Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-11-22
SKINS ARE WAY UP.
SEAL EURS HlRE IN WHEELING, AND WHAT
CAUSES THB RISE.
Supply is Less - How the Local Market Runs.
About Sixty Persons Purchase Seal Skins
Every Season = When the
Season 0psns.

Are you going to have O sealskin this
winter? This is question that Is agi-
tating more than one household In
Wheeling, and above all the luxuries
REQUIRES more legislation with the head
and front Of the family. Ladies who q
short time ago congratulated themselves
that seaskin coats would be obtainable
at much lower figure this winter than
they were last season, have been reck-
oning without their host. Not only are
the ruling market prices higher for seal
skins, but owing TO the limited number
which are permitted by the Government
to be caught after the January London
sales, they are likely to be still higher.
Owing to the past few mild winters
sealskins have not been seen SO plenti-
| fully on the streets OF Wheeling, and
are not in comparison with the rigorous
climes.
"You see that sealskin sack there"
said a prominent dry goods dealer on
Main street, yesterday, "Well, that Is
already sold for S235, and that other
one there for $500; last year the same
coats could have been produced for
$50 and S160."
i HOW tTc tut pIlCos kONcl oh scai-
skins?" asked the REGISTER reporter.
Well, you see the triennial London
sales rule, the prices for the world.
They occur In January, March and Oc-
tober OF each year, and the prices real
| lied at each sale rule the market until
the next succeeding one occurs. There
are three varieties OF seal skins I'm the
market known as Alaska. Copper Island
and North West Coast skins. The finest
| skins comes from Alaska. Prices quot
ed ia the official report OF the London
sales for October 90 last, / noticed, were
~ per cent. higher for Alaska skins
than they were in January OF this year.
Copper Island Il skins are also 7 per cent
higher than they were In March.
The catch of Alaska seals for this
year will fall far behind. The United
States G )vernment mas given permission
to lawful seal hunters 20 Kill $500 ami
mails for their fur, and has made further
allowance or al otment Of a like number
TO the natives for food purposes, so the
lawful catch, 1t is estimated, will reach
about $4,000 skins. 1t is thought that
the number Of skins sent TO the market
by the poachers will be much smaller
than in the past, In view OF the increas-
ed vigilance of the American, British
and Russian revenue marine.
THE papers printed short time ago
dispatch from London that was MS
leading. The skins to which 1t referred
were an inferior lot OF Copper Island
skins, OF a grade which Is known
to the trade as poached skins. Now,
eli ha ~ q
aates and are always more or less dam
aged by shot holes, while legitimate
skins are unbroken for the reason that
the animals are either speared or killed
with clubs.
1.-THE actual state Of affairs in the
sealskin trade is: First, there Is but
very moderate supply in the market,
and secondly, there Is q great scarcity
Of skilled labor, both OF which tend TO
higher prices. The supply has been
steadily decreasing for the last five
years. 1t would seem to indicate a
steady rise in price.
"While the demand for seal garments
or furs OF any kind is rather light at
present, owing to the warm weather, /
anticipate that business will be much
better in December"
What is the average sale OF seal
skins In Wheeling for season."
81 suppose from fifty 10 sixty seal
skins are sold here each season. The
season starts In earnest about Christmas
time. There are only about two firms
here In Wheeling that deal extern
sively in them. The peculiarly Of the
seal skin BIS that customers seldom
buy on the first visit They look them
all over and then go back and talk itup
with pa and ma. II frequently takes
several visits to buy seal skin"