern
Snu atries are comparatively idle. b 'uDd
in icy fetter$, TINS source OF wealth is
opnn t. the stout fisherman of New |
toundland. It is at an end before the
first of May, 80 that It dies not inter
tere' with the cultivation of the soil or
the. prosecution -ol fsheries. Its inn
,porlance as a productive industry i;
thus greatly hancel. Whether the
seal fishery will ever become exhaust
e by the exterminatian Of the seal,
time alone will tell. 81 far there are
no signs of exhaustion, . thoash The
fishery has ben carried on. tor centur
les. Som, however, predict that he !
wors. results will follow -tI,e employ
ment OF steamers in this fishery, and
that, like the South Sea seals. ours
vii! one dav become things. OF the
past ri is much in favor of the past. ,,
This nue., in favor Of the continuance
of the fi>hery-that the great breeding |
ard feeling grounds OF his seal are i'll
those ice bound Ar.ic solitudes width
er the cup d.ty of man cannot follow
them Only small detachments OF