The Osceola times., 1883-05-26
SLAUGHTERIRG SEALS.
Remarkably Successful Voy-
age ofSteamer Proteus.
Profitable Work on the Ice Nearly
Fifteen Thousand Seals Secured in
Twenty Days.

ehc columns of society sporting papers
If he be in earnest, abandon his Ram
bles through Maine" and his "Meandcr
ings in Florida and put himself in com
munication with q Newfoundland seal
ing skipper, with view to rambling
after seals. He will have n polar expe
sltion compressed into four weeks, and
the adventure will have just that spice
of danger about it that makes it deal tc
the sportsman's heart.
Capt. Richard Pike is master Of Messrs
J. * w. Stewards steamer Protcus
Capt. "Dict" is big, jolly, sandy-whIs.
kcrcd Ncwfoundlander of about five feet
ten inches in height, but not looking up
to his height by reason of his bulk
He probably weighs 250 pounds, and
he is "solid man" He commands one
of the finest ships in the sealing fleet
The Proteus was built at Dundee, Scot
land. Her net tonnage is 467, British
measurement. She carries compound
engines Of 10 nominal horsepower. 1t
is the particular business Of this vessel to
make her way through the heavy Arctic
ice, and Capt. 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 ton
mage does not exceed i67 tons, hence
you will be surprised to learn that her
sealing crew numbers 20j men. The
crew Of sealing steamer would GLADDEN.
the heart of recruiting sergccnt.
Bronze e ed, iron muscled, broad chest
ed sons of Hercules, every one of them.
Ranging n height from five feet ten
inches {, six feet two inches, and in
years from twenty-five to thirty-fve,
they are carable of enduring any amount
of hardship.
THE START FOR THE ICE FIELDS.
The law of Newfoundland does not
permit sealing steamers to leave port for
the prosecution of the voyage until 6
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 suf-
ticiently developed to be of some econo-
mic 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 gold
en- eggs with vengeance las Sir Boyle
Roche would say and the legislature
steEred in and stayed the departure of
the steamers as the most cfIectual meth
cd of curing the evil. Or the morning
of the l0th of March, from an early hour
the hills were re-echoing the discordant
notes of steam whistles. Our men, were
all on board, however, and at one min
ute TO six o'clock | heard the warning
bell in the engineers department and
noticed that the telegraph marked
stand by" AT six exactly the propel-
Ter began to revolve and our ship felt
her way out slowly from among the sur
rounding shipping, and in twenty min
utcs we were outside the harbor and
fairly on our way. The only ice in sight
was long band or ribbon of light, slob-
by ice, extending in from the point to
Cape Spear. There was very little
wind, and hardly any sea running
Capt. Pike shaped a course more TO the
eastward than any other vessel of the
fleet. The main body of the ice was en-
countcred off Cape Bonavista, one hun
drcd miles from st. Johns, ard our YES
sells nose was at once run into it. For
three or four days we worked cast-north-
east through "bay ice" las distinguished
from the heavy Arctic ice, none Of
which we had yet SEEM At the end of
that time an occasional hood seal and
family were seen. Oar course was alter
ed slightly, and for three days we made
good way through the light ice.
sLAUGHTERING SEALS.
On the 18th of March the bow Of the
vessel struck against large sheet of ice
upon Which no impression could be
made, and the captain ordered all hands
out 10 look for seals The men poured
out over each bow, commanded by sew
eral masters-of-watch, who divided them
into gangs. In an hour or so they could
hardly be seen from the deck, but the
man in the "crow's nest' reported that
some of them were taking seals. This
was coed news, and we waited imra-
tlently the return Of the men, SO as TO
hear their reports. When they return
ed they reported that they had seen no
"harp" seals (the most valuable seal,
but that they had killed, scalpcd End
brought on board go old and young
"hoods." Capt. Pike judged from these
reports where the main patch" of hoods
Law, headed the steamer north-nor'h-
west and forged ahead until the 23d,
when the northern or Arctic ice was er-
countered. But the captain was right
the seals were also met and the work
of slaughter commenced. Before nizht
there were l0Sl old and $50 young seals
on board. The next day over two thou
sand were put on board the following
day 5000. The best days work was on
the 25th, when 1000 seals were killed.
scalped (carcasses removed) and put on
board by 29o men-an average of over
fourteen seals per man.
THE SEA SERPENT AcArN