, 1889-05-02
THE FUR SEALS OF CAPE HORN.

An interesting statement made by
Richard Dupuis before Judge Swan,
.. S. Commissioner, relative to the
fur seal fishing Of Cape Horn, Terra
del Fuego, South America:
My name is Richard Dupuis, l am
25 years old; am native of Lille,
France, and was brought up in Ant
werp, Belgium; 1 am a seaman; /
came to this port on the schooner
Henry Dennis OF Salem, Mass, and
arrived here on Saturday the 9th
inst. joined the schooner at Good
Success bay, Fire Island, Terra del
Fuego, on or about Feb. 9th. 1889,
for a passage to Port Townsend.
W. T. lived in the vicinity of Cape
Horn for about two years. I was
engaged in fur sealing and coasting.
1 knew man named Jose Noguiera
who lives at Sandy Point, strait of
Magellan, Sc coast of Patagonia. He
has lived there about fifteen years. 1
worked for him two seasons sealing
Noguiera IS an ignorant man; he can
neither read or write. He ran away
from vessel at Sandy Point and got
position on a small schooner as a
boat steerer and made one trip on
her for fur seals and was so sue
cessful that on her return he bought
an interest in the vessel He bought
one third and paid about 5000. He
earned this money for his share of
the sealing in about three months.
Tho name Of the schooner was Ami
ta. She IS about 90 tons. The next
season he got nine thousand fur seal
skins and with the profits he bought
the whole Of the schooner and start
ed a small trading post at Sandy
Point. The next season he remain
ed on shore and sent the Annita seal
Ing in charge of another captain; she
was absent about four months and on
her return the sale of the skins en-
abled koguiera to purchase another
vessel named the San Pedro, a
schooner of about 35 tons burthen.
These two vessels were so successful
that he purchased the schooner
Ripping Wave, 40 tons, the Golden
West, AZ tons. which was lost in
Slogget Bay. Fire Island, the schoon
er Express, IS tons, in which l made
my cruises, then the Martha Gale, O
three masted schooner of I30 tons
which he uses as a coaster; she does
not go sealing now. Noguiera is a
partner with Blanchard Of Valparai-
so and has fine store at Sandy
Point with large stock of trading
goods and is tho leading merchant Of
Patagonia and is very rich man,
and all his money has been made
withia Is years by the fur seal busir
ness and trading with Indians for
other skins and furs Sea otter skins
can be procured from the Indians.
with trade goods.
These skins are all shipped to
Liverpool on the Royal Mail Pacific
Steam Navigation Company steam
ers from Valparaiso which touch at
Sandy Point both going and coming
between Valparaiso, Buenos AyreR,
Rio Janeiro, st. Vincents where they
coal, Lisbon, Bordeaux and Liver
poo!.
The Rookeries are situated at Lee
Angelitos, IShag Rock. Three Broth
ers, Desolate bay, on the west side of
strait of Magellan and Terra del
Fuego, and Diego Ramirez GO miles
south of Cape Horn, all belonging to
Chill; also at Wollaston Island and
and Now Years island, on east side
Terra del Fuego belonging to the
Argentine Republic. The season
lasts from the beginning of October
to the first OF February the seals are
very plenty. The breeding season
is about December when they are all
in their rookeries. The Annita, Ex-
press and San Pedro have each aY-
eraged about $500 skins during the
seasons for the past two years. There
are about 15 schooners engaged in
fur sealing belonging to the United
States, New FoundlanH and other
places, and from my own knowledge
and observations ] have no doubt
that the report that fifty thousand
fur seal skins from Cape Horn were
sold in London at the trade sale in
February, 1883, is correct. do not
think it at all exaggerated. The
Yankees and 9th srs play mean
tricks to prevent us from sealing.
The schooner Sarah of New London
and Argentine schooner Julietta
landed on Diego Ramirez and Shag
Rouks, and put lot of coal oil all
over the rocks and set it on fire.
This drove of all the seals for two
years but they are back again. I
don't believe the fur seals ever can
be e1terminated at Cape Horn al
though the killing is indiscriminate
and no pains are taken by either the
Chilian or Argentine Republic to
preserve these rookeries yet the fur
seals are in myriads and during the
breeding season the sea seems to be
filled with them. II. DUPoIs.
Sworn to and subscribed to be-
fore me this 29th day of April 1889,
JAMES q. SWAN,
u. S. Commissioner,
And yet the Alaska Commercial
Co. say that fur seals have all been
exterminated off Cape Horn. We
have some more facts to present to
the readers of the ARGUS on this bus
mess shortly.