West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1892-07-14
HUNTING SEA OFFERS.
Patience end Skill Arc Necessary
TO Success IL Their Pursuit.
Animals which Produce tho Most vniu-
ablo Fur Known to Commercc-Riax-
Ing Away All Day from Tall Tow
ers Along tho Coast.

Washington, that off the coast alonp
the edge OF the Pacific ocean, and al-
most in the shadows of the majestic
Olympic range of mountains is found.
I'm numbers now rivaling the product of
the Aleutian islands, the uuch-prizcd
sea otter, an animal which furnishes
the most expensive fur known To- the
commercial world. The sea otter fur
requires no dyeing TO fit it for use like
the seal fur, and in it's natural state is
worth ten or twenty times the figure
that the seclslSin sells for. II is not
usually made into cloalis or sacuues. be.
cause too heavy as well a. too cxpcn-
sivc, to suit the tastes Of many, and it
Is so rare that the fur is not often seen
except as trimmings for garments made
Of sellslsin.
The main source of supply for sea
otter skins, says the San francisco
Chronicle. has always been away up in
the Aleutian islands, nearly to the coast
OF Sio2ria. few years ago rs many
rs seven thousand were taken
I'm single season, but the catch
OF the season just closed in that
region has only amounted TO n mere
handful, so rathlesss and systematic has
been the destruction. When that field
Is exhausted the only one of any extent
remaining will be this little bay on the
coast OF Washington, where for many
years the Industry of taking skins has
furnished employment 60 n number of
wcather-bcatcn hunters II is not lit
Tic remarkable that on all the western
coast line of the United States the only
places that the sea otter has survived
the deadly persecution OF the hunter are
along the Strctch of the Pacific beach
between tho mouth of Gray's harbor
nnd Point Granville, n distance of abou,
thirty-lvc rallies, on the islands off the
Santa Barbara coast Point Granville.
with its bold, picturesque rocks iutting
out into tho sea, Is about midway be-
tween Cape Flnttery, at the mouth Of the
straits OF San Juan dc Fuca, which form
the northwest boundary of the United
States, and the mouth of the Columbia
river, which marks the line between the
states Of Washington and Oregon. The
I11bylov Islands, whore most Of the
seals end tho sea offers come from, are
away up 10 the northwest nearly three
thousand miles.
IL Is very interesting to see the man,
Nor IN which the highly priced sea OF.
tors arc secured here ON the coast of
Washington. II 1t were an easy task TO
get sea otter there would no Longer
DC any OF them left in these waters. for
they have been hunted here for TWEEN.
~ years by white men and hundred
or moro by the Indians. The Indians
hunt the sea otter from long, heavy ca,
noes. In which they go out through the
surf, and, cruising along n mile or two
shoot or spear the animal rs he lies
sleeping In the water with only his
head in sight. Owing 20 his extreme
wariness, IL Is hard 70 approach and diff.
hcult 10 hit the animal after il l., found.
IL Is only after long practice that an
Indian, accustomed as he is to the us,
OF a canoe. is able to meet with any sue.
cess Mt all, for 1t takes great skill TO
shoot or spear floating object in
choppy sea from an uncertain canoe
Very often a hunter remains ont five or
SIX days without result.
IL Is not, however, the Indians who
secure the most sea offers, for there ere
not many natives left, and the pursuit
u hazardous one. II Is the white
hunter, or Boston man" ns the In.
dams call him, VINO has Devised q way
% getting the coveted fur without risk.
ing his life In canoe ut sea. Along
this stretch Of beach from Gray's hnrc
Dor to Point Granville are seven or
eight thrce-lcgged towers, that look
from n distance like huge skeleton pile
drivcrl, with rude box at the top OF
each. These towers arc called sca-ottcr
dcrriclSs, and they are erected as far ont
toward the breakers as practicable
without danger of being washed away
The beach Is smooth and SO nearly level
that at q distance OF QUO thousand feet
feet from shore the water Is only two
or three feet deep. Froin the tops OF
these dcTrici;s the hunter picks off the
wary sen otter. and IL Is not unusual
thing for one % shoot and kin his game
az distance II one thousand yards
but though these hunters are excellent
rilcm = all their weapons arc the very
best, they may shoot hundred times
without killing n single sen otter, SO
tlat ia addition q BEING good shot,
they must possess uuuGtual patience. In
spite 81 the apparent lack Of livcliness
IN the pur.uit, the sport is most at
tra-tivc one. and the hunter who once
gets iato u 'cldom abandous IL.