The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-10-12
FINDING SEAL ISLANDS.
ROMANCE OF THE SEARCH FOR
THEIR UNKNOWN LOCATION.

Discovered Only 100 Years Ago by Sail
orman Who Got His Tip from Native
Legend and PersisfentIy Followed 1t Up,
with Great Results.
II Is now barely 100 years since the
Seal Islands were discovered by man-at
least 10y civilized man, with knowledge
Of the longing Of civilized woman for
sealskin sacqucs. For 100 years Russian
kcels by the score had been cleaving the
waters Of Behring sea and the North Pa
cilic in the search for fur bearing ami
mails Kamichatka was discovered and
| populated. The Aicutian Islands were
oycrrun and punciuated with the trading
stations Of Russian companies. Alaska
was added TO Russian possessions and
government established there. Tie sea
| otter, ut first numerous, was almost
driven from is haunts. Twenty-Five or
| thirty different companies, with hun
dreds Of vessels employing thousands of
men, were engaged in the business that
the almost extinction Of the otter and in
creasing scarcity Of other fur bearing
animals threatened TO destroy.
Meantime every year, at certain sea
SONS, the Aleutian passes and channels
were seen TO swarm with fur seals, pass
ing north in the spring and south in the
fall. No seal was ever known to stop
for SO long as an hour on any part of the
known Alaskan land. The natives pro-
fessed absolute ignorance rs TO where
the seals went ashore TO breed. 1t was
some land in the north, they said, bat
since the times Of the earliest traditions
among them, no Alcut had run the prov
of his skin canoe upon the beach Of that
mysterious land, or set foot upon its soil.
In the south. too, said the natives, there
was somewhere another land where the
seals stayed during the winter So north
and south, rs the sea offers grow more
and moro scarce, sailed every year more
and more Russian vessels in search OF
the mysterious homo of the seal But
for many years tho vessels came back T.
port as empty as when they went away.
and 10 man saw the land where wealth
lay in droyes. waiting to be killed and
skinned.
PnlRYfoV'a SEARCH
One DAY old Gcrassim Prbyiov, a mate
serving at that timo under one Of the
Russian companies. heard from gray
haired Aiout at OOnalaska, q legend OF
thonativcs that concerned certain islands
said to exist in Bohring sea. Like the
superstitious sailornan that he was, old
Pribyl low took stock in the ancient native
legend, and next spiing, Ia the li.tlesloor
ST. George. hesaiod from Oonalaska into
the foggy northern sea. Seals swarmcd
about him as no went northwarl, but
gradually they disappeared. and all sum
mcr he sailed about over the cold waste
Of waters with never a seal in sight. lci
alone an Island Ia tho fall when hc
sailed back 10 OOnalaska, seals by the
hundred thousand frolicked under hi
vessels keel, keeping him company south
ward. There was grit in the old man
and next spring he went north with III,
seals again, los, sight OF thom Is before
sailed clear 10 tho northern straits, and
In the fall went back again with the
frolicking seals, to be laughed at oraym
patbized with by hundreds Of other. whc
acre just sailing away to search for the
seal land Of the south.
PribvlOv stuck to his idea with true Rus
sian stubbprnutss, however, and in tho
spring Of 1856, for the third consecutive
year, lac stakei his seasons work on ;he
old natives legend and sailed out Of
Uonalaska TO follow the seal TO their mys
FERROUS breeding ground. Foss bc.othim
for weeks at time, and he had made
slow progress, when ora day Ia july,
through the dense yapor, he heard o
vague roaring and rumbling sound, q
sound for which the ears Of every sailor
N those seas had been alert for many a
year. Guided by tho roarins. which be
| knew for that " seal roOkcry, he pres
entity saw dark rocky mass arising out
Of thcocean and found himself plump uI
AGAINST an island OF considerable size,
along tho shores Of which in every direc-
ton he saw a million seals lying alclose-
! Is together as .arjinrs ina box. lie filed
! h.s chip with skins and sailed back L.
Oonala,ka. and, leaving few men t.
guard the secret of hisi-lardrf which he
hadtakcn possession in tho name Of Rus.
sia. and which be had called ST. George.
after his vessel. he weat on TO the mean.
est Russian port to sell his cargo and tic
out anew
SUCCESS At LAST.
His secret was too great 10 keep. how
ever. and when, in l,s,, he again reach
ell Oonalaska, his men had all disap.
pearcd and dozen vessels lowered
about waiting to set their sails after his
when hc started north. With him TO sail
ahead it was easy TO find the island, the
location of which thus became common
property. That same summer some OF
Pribvlov'5 men discovered ST. Paul's ISL
and. seeing IT, peaks 10y chance on o
bright day. The islands were named by
Pribvlov after Mr.. Suloy, who was part
owner and chief officer of the St. George
but the authorities changed tins ana
gave Pribyloy hia mcrited fame by nam
inc the islands after him. They are pot
miles from anywhere, Oonalaska, the
mainland, and st. Matthew island being
about that distance from them on the
south. cast and north respectively. They
seem to be situated just where the warm
Pacific currents meet the currents from
the Arctic ocean. and theresult il con'in-
uous dense fos4 ia tho summer and an
endless storm Of driving snow and fine
ice all winter. 1t is almost impossible