Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-10
REEF ROoKEN
ST PAUL ISLAND

island TO care for the wants Of the reo-
pie. Churches have been erected md
presided over by priests of the Russian
Greek faith. Schools in which tho Eng
lish branches are taught Were tstab-
lished. Wood and coal took tho
place of the filthy seal-blubber and drift
wood fuel. The former exclusive diet Of
seal meat has been supplemented by
many Of the staples and even lHXures of
civilized living
\ word about pelagir or deep-sea seal
ing-tatchnS seals at sea instead Of at
the rookeries. which is usually illegal and
prohibited under certain conditions.
The first pelagic sealing conducted
from vessels appears TO have been done
off the coast of Vancouver Islands he
tween 1871 and 1873 The history of this
sealing is involved in obscurity but a
pelagic-sealing industry in connection
with coastwise trading among Indian VII
lagos gradually sprung up. and hy l>.0
there Were -four vessels engaged Tie
catoh hes made We're not If mach i'm
portance. and the price of skins wa very
ioW. ranging from three to five do lars. II
was an omtgrowth OF the canoe sealing
by Indians that from time immem2r al
had been practiced in those waters Their.
are no records to show that the vessels
skins brought to market. II is not IN
likely that the coast Sealin. regularly
practiced by the Indians was greatly
stimulated during these Years 10y the
presence of trading vessels. and the catch
was largely made in this way. the yes
sells themselves contributing hut little
toward the capture of the seals
The annual catch of the Indians under
ordinary conditions has until recently
averaged between ooco and :..ooo skins.
Subsequent To 1850 the few vessels trad
ing In this region increased i'm number
and became practically pelagic alers
So FAR as known. the crews were com.
posed chiefly of Indians The vessels be-
ing regarded as traders. no satisfactory
records We're kept as to the source OF
the sealskins brought to port
The canoes used by the Indian seal
ers are the cedar dugout canoes en-
ployed by the Indian tribes of the north
west coast They are light and grace
full craft of the high bow and stern pat
tern. common from Washington to Va
kutat. Alaska. The outfit of the canoe
is similar to that of the sealing boat
The guns in use are generally shotguns
of 10 bore, shooting tWenty-one pellets
of No. buckshot Repeating rifles are
also carried. but not TO the same
tent as in former years. Guns are used
almost entirely In the waters of the north
Pacific ocean. but since 1894 spears have
been employed in all seal hunting i'm the
eastern part of Boring sea. in accord
ance with the provisions of the Paris
award. Each vessel is provided with
foghorn and small signal gun or Yacht
cannon for disclosing the position of the
vessel I'm foSgy weather.
The spear used in Boring sea since lSa3,
in conformity with the regulations of the
Paris award. is similar 10 that which has
long been employed by the Indians OF
the northwest coast in hunting seals from
shore. The pole is twelve IL fourteen
feet long. pronged with two detachable
barbed iron spear points secured by a
thirty-yard line the end OF which ia tied
To the boa. When a seal is str TEX the
barbed points slip of the pole. TIE lat
ter being recovered after the seal has
been pulled alongside the boat Seals
fight sava9ely at such times and require
TO be brought alongside carefully, while
the larger animals are Very DANCE rous
guarantees all the latest and best
Films. including the Jeffries- johnson
Black Hand Outrage and the Corona-
ton.
What became of the