The Portland daily press., 1893-05-15
ieoes whom he had left at home. Beau


him that their fair faces would acquire
new charms whom set off by the lovely
fur of these poor animals who wore it
now unconscious of the stylish figure
they cut. And his thoughtful considera-
ton for the needs of his suffering family
decided HIM to develope this sea and
these islands.
And so he straightway sent tlereunto
a commission of wise men to report what
they should see in this far country. And
they, seeing, brought back tidings unto
him. And the tidings that they brought
were that the land was good and that the
waters about the land were better, and
that the seals were away up. They had
found that the Russian government had
leased the two seal islands to fur COM
pany of their own country. The COM
pany was growing rich in spite of the
fact that their methods of handling the
pelts were of the most primitive charac-
ter and necessarily slow and laborious.
Before skin could be manipulated at
all, it was stretched on frames and dried.
Then it must be sent by slow sailing YES
sells away off to Hong Kong which was
then the market for furs. Even then it
was necessary to send it to Europe to be
dyed. But the business of the Russian
Fur Company ended at Hong Kong
where the furs were bid for and bought
in open market by merchants who there
after carried them through the succeed
ing stages and brought them within
reach of the public.
But the poor American girls were not
in :. cluded. They seldom, if ever. saw
the soft, silken fur which was the delight
of their second cousins in Russia, and
which the cant eyed beauties of China
did not scorn to wear even before the
long, silvery hair had been plucked from
the pelts. For you must understand
that the sealskin, the beautiful,
Deep Brown sealskin
which, like some of it's wearers, changes
appearances entirely when rubbed the
wrong way, has not exactly the same APP
pearance when worn as heavy weather
garment by Mr.. Seal. The beautiful,
thick fur is worn only as an undergar-
ment by Mr.. Seal and Mrs. Seal and all
the little Seals. The fact that nobody is
supposed to see it makes no difference to
the fastideous creatures. They are out
wardly clothed in thick coat of long,
glistening, silver gray hair which grows
out from among the fur. This hair is
oily, so oily that it cannot be dyed, al
though no trace of oil is apparent to the
touch. tBut that property keeps the
water from penetrating the hair, and
even in the wettest water, the fur is dry
as a July sermon. The United States
Commissioners learned these things and
many more; all which were duly report
ed at Washington They estimated the
number of seals at st. Paul to be at least
a million, and at st. George about two
hundred and fifty thousand
So the Russian Fur Company came to
be superseded by an American company
called The Alaska Commercial Com
pany, who were to lease the two islands
and catch the seal under the supervision
OF an agent appointed by the Secretary of
the Treasury, and with certain restric-
lions imposed by the government of the
Commercial Company was granted a
lease for twenty years. They were al
lowed to take 100000 sealslzins between
the 10th of July and the Goth of Septem-
Der OF each year. But only the bachelor
seals about four years old were to be
killed. The females and bulls of five
years and upward were to be left un-
harmed, that the species might not be-
come extinct. For the privileges granted.
the Alaska Commercial Company for
twenty years paid to the government
$500, 900 per year. The years catch was
counted by the government agent that
No More Than Sixty Thousand
should be taken from st. Paul nor more
than 10000 from st. George.
Yankee ingenuity found quicker and
better means for dressing and preserving
the sealskins. Yankee steamers and
Yankee railroads fastened their journey
to market. But, strange to say, instead
OF an American city becoming the mar
ket, London stepped to the front, and all
the furs were sent thereto to be sold.
This was due, in great measure to the
discovery of new method of dyeing the
fur; method which gives the fast lus-
trous brown to the sealskins of today.
The secret of the dye is kept inviolate.
But one creature knows it, and it is
needless to say that that creature is
man. When he dies, his son will learn
the secret by means of slip of paper
which will be bequeathed to him. The
old man and his son employ thousands
of workmen, any one of whom would
become a rich man could he but learn
how to make the dye which he uses per-
haps every day. But they do not learn
it, Sharp-witted Americans have sought
mental positions under this old man in
order to discover his secret. They have
worked up through all the branches of
the business. But they knew no more
of the one thing they sought than they,
had known at the beginning. The Alas
ka Commercial Company sent one Of
their most shrewd and able agents,
man to whom the seal, his habits and his
hide were thoroughly known. He had
for years managed those far northern
islands, and had been king in all but
name. This man worked as common
laborer in that English dye house. His
ability gave him promotion. He learned
every stage of the process. Yet be
failed. He could unlock every door but
the
One Which Shut in the Secret,
and that door had time lock. The
new dyeing process and the quick trans
portation of seal skins brought their
price downward. Each year the COM
panv sa1fad nankad and cont to oudor