The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1908-06-04

Naturally, the largest industry IN
Newfoundland Is the cod-fishing, but
decidedly the most picturesque is seal
hunting. one Of the most perilous OF
the worlds vocations. From 5000 to
10000 men are regularly employed in
1t, and many an exciting adventure do
these men experience in their quest for
the valuable skins of the seals. We
IRE reminded of the dangers en-
countered by the fishermen when we
read In a telegram from st. Johns
Of five sealing steamers being badly
damaged by ice-floes. one having sunk
with the loss of 10000 skins, valued at
100000.
The scene of the hunt is the ice
ields which drift southwark in the
spring of each year from the Arctic
.egions. and bleaker or more DESC
ate region could scarcely be found.
The Arctic current, sweeping south
ward along the coasts of Labrador and
Newfoundland, carries with it a va
,iety of animal life, and is one of the
great feeding grounds for deep-sea fish
such as cod and mackerel, which
form the food of the seals.
There are four species of seal in the
waters around Newfoundland and Lab
rador-the bay seal. the harp, the
uood, and the square-flipper. The bay
seal does not migrate like the others,
but frequents the mouths Of rivers and
the harbors near the coast 1t is never
found on the ice. Mostly taken in net,
it is commercially of small Importance.
The harp seattle seal Of commerce
is so called because 1t has broad
curved line of connected dark spots
proceeding from each shoulder and
meeting on the back above the tail,
forming a figure something like an
ancient harp. The hood Is much larg-
or than the harp. The male. called
by the hunters "doghood," is distin-
guished from the female by singu-
lar hood or bag of flesh on his nose
which he can initiate and use as
protection. The square-fipper is iden-
teal with the Greenland seal, but is
only occasionally met with on the Ice
foes OF the Labrador coast.
The gathering together OF the two
great herds of seals, the harps and
the hoods, at the same spot and pre-
cisely at the same time every year, is
one of the most interesting facts in
natural history. Up to the middle OF
February the seals have been wander
ing all over the ocean, but Just at this
time they settle down on the ice-foe
or anchor-ice, great plain usually
frozen in solid with the land and sur
rounding islands, for the purpose of
breeding.
With the gaff the hunter delivers
sharp blow upon the nose Of the seal,
the most vulnerable point, and in the
case of young seals this blow Is in
stantly fatal. In moment the man
Is on his knees, his large jack-knife is
at work, and the skin with the adher
Ing fat is detached rapidly from the
carcass, which is left on the ice. The
pelts, as the skin and adhering fat are
called, are then bound up in bundles
and dragged over the hummocky ice
to the side of the steamer. The old
seals are not so easily disposed of as
this. The skull and the hide of the
dog.seal are frequently so thick that
he cannot be killed with the gaff used
on the younger ones. He is therefore
shot with rifle. Each squad of seal
hunters carries at least one gun, in
tended for this purpose.
The men do not cease their work
until there are no more victims in
sight, or night closes in. Sometimes
they go several miles away from the
vessel. and are obliged to remain on
the ice-cake until morning. This is
tery perilous situation, for the rea-
.on that at times gales come up which
break the fields into small pieces, or
olizzards come on in which many a
hunter has been frozen to death. Last
season a party of five hunters missed
their steamer and were only dis
covered two days later. Two OF them