The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1896-08-16

NzaHr caaxns e tne vset-s.- of ~ rc;uw-
hsa river. ant 5esr~ uzahss 70 breass sne
asorrs 81 80 -u1 s<xore Il, 4r1<s i-2h1w&. So
ssatss sy the SIZED aud fhs ss-cag euFr~ne.
1ssss tasy Ara cz1Eas - re sTszks-x,
Nhsn 10 esrtaiy pewsr - rhen II any
avail
s~n Otter Hunting.
Aiorg re beach frorn Tazrso1's possst A.
fnserwais % firm faFss To sys niles apart.
ara efcct@d d~rrfrxs. These are pss ID q
= hessat % about shsrfy-ssvs feet ar4 nzve
o. the top Of them a w-usaEl. square nux-
haases barely large enough 20 hold tive
ssen. Strangers passing asozg tbs beach
are always earsoasly tutexess4a IL tne~~
derraekss and ars conasrAgaed 10 fravtr-
their pGrp0se. The derTscks are paced fsr
o1t a. ms ocszn's esge, AZ extreme lev
fs1e. and when the Hood tsa4 comes II ne
waser ~ cutts deep zrDursd them ART ira
breakers dash against them r. sgffse ~sfart
70 uDroot Them. Tasx they cannot DO. "a
the fo4r long Dcses. SIT frnsfy in the ~ana
70 aepsa of Eve or ok feet. are onsy
packed lighter BY the huge vo.arne 81
for whseh these aeTrieks are erert@d - a
good one They ere Tor the sea otter
hunter.
IN the waters % fhe pzrsac. between
Dancers point and che nnussth % tie Ousr
ault river. i've large numbers OF .afs valu-
able far-b@artng animal. Eonsa from
Dzuonss point and sometimes az Gar down
as the Fsssta OF the Columbia river they
are occasionally me- wish. and sometimes
they are seen between che mouth or the
Qtsfnaaif river ard Cape Fiattery. bat "a 4
rule they stick close 10 the arst mentioned
locality. There has been great deal Of
wonder expressed. aud many consectmres
a. 20 SHY the SEA otter shoaid choose 70
occupy almost exclusively this small strip
- 49,
10 exceed ;hirty-fwo miles. ard they are
not fofIssd again until FAR northern waters
are reached. No one seems 20 know lust
why they live 80 exclusively wlthin the
limits named and many different opinions
are expressed. One h that the water being
sheai 50 far oat from shore the otter can
dive 10 the bottom ana procure its food
the vegetation OF the sais water. Another
II that * Is because there are so many
crabs, clans. fish and ocean ducks tnfest-
lag these waters. The Old sea otter hunt
srs believe that both reasons are good
ores.
The ouineals Indians. who inhablt this
part of the country, have legend about
them being there. They say that a great
many years ago. when there were only
two tribes OF Indians living on the Pacific
ocean. that the Northern or Alaska Indians
committed a helnous crime against the
Great Spirit. though what the crime WAS
they viii not tell. and that 70 punish tho
had Indians the Great Spirit sent the sea
otter away from them and gave them 70
the good Indians. the Qnlnaalt tribe.
How the Otter IL Killed.
The sea otter 10 a gresariois animal and
ia nearly always found in schools. They
seldom go far out at sea Ten or twelve
miles OF shore at ebb tide being about
their limit and when the mood tide comes
In they come with II. When the tide Is al
ebb the sea otter hunter. taking his gun
aud ammunition. and also his overcoat, for
II is cold out there over the ocean with
ssin breeze blowing. goes 70 his derrick
and climbing up the strip ladder that IL
nailed TO one OF the posts gets into his lit
tie box house and waits for his game TO
eGne 20 him. II does not always come.
Sometimes for days and weeks together he
patiently waits through each days food
tide without seeing an animal, or. II he
does, IL IL 100 far away 20 shoot. Each
hunter has q Held glass, with which he
eagerly scans the waters around him.
keeping a sharp lookout on ali sides.
When the tide Is IN he Is far out In the
breakers. and II II impossible for him TO
reach shore In safety until IL reoetes. This
IS the play time OF the otter. pashng.
swimming and ieapsng In among the big
waves that come tumhllng IN. the otter IS
y
ment. The storTnier the weather and the
wilder tho tempest. the better he likes II.
and the more apt the hunter is 10 see him.
The hunter generally has 70 shoot az his
game from DO 10 coo yards distance. TAX
ing account OF tho wind. the movement OF
the waves and the otter and the fact that
a large one IS not over six feet long, the
difficulty or hitting the mark Is very great.
The hunter often fires 30 or so shots be-
fore he is successful IN killing one when
a shot has struck the victim II Is lmmedi-
atcsy discsvnlhie. a deep black spot ap-
pears where the blood and water !ntermin-
gle. When an otter - killed or wounded
The body sinks ont Of sight. However. the
bodies are all recovered. The tide rolls
them toward the shore. If one tide does
not bring them in another one viii when
hunter has kllled an otter and fails 70
recover ths body on tho first tide. all OF
the hunters on the beach are notified and
a sharp watch Is kept for it. the finder
receiving a royalty In the nature Of SAW
arc FOR recovering n. Every sea otter
hunter has A private mark on the bullet
he shoots. and he harsiens the bullets with
tin 60 prevent them MASKING. like a purely
lead bullet would do. The bullet Is invarl-
ahiy found in the body OF the dead animal
and then % course there can be 40 dispute
about the ownership Of the relt. Where no
ballet is found aud tho ownership 81 not
easy II AHJAHEfF kET hunters sNkttN II
among themselves without any lawsuits or
serious a,lsunderstsndi The guns used
for sea otter hunting are very heavy. large
bore rifles. the SharH's and Remington
rifles being favored. Tho calibcr Is not
less than 8. and - Is prefcrrea The hunt
ers load their own cartridges and shoot
fron, f0e 20 80 grains 81 powder.
A fuil-grown sea otter Is about SIX feet
long. and very slender. They are OF n
rich dark brown color. with the ends OF
she FUR tipped With silver The value Of
The peit is regulated Ike that 81 al fur
bearing animals. according - quality and
demand but for number 81 years rast
n No I fur grown SEA otter pelt has found
4 ready market ~ from So - sssa
white mon and Indians are both engaged
in otter hunting. and a perfectly auiicable
feeling exists between them. The ffe the
sea otter hunter must necessarily lead
makes his wants few and his tastes ara
,,et iuxurheng. SO ~ he IS successful tn KILL
lnw two ~ three 81 the animals IN season
~ - making q good living ara abe 20 lay
awav money for the time when his eye
sswnf Is too dgrn 70 shoot with accuracy
.na his old rheumatic bones refuse 70
s,esa chr long. ceid hours IN the little
ss,,,ars bex above the water.
Those Useful Conduii~,
49,. <esnevA and bladder. sometimes ~