San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1883-10-04

IA nacked INTO barrels here, he Is
sen, sent on by railroad and steamship 70
London. where the Alaska CONNER
c;al Company controls the seaisVin
market Of the world. Over seven
firms in London are now engaged IN
the diving and dressing OF s Sc,
although there is fiction still passed
aronnd about the secret of dying be-
inc held by one family of London
furriers. Smiths, OppenheimeTs; ana
other great firms buy the seaisklns'
dress them, plush them, and give
them the deep velvety brown ana
black dive that constitutes them such
articles of luxury and fashion. A hrm
Of Paris furriers has been setting the
fashion of dyes for several years, ana
in accordance with their behests their
color has been made darker and dark
AZ. until it is now nearly black. The
old London furriers shake their heads
at this change, as the strong nut gan
and acids used to obtain this rich
dark tone are liable to eat and destroy
the leather. Cheap labor is the only
answer to the question why this
dressing and dying is done in Europe
instead of America. The long coarse
hairs that overlap the fine fur have
ali to be removed by hand, and is
best accomplished by that "pauper
laborer" at which emigrated dema-
gogues rail. If well dyed, a sealskin
viii never fade, spot with rain, nor
mat together with dust, and it is even
told that one London dyer put one OF
his sealskins in a tub and washed it
with soap as proof that they would
lose neither luster nor color by such
treatment. =,
After being dressed and dyed the
sealskins pay duty of 30 per cent
when they return to this country, and
the cost Of sealskin garments is not
to be wondered at when one counts
the items. The raw and unsightly
skins in their salt are worth from $50
to $50 each, according to quality.
There is to be added to this tax OF
So each to the Government; a charge
of Sc or SO for the dying and dress
ing; a duty of 20 cents when they are
returned to this country; and fair
charge for all the transportation the
skins undergo, and the insurance on
them for all of this time. This gives
a. dressed sealskin ready for furrier
to make up into garments, at an av-
erage value from $40 to $50. 1t
takes three skins to make a sacque of
medium size and the furriers always
charge well for the making and lining.
The sea otter with which the finest
sacques are trimmed, is natural fur,
that requires no dying, and needs on
" to be dressed and plucked OF It's
coarser hairs before it is ready for use.
The sea otter is the most expensive
fur of it's kind, and single skins are
shown costing from 500 to $500.
By the wise action of the Govern
ment in reserving the seal islands
and leasing them to a responsible
company, the seal fisheries have be-
come more and more valuable. The
seals are increasing in number yearly,
and more than the 100000 could be
killed each season without diminish
ing them to any extent. Alaska seal
: is now the only sealskin in the mark
ct, since the rookeries of the Antarctic
Sea have been so persistently hunted
that the seals have become extinct.
, All along the northwest coast from
Vancouver's Island to Onalaska,
where the authority and monopoly OF
the Alaska Commercial Company be-
: gins, general warfare is waged on
, the fur seal by Independent hunters
J and traders, but their catch seemingly
| has no effect upon the millions OF
seals that annually gather on the
Pribyloff shores, and the pelt grows
coarser and poorer the further south
of those islands it is obtained. The
, seals skin is in its best condition dur
! ing the summer months, when the
animals frequent the Pribyloff rock,
cries, and by wise protection the Gov
= eminent has an inexhaustible source
of wealth in these two small islands,
that have already paid into the Treas
, ury in rent and taxes nearly the whole
amount that was paid to Russia fol
: the immense Territory of Alaska.
sk Mans Grandest Treasure.
The grandest treasure it is possible
| r. -. - 10000, IN oo,fl, 20 q