Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-05-11
Shooting the " Walrus.

The Schooner San Diego, Captain Cath
cart, arrived at San Francisco, recently
after a five months cruise in pursuit of
walrus among the islands of Behring's Sea.
The ivory and oil of these huge hyperpor-
ears are utilized for various manufacturing
purposes, but the market heretofore has
been supplied by whalers, who, when
whales were scarce, eked out cargo with
the product of the walrus. To the usual
articles of ivory and oil the San Diego had
added the hides, of these immense animals.
Walrus abound in immense numbers
among the islands OF Behring's Sea. Like
the seal they Chamber up on the rocks and
beaches, and, budding closely. sleep for
days without movement. In this condition
they can be readily approached and by
skilled marksmen, shot at will. The crew
of the San Diego sho: seven hundred in
one shoal on the beach at Hall Island before
the myriads composing 1t took to the water
for safety. Many of them weighed over
5000 pounds. Owing to violent storm
but two hundred of this number were
secured. Near Cape Upright, and the
southt astern end of st. Matthew's Island
eighty-one were shot, another storm occur
ing during which both anchors were lost,
Obliged the return of the vessel before the
cruise was half completed. Heretofore the
method of capturing walrus has been with
the harpoon. The alarm which this method
created soon rendered 1t impracticable. The
plan adopted by the crew of the San Diego
was for each man armed with Winches-
ter or Sharpe rifle, to approach the sleeping
animals cautiously and shoot at the partic-
ular portion of the skull covering the brain.
Any failure to penetrate the brain does not
kill. The front of the head Is impervious
to bullet. and the neck is so well protec-
ted by the blubber that ball produces no
other effect than to alarm and excite the
animal, and thus cause the entire shoal to
take to lhe water. Every sho. must kill
instantly without producing any commo-
tion or the game disappears. The walrus
is very stupid unless disturbed, when it
fights with great power. Throwing its
immense head back so as to elevate the
tusks to a horizontal position, it springs
forward, and by the rapid move of the
head strikes with an unerring aim any
object within three or four feet. Woe to the
man or animal within the limit. He is
tranfixed in a moment. Fights among the
males are frequent and terrific, often ter
minating in the death of one or both. Few
females are found in the Behring's Sea
during the summer months, the theory
among hunters being that they pass this
season with their young In the Arctic and
appear below the straits late in the fall and
winter. Unlike the seal, they have habit
of sleeping in the water with the head par
TALLY exposed. The ivory of the walrus
sells readily for forty-fiv or fifty cents per
pound. Billiard balls, caneheads and all
ivory articles of similar size are made of 1t
here, but the larger part of it is sent to
China and used extensively in the manu-
facture of Chinese ornaments. The oil is
equal In quality to whale oil, commands
the same price, and is used for the same
purposes. The hides are from one and a
half to two inches in thickness. When
tanned they furnish superior article of
betting for heavy machinery, and are un-
surpassed for polishing silver plate. White
bears are numerous in Behring's Sea, and
the crew of the San Diego obtained the
skins of seven or eight that they had shot
on the islands. They also killed number
of large cinnamon bears in Alaska. On
one occasion, while engaged in the slaugh-
ter of walrus on Hall Island, hunter,
while in the act of reloading his gun, was
startled by a rustic on the beach, looked
around, and to his great dismay, beheld an
enormous white bear within twenty feet of
the spothe occupied. Dropping bis gun, he
started on a run, and was followed hotly by
the bear, who gained on him at every leap.
A comrade perceiving his danger, directed
his aim al the ferocious beast, and was
fortunate enough to kill him, but not until
be was in leaping distance of his intended
prey. The climate of Behring's Sea is cold
and foggy, and daylight during the month
OF July is of about eighteen hours dura-
zion. Very little ice is TO be seen there
in the summer; the islands are barren, and
the whole region unpromising for any
other than fishing and maritime purposes.
Owing to the shallowness of the water,
storms there, which are frequent, make a
very turbulent and dangerous navigation.