The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1889-07-17
Interesting Points About the Extensive
Country Near the North
Pole.
What Last Years seal Catch Was-Hoss
the Natives Live and
Enjoy Life.

urgently requested To do so by the admin
Il istratiOn.
Mr.. Tingle yesterday by an INDEPENDENT
Il reporter about this far OF region. He was
4 the general manager OF all the affairs of
ST. Paul and St George islands. There
4 are no courts, but any controversy or diS
i pute or any trouble whatever was LETT 20
nim To decide, and his ruling ended the
i matter.
| These Islands are in the Aleutian group
i Of Behring sea and are ]. 400 miles west Of
StkA. They were discovered by Captain
/ Pry blOff, a Russian officer, In l1Sl. They
are known as the PrybIlOn group, and
were uniDhahited then, but the captain
i visited the seal rOokeries and realizing
| their value he later went 70 Ounalaska, one
i OF the AleutiAn chain, where he got a num-
4 Der Ot natives and their families and con
veyed them to ST George island. The fol-
| lowing year he planted some more Of the
1 tribe on ST. Paul island and the Russian
1 government derived the revenues of the
seal fisheries until the American govern
ment purchased it from them. The Islands
| are each SKIP miles in area and have forty
i three miles or sea margain- The pOpula-
i ton is 90 people on st. Paul and liz
on ST George The seal eaten
i for the laat year was l000 900,
| and Il, 600 for ST. George. The seals are
| killed and the whole process is done by
| natives for which they receive 40 cents per
skin, netting them SAC. 900 annually. The
n
| Commercial company, which pays TO the
| United States government SSl1,50O annu-
| ally for 100, 900 skins In addition 10 this
| the company is Obliged TO give the children
| OF the island eight months schooling each
year until they are Is years old, medical
attendance and medicine also gratis, and
while they are not Obliged 10 furnish
houses free, they do this. and also furnish
forty tons of coal per year to St PauIs
| island and twenty tons TO ST. George.
The natiyss get all the seal meat ana are
given all the salt they want and cOnse-
queDuy have very little OF anything TO
| purchase. They do all their work in sew
enty days of the year and earn an average
of $500 TO the family. They have surplus
of $50, 900 bearing per cent interest, and
ate altogether a happy, cOntented, dOcile
class of people who would not change
their lot for free house in Helena.
They are small in stature and are known
as Aleuites, and resemble Japanese more
than they do the North American Indian.
They are strongly averse to learning the
English language, and their general con-
verSatlOn rs carried on in the Russian Ian
gusge, although they have the Aleutian
language also. At school the children are
taught reading, writing, spelling, arith-
metic and geography in English. Mr.
Tingle says he always made them speak
English 10 him wBen they could, although
he has acquired a thorough knowledge Of
| the native tongue during bis four years
residence among them. The mortality
among them is quite large. They are de
| in the year have nothing to do but attend
/ church and amuse themselves as best they
can. MIR. Iingle said he noticed the ma
tives had decided aptitude for music, and
IN every house could be found an accor-
| deon. He and the schOOlmaster sent for
brass and string musical instruments, and
succeeded in organizing two very credita-
BILE bands of music. They have little or no
outdoor Rmusements. There is no agFi-
culture and not a stick Of timber on the
islands, though wild ducks abound.
The weather Is warm, made so by the
Japan current which strikes at that point
| In winter the thermometer never goes be-
low zero, while the average summer TEN
persture is from forty I'VE 10 fifty eight de
grees above. There are no regular Ameri-
! can residents. Mr. Tingle had three
| assistants. and during the winter six or
eight Americans reside there. The Arctic
| ice comes around about the first of April
and remains until the first of May. Il being
driven down by northeast winds. In sum
mer time no artificial light is used, as day
| light continues as late as ii o'clock at night
and begins again at O'Clock in the morn
ing. In winter, daylight ends At O'Clock
IN the afternoon and begins again about
o'clock in the morning. During the winter
the natives remain in their frame houses,
| furnished by the fur company. Previous
10 this they lived under ground. Mr..
fingle says there Is less crime there than
| in any pace in the country.
The revenue of the seal islands has been
81, l5O,OOO since the government purchased
them, and therefore they have more than
paid tor themselves. When the islands
were purchased the country was ruled by
Russia, incluiing Behring Sea. ana the
United States made il q crime to kill sails.
In violation of this Russia sent out several
sehooners to kill seals The duty Of the
treasury agent is the protection Of Amer
lean rights and Mr.. Tingle enforced
the law as best he could with one cutter
he saw this was inadequate for the needs
of the situation and as soon as he got there
f1d ha fsFo n he
government and was furnished with
another cutter. In 1886 be seized seven
EngllsL vessels, among which were the
onward. Thornton and Carolina They
are now lying On the beach al Onnalsska.
rotting away. Last April the Canadian
parliament had this seizure under discus
sion and valued the vessels st
S153,0O0, which amount the United
states was asked TO disgorge. With
several competent assistants, Mr.. Tingle
appraised the three vessels and valued
them at Sll 600. which IL was agreed was a
large figure. Mr.. Tingle said Il is an old
scheme TO send valueless vessels into the
seas to catch seals. II the crew succeeds
in making a catch and escape II is all right
with them. but they are not particular, and
in such cases leave themselves liable 10
capture and then place a fabulous price on
their vessels But they will not succeed in
this, he says. as they are nothing more OF
less than pirates, and therefore viOlatOrs of
the law. To strengthen the law on this
point a section was passed At tie last ses-
SION OF congress and approved March 2
1889. The added section was % make the
law apply 10 the seal fisheries whereas it
formerly applied only 10 salmon fishery.
The section reads
sec 3. That section nineteen hundred
and ntty-eix OF the Revised Statutes of the
United States IL hereby declared 70 include
and apply 10 all the dominion of the United
states in the waters of Bshring sea; and il
shall be the duty of the president al a
timely season IN each year. to Issue his
proclamation and cause the same % be
published for one month in at least one
newspaper II any such there be published
| At each nlted States port Of entry or the
Pacinc coast, warning all persons against
entering said waters for the purpose of
violating the provisions Of said section:
and he shall Also cause one OF more yes
| sells of the United States 70 diligently
cruise said waters and arrest all persons.
| and seize all vessels found to be, or 20 have
been, engaged In any violation OF the laws
| OF the United States therein"
| In 1881 Mr.. TIngle seized sixteen vessels,
/ and yet the republicans said that the dem
Ocratic administration was lax In lis en-
| fOrcement of American rights in the Beh-
/ ring sea- But Mr.. Tingle said that at all
| times II had been very decided, yet dlgnI-
/ fed in upholding the rights Of this coun-
try, the republicans 20 the contrary not
/ withstanding-
There are between 100000 and Z. .OOO OOO
| breeding seals on the Islands and only the
males are killed The seals are gradually
being reduced in numbers BY the msrauders
on the seas
Mr.. TingIe is very glad 20 be home once
more and will soon return 70 Glendive and
resume his business.
1
Killed Him INSTANTLY.