Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-08-14
KILLING SEALS ON ST. PAUL's ISLAND.

the vessel making the seizure, if she
be a United States revenue cutter, will
turn the offender over to the senior
British warship of the English fleet
patroling Bering Sea. The British
naval commander will send the offend
ing sealer to Victoria, B. c.. to be
dealt with there by the courts having
jurisdiction.
Up to the present time one Cana
dian sealer has been seized, the Uni
ted States revenue cutter Corwin max:
ing the capture.
The Chinese appear to have taught
the methods of curing sealskins. 1t
was the Chinese who first impressed
upon the Russians of Eastern Siberia
the value of the skin, and it is said
that years ago, when Chinese mer-
chants traded along the Siberian coast,
they W ould take in exchange for their
wares nothing except sealskins. The
English apear to have learned tie art
of curing during the first half of the
nineteenth century.
The killing of the limited number
of seals by the lessees of the seal isla-
ands is done entirely on land, and
only on damp and cloudy days. The
young males are usually found
grouped by themselves, while the
older males generally surround them
selves with number Of females, often
fifty. There is always general fight
going on among the older males as to
which shall have in its particular
group certain of the female seals. The
latter are actually whipped into a
group b. male, if there is evidence
of any sign of boiling to some more
attractive set.
The seal killers on o killing day
crawl along the shore, and, getting
between the young males, who are.lelt
undisturbed, and the males and their
respective groups, drive the latter in.
land, often to the number of 1000 to
5000. The objective point of the drive
is the killing ground and Mr.. Seal is
made to carry his own pelt to the vi
cinity of the storehouse. The driving
has to be conducted with great care,
otherwise the seals will reach the
killing ground in an overheated con-
dition, and with consequent injuri-
GUS effect upon the skins. Arrived in
the vicinity Of the storehouse, the
seals are divided off into groups OF
twenty or thirty, and in these groups
are surrounded by their executloners.
There is O sharp rap over the nose
witL club, the seal is stunned, and q
second later is dispatched with O knife.
The killing is done entirely by Aleut
Indians, the descendants Of those
Aleuts whom The Russians, many years
ago, brought to the Pribilofs from
the Aleutian Islands for this very
work. The Aleut killers are
very proud of their skill.
They are expert killers, and do their
work in an astonishingly rapid man.
ner. While n number of them kill the
seals others follow and remove the
pelt. The pelt is tossed into wagon,
and is carted to the curing house, and
there cured. For the time being it is
merely salted. Later on the brine is
removed and pressed out of the skin,
and two pelts with the fur in are rolled
up together, securely strapped, and
are then ready for shipment.
Before the Aleut killers begin thoir
work they glance over the seals in the
group, and if one is discovered which
is either under or over age he is given
tap on the nose, and is sent scurry
ing toward the beach. The Aleut en-
ployes receive from the lessees of the
seal islands forty cents for each pelt
removed. Lifelong practice has made
these Indians expert in stripping skins,
and they carry their pride to the ex-
tent of stoutly refusing to demean
themselves with any other form of
work.
White men, aside from Government
officers, are not permitted to land on
the seal islands. Occasionally, late in
the full, and during log, some daring
seal hunter will attempt dash mt one
of the seal islands. In the course OF u
couple of urdisturbed hours he may
be able to kill q couple of hundred
seals. Usually, however, the natives of
tho islands ore able to take care Of suoh