The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-11-01

the employ of the Alaska Commercial Company,
and the real state OF the case, enough to call
for modification OF the present stringent seal
ing laws.
Ii is persistently asserted by the lessees OF the
Pribilof islands that the seals are disappearing
and that they are being exterminated by the
sealing schooners, whom careless writers term
poachers. POaching cannot be done where
there is no preserve. and the only preserve is on
those islands leased by the United States govern
ment to the sealing companies The open sea is
not and cannot be in any sense q preserve
Hence TO call sealing sohooners poachers Is an
evident error which should be corrected. These
vessels are not poaehers on the Pacific ocean
any more than they were poachers on the At
lantic ocean before they came around Cape
Horn.
The full sealing feet list to the Goth OF June.
1891, amounted to seventy nine vessels, forty
seven of which are under the British flag
Thirty are under the United States flag. All are
of North American build. The British vessels
mostly came from Nova Scotia; q few were built
in British Columbis, and the rest were pur-
chased from citizens of the United States The
American vessels were mostly from Massachu-
sets, some from San Francisco, and a few were
built on Puget sound. Other vessels have been
added to the feet, but their names and tonnage
l have not been able to ascertain, 1t In
charged by the lessees of the islands
that these seventy nine vessels have de-
stroyed so many seals and have driven so
many of the islands that they are IN danger of
beng extcrminated, and the wailing of these
unfortunate capitalists has induced the govern
ments OF the United states and Great Britain to
send their armed cruisers TO Boring sea to put
stop to the killing of seals by private enterprise
so that the lessees of the islands may be pro-
tected and the poor seals kept from being utterly
exterminated. These specious assertions, urged
u a. ufrv hay Ind al IT,.
people, and especially those at Washington City,
into belief that our Woodworking fishermen
and hunters upon the high seas are working a
great wrong 10 the monopolists and tho nation
at large aud must be suppressed by force.
Now let us see who Is really working an
injury TO the monopolizing capitalists, and the
real causes why the Intelligent fur seal is leay-
ing the leased rookeries on the Pribilof islands.
A writer in the London Weekly Times. of Septem-
Der l., 1891, who was in Boring sea as q reporter
on the steamer Danube during the past summer,
SAYS OF the decrease OF the seals on the Pribilof
group:
The cause OF this Il, no oubt, the indiscrirn-
mate slaughter OF these animals on the islands
by the Alaska Commercial Company and the
present compauy's servants, which has driven
the seals to other parts of the sea for breeding,
and already, the present season, considerable
numbers have made their appearance on St.
Matthew S island, where formerly they did not
resort the two islands. ST. Paul and st. George
being the great rookeries.
The seals begin 10 make their appearance in
the region about Cape artery in the latter part
of December or the first OF January, VARYING
with different seasons. When easterly winds
prevail with much snow they keep well off
shore, and do not make their appearance in
great numbers before the middle OF February or
the first Of March. Last winter was very mild.
with but little snow, but the prevailing winds,
which were south ana southwest, were exceed
-
doing much hunting. The mildness OF tenn
perature, however, with the direction of the
prevailing winds, drove the seals toward
tie coast in incredible numbers. They
gradually work up the coast toward
Queen Charlotte island, when the larger portion
of the herds move along the Alaskan coast
towards Unimak pass and other western OPEN
ings into Boring sea. portion of these seals,
however, pass into Dixon's entrance, north of
Queen Charlotte islam 4, and into Cross sound
and Cook inlet, and do not go TO Bering sea
but have their young on the innumerabIe is-
lands, forks and bays in Southern Alaska and
British Columbia. These seals are seen in these
waters al. summer, at the same time of the
breeding on the rookeries. oi the Pribilof islands
and are killed by Indians and the skins sold to
dealers. The great body OF the seals, however,
do enter Bering sea, where they are followed by
tie sealing vessels. They usually take TO the
islands about the FIRST of June, the breeding
cows and bulls being earlier than the rest OF the
herd. The breeding goes on about four months.
The writer in the London Times before alluded
70, says OF the method adopted on the Islands
for taking the seals, that
1t cruel AMI Uusportsman Ike The ami
mails have no chance Tor their lives but are
slaughtered Ike sheep in the shamtles. A por-
iion OF tae herd Is separated from the main BODY
Gy party OF men armed with clubs These
men, they can hardly be called hunters, by
scouts and blows drive the part OF the herd they
have surrounded away into the interior OF the
islands q mile or 81 from the beach. Here on q
clear space the unfortunate seals are at once
dubbed 10 death and skinned, the carcasses be-
ing lett as they lie. These slAughters are car
ried on until me number of skins required are
secured. Latterly the seals seem 70 have all in
stinct that there ls something wrong,
a. the squads driven into The sand
from the slaughter coming down to the
beach " hen the land breeze blows. In ccnse-
quence OF this the r0okerles have been less ire
QUspted than in former years. This has given
rise 10 the assertion OF the mCnopolIRing COM
pauy that the taxing of seal by the private yes
sells is causing 9 depletion OF the seals on the
breeding sl9nds.
When the methods adopted BY the hunters OF
the sealing vessels are compared with those OF
the licensed killers, those Darbsrous butchers,
il does not require much consider alton TO give
anintelligsnt Judgment In the case and deter
mine which method Is the most humane ard
aich method IS the real cause OF the 1eals leav-
Ing the Fookeries.
When the sealing schooner IS at sea she has a
number OF small boats o. canoe form, built ak
presElY for sealing. When q seal IS sighted 8
beat Is launched overheard, a hunter, with one
or Two men to pull the boat, quietly take their
places. The hunter is sFrned with ShotCuns and
Tfae The boat Is pulled quietly toward the
seAl In nine cases oct OF ten the animal takes
alarm and dives cut OF sight before the boat Is
near enough for tke hunter 10 shoot, and n no
casa cr-as a hunfar ID cot I'll Ia IA near