The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1904-02-02


SsOlS manufactured into robes
for potentates and princes of the Ole
World and capitalists of this and Other
countries, closed on October /, having
begun on May 1. According TO reports
received at the Treasury Department
and the Department of Commerce and
Labor, the latter of which exerts Off,
cial supervision over the sea otter in
| dustry in Alaska. so far as the preser.
walton and regulation of hunting and
killing of the animal are concerned, the
sea otter is becoming scarcer every
year, and threatens in a short time to
enter the list of "animals of the ex-
| tinct class"
It is not generally known that the
only species of sea otter is found on
the northern Asiatic and northwestern
American coast, and it is remarkable
that the extent of territory in the
United States where these animals are
taken is so extremely limited, being
only from Damon's Point. at the north
ern entrance to Gray's Harbor, up the
coast to Point Greenville, in the State
twenty-four miles. The animal is a
descendant of an extinct race, and
really belongs to a past age. He is
shy and hard to locate, employing
clever means to avoid the enemy Sea
offers are most frequently found in
masses Of what is known to the sailors
as 'bladder kelp," and sometimes "sea
otter cabbage" This kelp, like the
animal that inhabits it, is a relic of
bygone ages. 1t is a giant seaweed,
found only in the North Pacific Ocean,
among whose huge fronds the sea OF
ters make their homes.
Nereocystics is the scientific name Of
the weed, and its formation has often
attracted the attention of scientists.
The stems are sometimes several hun
dred feet long, slender but of enor-
nous strength, and they terminate in
large club-shaped bulbs, from which
spring tufts of fronds of gigantic size.
The stems and fronds become so
thickly massed together that they form
floating islands, which are the home of
the sea offers.
Unlike that Of the seal, the fur of
the sea otter requires no plucking of
hair or, coloring-in fact, the most val
liable skins are those which are speck-
led through with a silver tipped fur,
the addition of this hair adding 20 to
80 per cent. to the price of the skin.
The otter hunters build for themselves
derricks about forty feet high, by TAX
ing three slim poles or pieces of tim
Der, each about forty feet in length
They bolt them securely together at
one end for the top. and spread them
about twenty-five feet apart at the bot
tom, giving them the appearance of a
huge tripod. These are set on the
ocean beach, about midway between
high and low tides, the feet of the poles
being imbedded in the sand from two
to three feet. The structure is then
thoroughly braced and a ladder built
to the top by mailing pieces at con-
venient distances crosswise on the in
land portion of the tripod About eigh-
teen inches below the top of the tripod
cross timbers are secured to the legs,
and upon these cross timbers a floor
from four to five feet square is laid,
and on the oceanward and two ada
cent sides walls are built up from
three to four feet in height. On the
land side floor is constructed to al
low easy ingress and egress to and
from this "crow's nest" On the top
of the tripod, which extends about
eighteen inches above the floor, seat
is constructed, and around the inside
Of the wall row of shelving is placed.
At low tide. when the wind is pro-
pitious, the hunter HES himself to this
crows nest, armed with a good pair of
glasses, a rifle, luncheon and q little
something to keep him warm, and for
six long hours he scans the line of the
ocean just outside of the breakers,
where he expects his game to appear.
When the tide first begins to flood, his
range is about six hundred yards, but
as 1t runs in the range is shortened to
two hundred or three hundred yards
Even at these latter distances it re-
quires close calculation to know just
how to shoot to overcome the rise and
fall of the ocean swell and the effect
of the wind upon the bullets. 1t is
said that not one out of one hundred
shots of the best marksmen is eff
fective. When the tide is full the der
rick stands in the midst of the break
ers, and landlubber is apt to feel a
little squeamish looking down from the
dizzy heights on the rolling waters be-
low. The shooting is generally done
on flood tide, so that the animal
when killed. will wash ashore, and
even then 1t is sometimes three or four
days before 1t is beached. Each hunter
marks his bullets with mark known
to the other hunters. and when an Of
ter is found on the beach tie first duty
of the finder is to look for the bullet
and ascertain who is the rightful own
err, for this sign is respected among
the hunters as sacredly as marks and
brands are among stockmen. When
an otter comes ashore with no bullet in
him, as is frequently the case, the bull
let having gone clear through the body,
and no notice having been given, it is
regarded as a "slick ear" in stock
mems parlance, and belongs to the