The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-03-27

small. On June II the drive was from the
Reef rOokery, shout loo; total killed,
81, z2x per cent. turned away. On June
~ the drive was from the Reed rookery
and zoltoi hauling grounds combined, and
ahout Al we're driven; total killed, FOG.
hausted Zoltoi hauling grounds for :
period Of twenty-one days. and i Was not
AVAILABLE until July Is, when again in con-
nectiCn with the Reef rookery the last
drive was made, and about 1856 seals
were driven, t66 were killed, and S. per
cent turned away. The seals turned
away from the several drives invariably
rookeKy, from which they were driven
only TO be redriven TO the killing field and
culled of the few kiIlables that CHANGED to
Join them upon their return to the sea
from each drive BY referring to the
table marked D, showing the daily killing
for this year and also comparing the same
With that Of last year, you viii see that
from all Of the drives the same percent
ages were turned away a. from those
We opened the season by . drive from
the Reef rookery and turned away 63I
per cent, when We should have turned
away about Is per cent. Of the seals driven,
and We closed the season by turning away
IS per cent. 2 fact which proves to every
the yeariings, and considering the number
Of skins obtained that it was impossible to
secure the number allowed by the lease,
that we were merely t0rturing the young
seals, injuring the future life and vitality
Of the breeding rookeries to the detriment
Of the lessees, natives and the govern
ment.
On Sunday, July 20, all the rookeries
presenting any male whales were driven
from English bay, Middle Hill. Tolstoi,
Lukaunon, Keetavia and Rocky Point.
ana about $50 seals were brought to the
killing field, $50 were killed, and 50 per
cent. were turned away. On the same
day at Northeast Point they killed 466,
which, added to those taken at the other
rookeries, makes q grand total of 1.246.
This and the killing on July 10 are the
only instances recorded during the season.
when the daily killing reached 600. Com
pairing the killings with those Of the same
dates last year we find that on July 10,
1889, from Southwest bay hauling grounds
alone, 1887 were killed. and on July 70,
1889, from the Reef rookery and Zoltoi
never were there such percentages turned
away during the entire season nor In any
previous season, to my knowledge, as in
that of 1880. 1t is true, however, that the
Alaska Commercial Company could and
did take smaller seals last season than the
present lessees can take, because Of the
differences in the tax paid by them, yet
there have been no 2-year-olds of an aver
age size turned away this season, they
were all Immediately dubbed to swell the
seasons catch, which is far below the num-
Der allowed for this year, condition of
affairs that will convey to the department.
In language far more convincing than
mine the fact that the seals are not here
The North American Commercial Com
pany's agent, Mr.. George r. Tingle, used
every effort to have the drives made 80 as
TO have no unnecessary loss Of seal life,
and he would have made the season most
successful one for the company il the seals
had returned to the rookeries as in the
past.
It is evident that the many preying evils
upon seal iife-the killing Of the seals IN
the Pacific ocean along the Aleutian
islands, and as they come through the
passes to the Boring sea, by the pirates in
these waters, and the indiscriminate
slaughter upon the islands, regardless of
the future life Of the breeding rookeries.
have at last with their combined destruc-
present impoverished condition. and to
such an unequal distribution Of ages and
sexes that it Il but q question of a few
years, unless Immediately attended. before
the seal family of the Pribilof group Of
islands will be thing of the past. Not
withstanding the fact that the seals were
looked upon as inexhaustible, and were
officially reported TO be increasing as late
as 1858, the time has suddenly come when
experiment and Imagination must cease
and the truth be told.
Absolute protection is the only safe
guard for the rookeries, and the only step
to be taken with safety. The seal meat
should be killed under existing circum-
stances. Much can be written on this sub
ject, many theories may be advanced, all
of which we have had for the past twenty
years, to the evident loss of seal life, but
the facts presented in the accompanying
tables demonstrate with mathematical
certainty the fearful decrease Of the seals
my worthy predecessor. Mr.. Geore X.
Tingle, who in his official report of 1887
used the following language:
1.-THE department cannot place too high
an estimate on the value Of this seal prop
erty, and the government, am sure, will
not yield to any demands which would
make it possible to accomplish the destruc-
ton of her seal rookeries and seal life,
which, under judicious management and
protection by law, may be perpetuated in
definitely"
There. is but one authority upon seal
life, especially the seals Of the Pribilof
islands, and this is the work of Professor
henry w. GlllOtt, WHO surveyor tueSe
rookeries in 1872 and 1S74, and his work
was verified by Lieutenant Maynard, and
I am satisfied was as near correct when
made as was possible for man to chronicle,
but today there Is a marked contrast in
the condition of now and then On page
81 of the professors monograph yon will
find he places the number OF seals upon
Northeast Point rookery at 1,200, 900.
Standing on prominent elevation known
as s'Hutchinson's Hill" in the month of
July, and facing the north, had before
me q sea margin of over two miles; turn
ing and facing the south had sea mar
gin of over one mile. I could view entire
this once famous rookery, and it was
simply impossible to realize there was ever
| such moving mass of living animals as
| Professor Elliott describes; his estimate
seems incredible. Yet his writings have
never been refuted.
Today there is not to be seen over $50,
| GOO seals of all ages and sexes.