The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-02-20
the Alaska coast and in the Bering sea not
over four in one hundred


over four in one hundred
On sailing generally take 10 per cent.
additional ammunition for waste shot;
that is, If calculating on q catch of 5000
seals l would take ammunition for 1900
shots. That was double the excess the
hunters would consider necessary and l
never knew that percentage OF waste shot
to be used. never saw female seal with
her young beside her in the water. Out of
q catch of ,423 seals this year had only
hfty-fve seals under years old, 1. e. be-
tween and years old.
When at Unalaska this year / learned
that the Alaska Commercial Company last
year fitted out two small schooners, be-
longing to private parties, with large deep
nets several hundred fathoms long, which
were set across the passes from Boring sea
for the purpose of catching young seals.
One of these schooners got 700 of these
young seals about months old, and sold
them to the Alaska Commercial Company
at $3.50 apiece.
A schooner, the Spencer F. Baird, ten or
twelve tons, was then at Unalaska fitting
up to go to Akoutan pass for the same
purpose this fall. The law forbids the
killing of all fur-bearing animals in Alas
kan waters by any hunters except the
natives. yet such is done every year at
Kadiak. Saanak and the Aleutian islands
by white hunters, fitted out by the Alaska
ment that the furs must be sold to the
company. H. F. STEWARD,
Master American Schooner Walter L. Rich.
Victoria, B. c., Aug. 10, 1889.
GEORGE HOWE.
My first years sealing, 1886, was on
board the Theresa, from San Francisco to
Victoria. We left San Francisco on the
Goth of January and arrived at Victoria
on the 7th of April. / got 100 seals, of
vx-h nh II ch
gun principally, the rife only for long
range shooting, say from thirty to sixty
yards At Victoria left the Theresa and
Joined the Pathfinder. The Pathfinder
left Victoria on the 4th of May for
Bearing sea and that trip got
In 1887 joined the Penelope and
left Victoria on the Sd of February. got
6lS seals during the season and lost 81 In
1883 did not go sealing, but in 1889 was
engaged on the schooner Viva We left
Victoria on the 10th of January. and got
734 seals during the season and lost 81.
! never saw young pup alongside its COW
in the water.
About one-third of the seals taken on
the coast are cows with pups or capable of
being with pup. In Boring sea got four
cows with pups in them.
GEORGE HOWE.
WILLIAM FEwISGs.
have been three years hunting seals on
the Pacific coast ard in Boring sea. In
1887 was on board the sealing schooner
Favourite. in 1858 on the Viva, and i'm 1888
on board the Triumph. In each year the
vessel l was on entered the Bering sea
early in July and left the sea the latter
part of August or early in September, ex-
cept this year, when the Triumph left the
sea on the 18th of July under the threat of
seizure, after being searched by the United
States cutter Rush. In 1857 the hunters
was with We're partly Indians and partly
whites. In the two last years the
hunters were all whites. using shot
guns and rifles. The rifles were used
by the more experienced hunters
and better shots for long range shooting.
up 10 100 yards, but few hunters attempted
that range. The general range for rifles il
not over nifty yards, and most shots Gre
made at q less range.
few hunters used the rifle for ali dis.
tances. ! used either rifle or shotgun. ae-
cording TO the distance and position of the
seal and the condition Of the water.
My brst year | got about 40 seals. In
getting this number ! failed to capture
about twenty-five shot at or killed or
wounded. but which escaped I'm my Sec
ond year got over 600 and lost about
thirty, This year got TO and lost only
one. have frequently ahpt ffun two tn
i've seal IN q bunch and rot them ALL One
day IN 1887 got two punches OF five each,
snd another OF four. and got the whole
fourteen.
Indian hunters use spears, and either get