, 1885-05-29
ALASKA FUR TRADE.
LEASE OF TIE SEAL ISLANDS BY tbs
COMMERCIAL COMPANY.
How the Price rf The seaiskr" saeq"s Ia
Affected. and How the Proml>ou-
~u. Slaughter of Seals Is
Prevented

"NEtM - a AfHAN -
-There is no question tina the Alaska
Commercial company. by its lease Of the
seal islands Of that country. enjoys one OF
the most valuable franchises that could
possibly be secured. said an extensive
importer OF scalsSins in this city. -nnd il
is 10 be regretted that the government
granted the privilege ii did for so insight
fcnnt Il return. At Inc same time. no
matter what may be aid on that score.
the monopoly thus vouchsafed has been q
wise thing. iuasmuch as il prescnis the
general warfare on the seals OF thee
islauds which has caused the virtual ex-
~Iineiion Of the fur seal from every other
fishery in the world. Jnder the PFo.ls-
ions Of the company's lease OF the Alaska
islands only q limited number of seals
may be killed annually-l0O, 600 | believe
and the natural increase Of the animals
is many times that. Tor these skins the
government receives but 50 each. while
they will net the company about
S. 900. 900.
-Tbe Pribylof group of islands, over
which the Alaska company has supreme
control, are 500 miles from Sitka, and are
simply small rocky ~protrusions from the
sea. The only life one sees there is in the
seal. killing season. which begins early in
June and continues all summer. the skin
being in its best condition during these
lnllklds nt ntllh luhCn vi III atF0ANt'
shores of these district islands furnish the
finest quality Of seal fur now TO be OBJ
tanned. The Antarctic islands of Georgia
and Desolation formerly contained a still
finer clad seal, its value being twice that
of the Alaska seal. but as they were free
hunting grounds the animals long since
became so scare that II did not pay to send
vessels TO their haunt after them The
last time that a seal-hunting party was
- a.. alAr -Aw. 10 .rntara lAu1 Than Inn
were taken, while the time is still within
the memory Of seal hunters who are not
yet old when a catch OF Z. 900, 900 a year
on these Islands was not an uncommon
thing.
Ii is not a pleasant sight. the slaugh-
tering of seals, nor is there any thing in ii
requiring heroism or the exercise OF skill.
or that will awaken the lively emotions Of
a sportsman. The sealing vessels begin to
gather at the islands early in June. and it
Is a fact that in the heavy logs of that lat
itude in summer the sailors depend on
the hoarse cries of the seals that are gath
cred on the rocky shores to guide Them to
the bunting grounds From the time
the seals begin to congregate at the breed
ing places until August there is constant
aud often deadly warfare waged against
the pugnacious heads OF sleek skinned
harems, and the b~ellowings Of these jeal'
Gus Sc3us may De nthIu laI out 10 stu
above the roar of the surf. Not less than
5000, 900 seals congregate on these $50
lated rocks. aud the chorus of voices ii is
possible for them TO raise may be i'm
agined To see the seals literally packed
on these islands is a sight never TO be for
gotten. The whole surface of the rocks
seems to be a ~wriggling. wriihing. con
torting mass.
"A 8.year-old seal has the choicest fur,
Nothing younger than a 2-year-old nor
older than a 4year-old is killed. The
hunters gtart out before dawn, while the
seals are asleep along the shores. TAX
ing positions between them and the sea
they cut off their escape. Then the sur
prised animals are driven inland. as
drovers might drive ilocks of sheep.
They are permitted 10 take their own
time. and when they reach the killing
round the hunters go around and knock
each one, or the ones that are market
able, on the head with a heavy club.
The skins are removed from the carcases
at once and taken to the sailing houses,
where they are covered with salt and
piled up They remain in cure for three
or four weeks, when they are counted by
the government agent and taken to San
Francisco, where the United States col.
lector recounts them and collects the tax.
At San francisco they are packed in
tight bands and sent direct to London fol-
the dressing which no one in this conn
Try has yet learned TO give them.