Daily Honolulu press. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1886, 1885-11-17
A SEALsKfN SACQUE.
WHERE The MucH-pEsIREp GAR
NENT CONES FROM.
sAssghfss1ng sea1s In Fussf sousd--1hs
Aiaska Commercial Company
nasnss GALES Of Raw ses1skins-
skni Required I'm Tanning.


fssn Francisco f<stsr.I
Nearly all the ssalsxin used In the world
comes from Amsricsn waters and Amsric an
shores. fts production Il almost exclusively
m Amsrican industry, and more than 20
PER cent u the entire amount produced IL
ussd Ia America This coast Il the great
sourcs Of rupply. ami ths won,sn Of this city
are the larRsf buyers IN proportion 70 their
NUMBER With tho advent Of winter they
are again dounfnx their claaks. and . brief
skstch Of IL history OF . ssaiskin sacqus
wfl new b -spproprfsteL
About Jan 4 tho seals CONS 10 the north
vcstSrn coast Of this country, following
~ 6shsa, upon which fhsy feed They
ere vsry fond q salmon. young hslibut and
1eTYingA and are great connoisssurs In the
natter Of affecting Tho most tempting
plscasorial fodder, After goszing them
ss1yss thsy 20 70 sIssp ca top Of tho water,
and from TIE time Of tbsir arrival untn
about July thsy are hunted Ia certain we'll
known nsh-banks "a The American sids
frpm Caps Flattsry 70 orays hArbn, and
On ths Birth side from the month of the
strzi&a Of Fuza 10 Barclay sound The seal
catch IN that locality II open 10 an. but With
fhs exception Of . few English schooners
ssnt ouf from Victoria the largest Share of
fhs operations ~ carried on BY 6en Fran
cisco merchants and spsculatorx This years
catch vas unususlly lArgs, uambsring about
sD,oo1
In Puget sound The msthod Of hunting
tbsm & a. follow: The owner Of the
schooner gets together . few Indians from
the Btffish posssssionz who taks on beard
fffser or sixteen -duz-outs,' and GALL out 10
vAers the sssis are sleeping On the surfaee
Of tho water. Toe Indians lie down In tho
canoes and paddle up ~ psar ths seal a. they
dafe without waking the oovstsd prey.
Thy can then spear tho seal They are
great experts 10 throwing the spar. aud can
bit seal 81 thirty yards with unsrrinz &C.
quincy. IL Il nsce sary 70 use tho spar, for
u the sesls arc shot They sink 10 tho bottom
almost Immediately. The arrangement Il
that the vsssel shall own ons-third Of the
catch and buy the remaining two-thirds from
the Indiana Ono 6rm Of this city secured
1900 skins In this way during the sesson
that has Just passed. Boon after July all
The seais, a. II commanded By military
general 20 in an inmonss body to Behring
80 and congrezste, for the most part, IN the
bsys aud on the shores Of 81 Paul and 81.
Georges island, with ara controlled by the
Alaska Commercial company Of this city.
Tho contracts held by the Alaska company
with tho government OF the United 5tatei
and with Russia gave it tho sole right n
Hi seals around 81 Paul and St Georges
klands, and around Cooper island, Bsbring
kisnd and Robin island Tho natives tths
Aisuts~. who ara mixture Of Jnpaness, Chi.
pese. Russian and Italian blooi) alons srs
permitted 10 kill thu seals They drive tbs
seals up . short distance on the lani. into
what ara called arookeries,y and 70 among
them and kill them by striking them on the
head with club Tho seals head Il very
soft. and ons blow h sufficient Il Il law.
full only 70 kill the male seals.
Their heads arc slightly larger than
The heads Of the females. the
hair Il not quite % fine and the fur fus,
back Of the head Il darker In color. The
seals from TO 4 years Of ago have the bss,
skinA. and Il requires perfect familiarity
With all Of . seals characteristics, and
Hreat discrstion on tbs part OF tho hunter ID
make an advantageous selection. The ruis
Of killing only tho males has resulted In tbs
fact that mora SEALS como 10 tae Island,
above mentioned now than fifteen year.
ago.
Tho weath6 up there Il an warm during
ing the summer NJ IL Is In this city, and the
killing must be den, on cool day or else
tho skins VIII SPOIL and thu entire cam
paigu, which b begun In tis early part u
Ahgust, lasts only a TOW weeks After
tho killing In dops the seals mud
IL skinnoi quickly. There Is nc
Tins 70 b. lost The whole skin Il
used. Tho celebrity vita which the native
perform this operation Il remarkable Tho
skins are than thoroughly sailed and piled
up TO cure. II single spot 4. left unsaItsl
II win spoil the skin They arc left In pile.
about -four weeks When the salt has psr
meated ell tho leather the skins ars tied NJ
IA psifs. with the skin sides Ia. and sent e
Ban Francisco, WHARF thsy are packed ir
barrels and shipped 70 London, the center Of
The tsal kin trads. There. they arc opened
and sorted In 100 and $50 lots and put up o.
suction, for sale to tho fur trade Of Oh,
world Twics year, Ia November and Il
March. representative furrisrs Of all nation
are on hand st these immense sales OF tn,
raw skins The skins bought ons year ar
Tor The next years use, for Il takes SIX d
ssven months 70 prepare them for the rstai
trade
Although frequent attempts have be.l
made By other countries to finish up and dy
tho frr, and to-day small portion Of tn
business H. done In Paris and New York, th
London mon have tho advantage Of export
sucs, the secret Of concocting tho dye am
The incomparably skilled workman, an,
thsy do % PER cont Of the businssa The,
arc 20 trustworthy that their certificates o
tho quality OF any lot OF skins sont fort
from their concerip arm highly regarded tn
world over by tho trade.
To illustrate tho high degres OF skill r.
quired II 10 necessary to remember that th
tanner has 10 tan the skin with the fur o
and must not injure II. Tho skin In tho fir
place Il very tough and ns thick a. the hid
OF calf, and II must 10 shaved down 90 ia
thickness OF kid glove. II tho knife goe
too deep the skin IL worthless, and II 10 doe
not 10 deep enough the result is equally d.
sstrvus Tho outer coating OF long sti
hairs must 10 plusked out and only tho an'
soft under fur left remaining Tho dyer ca
cause skin ~ bs worth 81 or ESQ Hore
whore tho greatest caution IL taken an
whore the great secret lies OF the seai-ft
buSnssx Tho hair II full OF Of
that IL 10 say. II has life jni
like human hair. THIS Life must |
quenched and tho oil and grease removed b
brushing certain chemicals over II h III
depth OF one-eighth OF tho lepgth OF the hail
This must bs done before tho dye can 10 a,
Piled II tho grease Il not entirely remove
tho dying will not DO effective. and II HI
chemicals arc allowed 10 act too long III
hair viii DO singed and the skin rune,
AftSr the dyeing has bean completed III
gioss u gone and II has dead appearance
Il 4 another secret what chemicals they ~
ply 10 restore this gloss ard mako II PERM
nsnt forever afterward.
This tanncrlos and tho pIuoking and dyein