Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-27
BEATS. GOLD MINING.
This Seasons Enormous Catch of Seals
Off the Greenland Coast.
A VALUABLE SIX WEEKS WORK.
Boats Throw Away Fuel and Food to Make
Room for Skins.
A TOTAL OF 100000 HIDES CAPTURED

ST. JOHNS, N. F., April 26.-Over $1,-
900, 900 earned inside of six weeks catching
and killing sealsI And these are not the
sealskin sacque seal, either, but the oil seal
and the seal whose skin, covered with its
rough, absolutely Iusterless and bristle-liks
hair, is used for covering trunks, making
boots and horse covers, and cheap but ever
lasting caps and coats. 1t is now certain
that the seal fishery of 1889 will be the
largest and most successful for many years
past. The weather, in the first place, has
been Of just the proper sort for the industry.
| The ice has all been well of-shore, so that
| sailing vessels and steamers got clear with
little trouble, and moved about the coast
freely. The ice did not, as is usual, pack,
because the prevailing winds during the
season were light and favorable. Thus
nearly all the fleet of seaIers bound north
struck seals few days after leaving port,
and most of them got full cargoes in aston
| ishingly short spaces of time. Only one
steamer, the Eagle, missed them entirely.
The catching of these harp Cor Green
land) seals is an industry upon which the
entire island of Newfoundland depends for
prosperity during the ensuing year. In
Yarriably when the seal fishery is failure,
or even only half successful, there is wide
spread distress during the succeeding sum-
mer; and alongshore especially, where hun
dreds Of people depend entirely upon seal
ing for subsistence, failure means starva-
tion almost. In the northern bays every
body turns out seal-killing-priests, minis
ters, women, children and merchants-and
one woman in White Bay is reported this
season to have killed and hauled ashore over
400 seals. She is 50 years old, aud has ae-
quired snug fortune, owing to her skill in
the business.
REMARKABLE LUCK.
The sea fishing is carried on by steamer
and sailing vessels, the former in the ma
jority, with crews of from 20 to 60 men each.
After clearing away the young ''harps,"
which are always nearest 10 shore and ex-
empt from capture, the fleet this season was
very fortunate in striking the hoods
which, later in whelping, are further out to
sea. The seals congregate in thousands on
great foes of field ice, and are so stupid and
slow that neither resistance to capture nor
effort TO escape is made when the fortunate
crew goes among them with clubs, hatehets,
ally slaughter until no more live seals are
to be found. Then the earcasses are loaded
on the steamer, and she goes in search of
other droves- The steamer Wolf was the
first to arrive here this season with q
full cargo. She left port on March 9
and struck the seals on the 11th midway be-
tween Quirpon and Groals Island. On the
18th her crew killed 1000 seals and got
5000 of them aboard, having to lay by the
ioo IN xubi Ill
night before she could get them all in. The
VOLTS luck was remarkable, as from the
18th to the 18th she took Is, 900 more seals
on board, and then bore up for home. She
could hold no more. She arrived here on
the 10th. The total weight of her seals was
451 tons gross, or 1923 cwt. net. Seals are
worth 50 30 each. The value of the VOLTS
cargo is $4,000. Not bad IL days work.
Since the VOLTS arrival, the Ranger has
come In with the finest cargo of the season.
| TAe Ranger presented a remarkable sight as
she came into port, loaded down, as she was,
until her decks were awash with the sea-
Her space had been divided by planks, and
the seals were piled up so that there was
hardly room for the man at the wheel Bal
last was thrown out and coal worth S5 80
per ton thrown overheard to make room for
seals worth $50 per ton. Every bunk was
filed with the precious fat, and the men
which were also full of fat
MAKING MONEY RAPIDLY.
Even the provisions were brought from
the hold and hoisted aloft, where casks Of
pork and barrels of -four and bags of pota-
toes swung in the breeze, giving the steamer
an appearance that can easier be imagined
than described. The Ranger had on board
38, 900 seals, and all of them fine and in
good condition, valued at over S1O0 0O0
She was out 10 DAYS.
The Walrus arrived next with 1900
seals, her full capacity; then came the Nep-
tune, her men virtually hanging on by
their finger nails to cargo of 10000 seals;
the Hector had $1,000; the Esquimaux
$4,000, the Terro Nova 81, 900, the Falcon
q, 900, the Vanguard 19, 900, the Kite 29. 900
and the Panther 5000. The latter vessel
lost 6, 900 from her decks in heavy gale,
the seals having to be thrown overheard to
prevent her laundering. These ves-
sells, except the Panther, are all
from the north. In the gulf there
are at least a dozen vessels, nearly
all OF which have been heard from, report
ing excellent catches 1t is Thought the
catch this year by vessels will exceed 45O,-
900, and to this is yet to be ad ded the shore
catch, which will probably amount in New
foundland to between $4,000 and 10000.
When it is understood that this is all done
inside of six weeks, it is remarkable show
ing, and business prospects are wonderfully
frightened by the Unexpectedly large seal
catch. 1t viii also have the effect of inereas-
ing the fleet of vessels engaged in the Banks
fishery 1t is estimated that this season the
feet will numbero over 900 vessels, more than
200 increase over last year. 1t is not so long
ago that the Newfoundland fleet of Bankers
was very small-not more than %. Last
year there were 400; and one place In Pla-
centia Bay which last year sent 10 bankers
will this year send 40, and the prospects are
correspondingly increased all over the
island.