The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1883-06-05
Strengthening Seals.

Captain Richard Pike is master of
| Messrs. j. & w. Stewart's steamer Pro-
teus. Captain ''Dick" is a big, jolly,
sandy-whiskered Observation-Disclosures, of
| about five feet ten inches in height, but
| not looking up to his height by reason
of his "bulk." lie probably weighs
| 260 pounds, and he is 'solid man.. "
He commands one of the finest ships of
the sealing fleet. The Proteus was
built at Dundee, Scotland. Her net
tonnage is 4G7, British measurement.
She carries compound engines of 10
nominal horse power. 1t is the particu-
lar business Of this vessel to make her
way through the heavy Arctic ice, and
Captain "Dick" is going to make her
| attend to her business or know the
reason why. This ship was hired by the
American government some two years
| ago to do some special work. 1t will
be noted that the ships net tonnage
! does not exceed 467 tons, hence you
will be surprised to learn that her seal
ing crew numbers 295 men. The crew
of sealing steamer would gladden. the
heart of recruiting sergeant. Bronze
! faced, iron muscled, broad chested sons
| OF Hercules, every one of them. Rang
ing in height from five feet ten inches
to six feet two inches and in years from
twenty-five to thirty five, they are capa-
ble Of enduring any amount Of hard
ships.
The law of Newfoundland does not
permit sealing steamers to leave port
for the prosecution Of the voyage until
six o'clock on the morning of the 10th
OF March. This wise provision Of the
law was passed in order that immature
seals might be protected until they
were sufficiently developed to be Of some
| economic value. Formerly the mother
seals were killed and the young cut out
| (often alive) and thrown aside to die.
This was killing the goose that laid the
golden egg with vengeance-as Sir
Boyle Roche would say, y,-and the Legis-
lature stepped in and stayed the depart
ure of the steamers as the most etfectual
method of curing tie evil. On the morn
| ing Of the 10th of March from an early
hour the hills were re-cch0ing The dis
cordant notes Of steam whistles. Our
men were all on board, however, and at
one minute to six O'Clock l heard the
warning bell in the engineers depart
| ment and noticed that the telegraph
marked "Stand BY" At six exactly
the propeller began 10 teVOlVe anu our
ship felt her way out slowly from among
the surrounding shipping, and in twenty
minutes we were outside tho harbor and
fairly on our way. The only ice in sight
was a long band or ribbon of light,
slohby ice, extending from seaward in
to the point of Cape Spear. There was
very little wind, and hardly any sea run
ming. Captain Pike shaped a course
more to the eastward than any other
vessel of the fleet. The main body of
the ice was encountered Off Cape Bona
vista, 100 miles from st. Johns, and
our vessels nose was at once run into
) it. For three or four days we worked
east-northeast through ebay ice" (as
! distinguished from tho heavy Arctic
ice, none of which we had yet SEEM. AT
the end of that time an occasional hood
seal ana family were seen. Our course
was altered slightly, and for three
days we made good way through the
! lighI ice.
On the 17th of March the Of the YES
sci struck against a large sheet of ice
upon which no impression could DO