The San Francisco call., 1896-07-05
FROM THE SEAL ISLANDS
The Government Agent on st.
George Returns After
Two Years.
Accompanied by Others Who Have
Seen Longer Service in Bleak
Bsring Sea.

J. E. Ziebach, who has been on ST.
George Island in Bering Sea for the last
two years, is at the Occidental. He ar
rived from Unalaska yesterday on the
steamer Homer, which made the trip
down in nine days.
Mr.. Ziebach held the official Govern
ment position as agent on st. George
Island, and is now on his way to visit his
wife in Scotland, S. D., where he was for
merly engaged in journalism.
1.-THE Government appoints four agents
for the sealing grounds IN the Bering
Sea-" said be. Each of the large seal
rookeries thus has Government guar
dian. st. George Island is one of the
Prybiloff group, which consists of St.
Paul, an island about twelve miles long
by four miles wide; st. George, about ten
miles by three miles, and two small rocky
islets where there are waIrus, but no seals.
"There is settlement called st. George
on St. George Island of about 100 natives.
1t is pretty desolate in winter, although
the weather is not SO severe on the main
land.
"The Government used to permit 100 900
seals to be taken annually from 1880 to
1890, but there was such an alarming de-
crease in the number of seals that the
limit was reduced to 1900. This year,
10000. Well, have my doubts that the
companies will be able TO kill that many
young males on the islands. This regula-
ton affects only the rookeries and the sea
for distance of sixty miles around them.
Outside of that, in the open water, as many
seals as can be captured without firearms
may be taken. Between forty and fifty
sealing vessels take advantage of the open
water hunting each season, the average
catch for each vessel being about 300 seals,
and fully eight-tenths OF them are cows.
~. B. Crowley of Robinson, H., has re-
lleved me as agent at st. George. The
other agent is James Judge from Colum-
bus, Ohio. l shall go back as soon as ]
receive orders.
ION the Homer as a fellow passenger to
this City was DR.. Gardner Percy Pond.
who has returned here to his old home
after service on st. Paul Island, where he
was company physician. The Govern
ment requires OF the company that holds
the sealing privilege that it must have a
physician on each island To care for and
dispense drugs TO the natives without
charge. He is going back on the Homer
as soon as il reloads for Unaiaska.
"Mr. and Mrs. j. Tuck also came down
from Unalaska. They came away for
good after seven years most successful
work tthe head of the Government Home
Mission School. Theirs was the best work
OF the KlnQ JHdI mas DSeu uO0e IN tQat
part of Unalaska. A Miss Sowl and a
Miss MelIer are now in charge of the
school.
"The Government built a new home
there last summer, and the Methodist
Home Missionary Society had a building
put up, but both were blown down, as
they had been poorly constructed. The
contractor has to rebuild them this sum.
mer.
"We get the papers on st. George only
once in eight months, so 1 am a little be-
hind on news generally, and particularly
about this Government expedition Just
sent into Bering Sea.
"We are the first that have come out OF
Bering Sea this year.