The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-17
SEALING SEASON EAST.
1t Is Now at Its Height in the
Gulf of ST. Law
renee.
Newfoundland and Canadian Hun
tiers Rivals in the Same Field
Of Operations.

The sealing season in theiGulf OF ST. Law
renee is now at its height and promises to
be most successful one. The largest share
of the prize in this fishery falls to the seal
fishermen of Newfoundland, and the steam
ers employed by the islanders have made
large catches on their first trips of the sea-
son and have returned to sea for more,
says the Quebec correspondent of the New
York Sun.
This Atlantic seal is much less valuable
than its Alaskan cousin, and is generally
known as the hairy or harp seal, the latter
name coming from a large, black, crescent
shaped mark on each side of the back. To
science il is known as the Phoea Grpnlan-
dica. An adult is from six to eight feet in
length Its stiff hair-covered skin is in its
raw state worth only about one-tenth as
much as the skin OF the fur seal of the Pa
cific There is q difference in its habits and
the methods Of its capture. The hunting
of the Atlantic seal is carried on upon the
floating ice in the Gulf of st. Lawrence,
throughout nearly its whole extent, al
though it seldom happens that the schoon-
ers go higher up than Gaspe Cape to try
their fortunes in the River St. Lawrence.
Some Of the animals follow the salmon, of
which they are very fond, up 10 the Sague-
nay and other fresh-water tributaries of the
st. Lawrence, and specimens have been
seen and taken at Quebec. The greatest
number of them are found upon the north
shore of the gulf, near the island of Anti
cost, at the entrance of the Straits of Belle
Isle, off the island of Newfoundland and at
the Magdalen Islands. They penetrate the
Gulf OF st. Lawrence III enormous herds in
the month of December, and the females
get upon the floating ice about the middle
or end of March to bring forth their young.
It is only at this period that hunters are
able TO XIII the young. They either shoot
them, or, more frequently, stun them with
their clubs. When the seals take to the
water they are safe from pursuit. The
adult seals found upon floating ice are also
killed in large numbers. Sometimes they
are SO closely packed together that they
can find no open space through which to
plunge into the water and escape pursuit
Then great slaughter ensues, and crews of
seven men have been known to kill hum
dreds.
Private advices from the gulf report the
presence there of vast numbers of seals
this spring, and so far the movements of
the ice have been favorable to the killing of
many cargoes, especially by the crews of
steamers The steamer Aurora of ST.
Johns, n. F., has taken 10000; the Alger-
inc, 10000; the Newfoundland and Green
land, 5000 each, and the Wolf and Neptune
have full cargoes.
On the Magdalen Islands the hunters
wait for the ice to drift in to shore before
the wind, when they rush upon it with
clubs, stun all the seals within reach, and
then use their knives to dispatch them and
remove the skin and fat. Sometimes a
thousand are thus killed in a single day.
Some years ago 6000 were killed by tile
islanders in three days. When the condi-
tons arc favorable the slaughter goes on
by night as well as by day, but it is dan
gerous work, for at times the wind changes
suddenly and carries the ice foes and all
upon them out to sea. A considerable loss
of life is already reported this spring from
the sea-hunting grounds, principally by
the crushing between the ice of the small
schooners which Canadians employ in the
work instead of the well-equipped steamers
of the Observation-Disclosures. The schooner Ray
lost two men, and the Notice two men also.
James Sang and his son William were
driven out to sea in small boat and lost
while going after some seals that could be
seen from the shore. The schooners Caro-
line and Louise have been crushed in the
ice and sunk, their crews narrowly escap-
ing with their lives. More disasters are
reported this year among the seal-hunters
than for some seasons past.
Probably not more than from 40 900 to
1000 seals of all those killed annually in
the gulf are taken by Canadian hunters,
though many of the Newfoundland hunters
are engaged by Canadian companies.
which also own some of the Newfoundland
steamships. The absence of any observ-
able diminution in the number of the seals
in the gulf is due not to any system of
Canadian protection, but to the crude appli- |
ances for taking the animals. In New
foundland there is limit as to size, ana
seals failing TO come up to the standard are
unstable.
The hunters or companies employing |
them receive from 81 80 TO So each for the |
skin and fat of the seal, the only market |
able portions. The fat of the young seals |
is tender and melts easily in the sun. 1t |
yields very fine oil, which is white and |
almost devoid of unpleasant smell The |
skins, which in their rough state are
worth only 81 each, are cured and dressed, |
and employed for a number of rough pur- /
poses. Both coats and coat Innings of them |
are fashionable for winter wear in some |
parts OF Canada in natural colors When |
dyed black they are used by the Canadian |
Government for the manufacture of winter |
hats and gloves for the Dominion militia |
The niscoyery Of BeIiuyn