New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-10-18
A CHAPTER ON FISHING.

81 A CHAPTER ON FISHING.
BUSINESS IN ST. JoHNs-FIsHINd AND SEAL FISHING.
lFRos TUE SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TklBuSh-l
u. IS. STEAMER JUNIATA. ST, JOINS, NJ sept ID
Since our arrival here, Sept. TO- wo have Doen
busy making preparations for sea again, and the
people here move at such slow pace that we are
greatly delayed. No matter how much Of hurry
we may DO in. We must abide their time, since no
power upon earth can obige them to move faster
than they do For instance the man who owns the
coal lives in the suburbs and cannot be induced to
to his place Of business before 10 m. and the
person who owns tho bags for bagging the coal Is
fully rs Independent. The merchants Of this place
the only people who mako any money beyond
what is spent for daily sustenancc. and they 10
not circulate their aocumulations they benefit the
colony but very little. Commencing in early life
with small capital, and retiring at middle age
with gOodly fortune, they return to the old coun-
try, appointing an agent to take charge of their
business and then live easy life to the close OF
their days. IL true that the country does not pro-
duco mucn but with little expenditure of the aG-
cumulated capital the colony could pSoduce few
things beside the results Of its fisheries aud copper
and coal mines.
The agricultural products are few; nothing but
few turnps potatoes oats and grass are the result
OF seasons labor by the farmers VI
these is raised to supply the homo market. Nege-
tables and fresh meat brought here from Nova
Scotia and salt meats come from the United States
Most of tho income of the colony comes from the
fsheries and if these should fail the people would
be poor indeed. OF course at present there are no
indications of tho failure of the fisheries, for TINS
year the yield has been greater than was ever
known before. There are now about l2O vessels en-
poyed in the fishery. including 10 steamers of the
Tigress build. The sealing season commences about
tho LIST of March and ends about the last of May
during which time several Of the sealers
make two voyages, and upon rare Occa-
siOns three. Tho owners of all sealing YES
sells furnish all tho boats, sealing gear,
powder. shot and provisions, in consideration of
which they entitled TO 0nehaf the seals. and the
crew hunters entitled 10 the other bali. The
masters of tho vessels receive percentage of the
owners share their salary. Four different kinds
Of seals arc caught by these hunters viz the
square flipper, the hood. the harp, and the native
seal. The first is the largest and the latter the
smallest. 1 was told by an old hunter that the
young native seal as pleasant to the tasto as any
description Of salt water bird lof course took has
word for it,. The hood seal ia the most difficult to
kill, ~ no initiates his hood from which no derives
his name and it is so thick and mpeDotrable that
a club orbullet will not penetrate it, but II no is
struck in the throat he invariably though reluctant
ly submits These are most eagerly sought after,
as all seals have their young early in March,
and the hood" seal is so fond Of its young that
whole famile. are found on the and easily killed
Other seals arc more apt leave their young andtae
TO the water before the hunter gets within shooting
distance. They will scent hunter AZ great dis
lance especially the hunter is to the windward of
then and mn sooner does the scent become DerceptI-
BILE to the seal than he dashes of to the water. The
food of the seal whteG5h aud Goldfish consequently
the greater the increase of seals the greater the de-
crease of goldfish on the coast. For CHS it
behooves the fishermen to keep up sharp war upon
the seals in tho vicinity of Newfoundland. in order
that codiishermen may do better. The hunters clam
that the number of seals is increasing the coast
of Newfoundland. and the seal-fshing has become
one of vital Importance; but this alone would not
support the colony.
By the eageruess Of the hunter he generally loses
in the hunt nearly 10 per cent of those no kills. as
he frequently kills and piles upon the ice ut great
distance from the vessel lot of seals. In this case
while Transporting the skins to the vessel they fire.
gently become frOst-bitten, which makes them
worthless or they are eapsized from the ice in
gale After the seal is caught the skinner removes
the fat An expert will remove the fat from 500
seals IN 10 hours being careful not to iujure the
skin as every hole that he cuts in 1t deducts 10
cents from his pay. About 5000 pounds of seal fat
will produce 80 gallons of oil The herring fisheries
are also the source of considerable revenue 10 the
country; the fish taken in seines. If all Of these
fisheries of the country carried on with proper
care and attention. they would be the means Of
giving lucrative employment to many OF the people,
and enable them To provide themselves with the
necessaries of life, of which many of them are now
destitute.