The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-04-24
NAY fasTsy asume thaG thswe - .
considerable number Of readers e
this nsvSpApeF Who haze nover ~
g. IL

"a by the seas hEI.ss1s, tho character Of
ehe prey. the ssxnfs secu and the dangers
oucouHts-ed are absolutely without par.
nliel within the four seas which guard tho
British Isles. 1t may be not without ~
Aerest II / recount SOME experienc0 OK
ny own ia : yoyneo II this kind. In
0hiCh II waS my good fortune 10 b .
participant In the sasiy spring o. the
pear ISIS
/ wcuia not deceiye any o<se. ard 0ftii
ooss would deceive a lady; and there
ere Lot me 1T once own tAas the zeal %
ny pres.n, article is tot the original pos
SCISSOR ard Involuntary donor Of that seal
kin Jacket IL WATCH the fair SEX 90 much
1faixht. No: that u the sea bear. seal
With external ears, found only On = par
Ocular grossp OF islands In the NORTH Pa
e1hc. and psrs1ap s All s@en more interest
tne animal than the seal proper.
The true seal Of the North Atlantic has
G1eFe holes 10. ears Though his hearing
- said to be- acute): be - caught Tor his
"a and for h.s skin. and the number siain
O9exy year tn onorsnouA -Four varieties
- there Of this animal. Tbs Phoca bas-
"a n the largest. but y rare- TIE Hood
oeai. with tho strange. leathery bag de-
Dnte ana erect at vii iilfe . turkeys crest
lelfhsr Tor prfsction's saks. or 10 allure
- susceptible ferusla. or TO tntimidats his
rival. GENES neat In stss, ! have known
I'm, whsn taken In the Guif q D. Law
eonce ~ March, 70 measure tWdve feo& In
2onxth and twelve fest In gfrth. But " Ii
- third variety. tlse Harp (ohoca green
oDadtea1. 70 which. in NswfoundlAnd. -
olAny poor Gshsrmsn look TO al the hum
ny mouths Of t.as.r children aftsr ths
3Drcsd iraction OF the lang winter.
Living In tho tar north during the whoio
~ tn summer and early fall these seals
epms south along the Labrador shore in
--.I1
- ice on the southern part Of that cooot.
Qthers turn wost. down the Straits Of Basle
tele and breed on tho more level scs Of
- SUI q d. IAWTsnce Tho bitches
0eep tAMr biowhoies open through tho ice:
- thAoD thy oi3mb. and give birth On ne
61z8eee ~ the doe each - single pup
ahaaaG March l. The nos drives south with
Gbs Arctic current tiu the end az the
ononth. Tie old ones 70 dshsng during thu
0Ay and return 1t night 20 sucitie their
oRsprtnG. finding with marvellous instinct
among hundreds a. Thousands OK others on
Gaat moving iee thslr own blowtcie and
eAetr own Ettls pug. After this time tho
young TAKE TO the water, and the old onss
% south % tas grsaa hanlEs Tor . day a.
-, returning north about the sud a tAo
Grst week IN April.
The young Harps, during the Asse year
- their life. are called. according TO their
age ana condition. white coats ragged
epats." or heaters" In this last stage
they ars silysry and spotted. male and
<mais being altkA But early In ths ssc-
nd year the male begins TO show on either
dds ~ hz back the black patch. shaped
11ko N ancient Tyre from which this kind
81 ssaI derives It's name
Ihe Harp sea-, rs ] have said, 10 the
most frequent prey Of the saAt hunter.
ne fourth kind Of zeal - the Bay seal
Rhoca vits1ina,. which y found in the
~ NJ nj
o0srd. but In comparatively rare.
Great. indeed. 70 the Differences OF the
oAal h1hsrx now from what II was 90
ynav AGo. when m1e AMI women rowed
opt In pints to catch seals on the pans"
: O.. noatlnK masses OF ice. whenever
these were carried In near the shore by
Winds or currents: $500 seals per annun
throughout the whole OF the eighteenth
eentury was the average catch This has
upw been multiplied moro than a hum
atsd-sold. At the end of the last ce.,-
eury notable change occurred, for the-,
ths weather. men in ST. Johns and the
0utpcrts began 10 fit out saf1inr vessels
eapAh'e OF contsnding With the perils Of
the Arctic Ice. These they sent out 10
search for the great patches" OF brssi.
ing seals; the animals were killed and
eAyed on the ice, process known as
sculpins: only the fat and skin WEI
Drought fcme
All through the nrst half Of the pre~en.
century Tie value OF the seal fishery great
" and steadily Increased until In the yea
rs some 900 schoonefs and hrigantsnes. OF
u To 30 tons burden. carried 1900 men
- the Ice. But tcrrib!N dur4nE this prA
ylcd. were sometimes tho eisasters to these
bold mariners I'm the year isiI under in-
oeSssr's blasts from tho northeast. heavy
ecc was packed along the shore. and proved
IN imponetsab.e rampant. against which
% ~ H. a..
make no progress. Many we're sct,- bound
IN tho harbors: u those that had sue
0esded In getting ou,. NO less than twenty
use were lest. Only a4.peo seais ware taken
Sor the whole year. but stin worse was
ehs calamity OF the year 1854 In ths. year
0e nee Joe. driven ashore by tina furious
ga.es OF March. os.aahed ta,s schoouers like
a1ee with It's irresistible forca oae hun
Gfed vessels were lost ia the neigaborhnod
~ thu Nadham islands ara Cohhier rocks
- that spring was called "tho sprxM OF
Ehs wadha:nx" The crews. numbering
ecms so0a men. took refuge on tse RATED
Wasseo Of Ice. and wou,d Inevitably h.y.
been starved had not the promptsfude 81
She government come 10 the rescue and
preserved the endangered lives. ASSISTING
ehs wrecked hunters tor nearly ain bach
- their homes
In isas. again. seventy vessels were
crushed ard abandoned the crews again
OSCapsssS. A3is tisoe. beFpTe they fef. their
yensels, they ses fire 70 them Seventy
noble bcrsirce. drifting berore .he polar
current scuthwsrd. made the r,iin,gh, sky
bright 20 the eyes OF those who sauxh.
refuge ea land from the terrprs OF The
9rs~-n deep But this same Year tns.sctess
. blow. moro serious than any tesnrrx,
On the mustsiudes engaged IN the s~si
hunting. For now steamers began 70 tase
the place 90 sailing vessels n :he tras,
and by degrees almost ;wo-thirxis or ,ha
sailors lest their employment Instead
OF the LII oe ssiio-s engaged In seating IN
fsSs. now. forty years later. oa;y about
A.too nsen can hsaa employment IN tai. wsy,.
and these carry less profits home, .,xv,rr
TO The greater expegssiveaos< ~ TIE ~,es,y,.
era II may be asked. ''Na tha-.. ,s,,
owners ot shsse vcssals gaia What tie r,sr,
scsey"' II l. sad not ha, ! ID zoe vrtah
70 enter further into shcray ard ..rscsll,
question.
Let ma dcscrihe row vha; have SEN
myself Fer weeks before the beginning
Of March the one absorbing torie 90 Goa
~eFsstion among al csaxses - the r.oxpg<.-
~ tho sailing feet. For success means
Cnco 1T least 10 the ca,cns. and bread
Ter thousands 81 !.s peoria For eays.