Omaha daily bee., 1909-11-14
@N THE FUR SEAL ISLANDS
Corner Of the United States that
Knows No Poverty.
TEN MILLION SEAL HERD
Aieuts Up In the Arctic wen Housed,
Well Cared for and
New Lease of the islands
I'm 1910.

WASHINGTON. Nov. l2-The secretary
OF and labor Is now engaged
In preparing an invitation to American
companies and individuals 10 submit bids
Tor the leasing OF one OF the most valuable,
and at the same time most troublesome,
possessions Of the United states, the
Pribilof group, better known as the Fur
Seal Islands. The term Of ten years OF
the present lessee. the North American
Commercial company OF San Francisco,
expires on April 30. 1910. The lease allows
the holder to kin about 1900 fur seals
annually. and these sell in the London
market for not less than s465, 900.
The islands were acquired from Russia
along with the rest Of Alaska. In 1867, and
in 1870 they were first leased. the Alaska
Commercial company being the lessee. In
1890 the North American Commercial COM
pany made a better bid and secured the
privilege of taking seals for the succeeding
ten years. It Is believed that the Alaska
Commercial company which has again be-
come IN aggressive competitor in the fur
buying industry In Alaska, will bid for
the lease.
Under the present contract the lessee
pays at the rate OF $1O.22h for each skin
taken. The secretary or and
labor determines the kind and number Of
seals to be taken each year and the method
OF killing. Under the regulations the ami
mails are killed with clubs, and the kill
is restricted TO bachelors of and 3
years old. The age Is fixed by the weight
Of the skin, none Weighing less than eight
and a half pounds being legal. As the
bachelors herd by themselves most Of the
killing season, 1t is an easy matter to see
that only male seals are killed. although
at tho end Of the mating season more care
must be exercised.
Natives Well Furnished.
In addition to the sum paid the govern
ment for each skin the company furnishes
free to the natives on the islands dried
salmon and salt and salt barrels for pre-
serving a supply of meat, eighty tons of
coal annually, comfortable dwellings and
necessary school houses, , which 1t keeps
In repair. competent teachers and a free
school for the education of the children
eight months of the year, competent ply
slcians, medicines and medical supplies,
and the necessaries OF life for the widows
and orphans and aged and lnfirm inhab-
itsnts Of the islands unable to provide for
themselves. The company also employs
the natives to perform such work on the
islands as they are fitted to perform at a
compensation fixed By the secretary Of
commerce and labor.
vi ~ eA1F aAb boNNA nv 49,
agent, Walter 1. Lembkey, and three assist
ant agents to look after it's interest upon
the islands, and also furnishes revenue
cutters and naval vessels to protect the
islands from raids by maraudlng pelagic
sealers.
The Prlbilof islands, which are the breed
ing grounds Of the major herd of the Pa
cific fur seals, were discovered in 1885 by
Gerassim Pribilof, a navigator in the en-
ploy Of one Of the Russian trading com
panies. They are situated i'm Boring sea,
about 1000 miles from Seattle, Wash. The
group consists of st. Paul, st. George, Wal
rus and otter islands and Sea Lion Rock.
They are completely isolated from other
land, the nearest port being Unalaska, on
one Of the Aleutian islands, which Is 24
miles to the southward.
The islands are of volcanic origin and
are desert to the extent that they produce
nothing capable of sustaining man. They
are remarkable for the profusion of wild
flowers found upon them during the sum
mer months.
In FOsEy Solitude.
During a large part Of the year the
Islands and the surrounding sea are en-
vsloped IN a dense fog, which makes navi-
CATION difficult and hazardous, There
are no vessels on the islands-practically
the only hiuu VI ~ III . 10 ~ hahANe
bidarka or skin o~anoe-capable of being
navIgated to the mainland or to the nearest
port, and the only time the residents
come in touch with the outside worit
Is when the North American Commercial
company's steamer calls there twice each
year. and at irregular intervals when &
revenue cutter chances to stop for a few
hours,
These islands are the only breeding
ground OF the Pribilof or American flu
seal herd. which even in it's present de
pleted condition is the largest fur sea
herd in the world. The seals OF this here
breed upon the Islands Of st. Paul and st
George during the summer and annually
in the fall leave them and proceed through
Boring sea and the passes between tn,
Aleutian islands into the Pacific ocean
Some OF them 80 as far south as sant'
Barbara channel, off southern California.
Generally speaking, this annual migra
ton Of the herd begins In November, an,
by the latter part OF December there ar
few II any animals left on the islands
They remain away until the following
spring. the first arrivals usually sppearinl
about May 1 and the last the latter par
Of June or July.
WAntOn killing stopped.
Al the time OF the discovery OF thes
islands by the Russians fur SEAL sea otter