The Press., 1899-04-13
IHE Willy SEA OTTER
FRS PELT is HIGHLY PRICED AND HARD
TO OBTAIN.

The Animal Is All Eyes. Ears and
Nose When Alive and All Fur When
Dead-Its Capture LIS Attended With
Great Dangers and Hardships.
Fifty pounds sterling or $3.50, per
skin is not an unusually high average
price to pay for the fur of the sea otter,
and at fur sales in London much
higher price has often been asked and
received Much. of course in the mat
ter of price depends upon the condition
and size of the skin. The animal when
it is alive and wearing the fur itself is
from three to five feet in length from
| nose to tail tip, though the skin lying
upon it in loose folds, the actual "pelt.
is of fair size.
| Ever since Boring, sailing from Rus
STA, discovered Alaska and found it's ma
| tives clad in otter skin this fur has
been the prime object of the pelt hunt
ers' desire. Sable. marten, mink and
even ermine can be trapped or shot
without extraordinary trouble. Seals
are driven inland like fools to be slaugh
tered and skinned at their captors lei
sure But the sea otter must be sought
diligently as the diamond. for three
centuries of experience have made him
| wise.
Upon the map Of North America may
be seen jutting from the southern cor
ner of Alaska. which is the northwest
corner of the continent. Alaska, pc
ninsula. which breaks off into chain
of islands called the Aleutians. just
where the peninsula ends and the is
lands begin point may be noticed
marked Belkovsky.
| This is the headquarters of the sea
otter hunters. and between here and
Chernaboor island to the south and Saa-
max island to the southwest the bulk of
the sea offers are taken.
Thoroughly impressed with the val
ne of his own skin. the sea otter takes
care of it by living far away from the
mainland, sleeping with one eye open,
upon the floating weed beds or a sea
washed reef exposed to the full fury of
the north Pacific
At the slightest sign of the approach
of man he dives deep, and stays below
for 30 minutes at a time
Sometimes a stray otter may be shot
from the land as he plays in the surf,
but the chief methods of his capture
are 1.-The surround and clubbing In
the former case Il party Of Aleutian is
landers are conveyed to Saanak, there
to encamp for two or three months.
Woe to the hunters if the wind be off
the shore. for then no fire may be lit to
make the beloved tea. no pipe of tobac-
co smoked. or the hope of capture
would be vain For the otter is all
eyes and ears and nose when alive; all
fur when dead
| Upon calm day the hunters paddle
gently over the sea in their skin canoes
keeping an eager eye upon the rolling
surf for sign Of the prey, A hunter
sees an otter and makes a quiet signal
to his mates. Like flash the quarry
has dived. Raising his oar aloft. the
man who found the otter remains as a
buoy above the place of the animal S
disappearance. while his mates form in
huge circle with him in the center.
In 90 minutes. at most. the otter
comes up again in sight of some of the
canoe men. A frightful yell drives the
poor brute below again before he has
had time to fill his lungs. Shortly he is
again seen. and the process repeated,
that he cannot sink and falls prey to
the lucky hunter whose spear first
pierces that too rich coat of his.
Luck varies. and the sea otter is
, yearly rarer and more shy, but, if for
tunate. each hunter may have from two
, to five skins for the traders as the re-
suit of his three months catch
To be successful hunter requires a
Spartan scorn of comfort huge pa
tience keenness of vision and readiness
of resource az we'll rs great dexterity
in the handling of risky craft and
; an intimate knowledge Of your quarry 5
habits which it requires lifetime OF
observation under trying conditions tC
gain.
THE surround, then. is no joke
but clubbing next door to suicide The
hunters encamped upon Saanak have
been for day or two prevented by q
bowling gale from doing anything save
sleep or smoke. One or two OF the men
knowing. seemingly by instinct, that
the gale has almost blown itself out
prepare fer clubbing expedition
t Should they in the dark and turmoil
miss the islands some score of mile.
away they are carried out into the
ocean and certain death. If, ON the 9th
. er hand they make their haven, they
. land and creep. club in hand. over the
rocky coast to the ocean swelled rec
where the offers sleep.
The roar of the gale browns the sount
of their approach, and the poor otter il
3 a mere ''pelt before he knows of hi
danger Scores Of offers have been killed
r in one night by clubman or two Blu
otter clubbing is not Il means of liveli
hood likely to become generally popular
Chambers Journal