The Richmond climax. (Richmond, Ky.) 1897-1914, 1913-10-10
Fur Center of The World.

The United States Government through
Secretary of Com merce Redfeld has just
made decision that will make St. Louis
the fur center OF the world.
| That is, to change the sale of all the
Government catch of all seal skins, foxes
and other Alaska furs, from London to
st. Louis.
This is the first time in history that
the American seal catch has been mark
eted through American channels.
The history OF the seal is one of the
most absorbing and romantic of all the
great American industries. While the
U. S. Government has produced wonder
fully interesting books Oh the subject,
and which can be had free OF charge,
the whole country will be interested in a
few facts bearing on the seal history of
North America, especially in the light
! of the recent action of the Department
of Commerce, which stamps st. Louis
as the fur center of the world.
The price paid to Russia for the whole
of Alaska was s7,0oO,OOO. The revenue
from the seal islands alone-rough, bar
rem, forbidding spots that comprise but
an infinitesimal area of the Alaska map,
has been $4,000. 000-more than twice
the sum paid for the entire territory.
During the first year OF Uncle Sans
possession, the catch was about 100000
to 900, 900 seals, but the herd has dimin-
ished so considerably that as result
laws have been enacted by WEIGH the
herds will be conserved, and future
catches increased.
This great dim;nusion of the herds
has been the result of pelagic sealing
the killing of seals in the open sea.
Whole fl let's would sometimes lay on
the seal islands while their crews killed
the female seals which swan out 10 sea
seeking food.
At sea the sexes can not be distin-
guished, and the females predominating
the pelagic catch is made up largely of
this class, the percentage being from So
TO 80 per cent OF females. The death of
female seal was not the only evil. She
was out seeking food for her pup which
she had left On shore, so that her death
meant also the death OF the young one.
The United States, Russia, Japan and
Great Britain have made pact which
stipulates that no longer shall the fur
seal be killed on the high seas
The seal is polygamist. The larger
and stronger males have harems, rang
ing from 20 to 40 in number according
to the fighting strength of the King of
the Harem." One bull has been known
to have 200 cows in his harem.
Naturally there is large surplus of
mateless males whose one object in life
is to get harem of their own, entailing
continuous warfare and bloodshed III
which often the female is torn TO pieces
or MANNED in the struggle for ownership.
To kill off goodly number of these dis
turbing bachelors of the herd is there
fore neCessary-not only for the good of
the herd itself, but also for the good of
the skins, for naturally mutilated skin
or an old one has very little value.
Nearly two years ago Congress made
law stopping the killing Of seals en-
tirely on U. S. Islands for five years, ex-
cept seals needed for food by natives on
the islands.
In 1887 seal skin brought from 81 TO
SO; in 1890, SIT 10 $50; while in 1900, the
price reached the $40 mark. The price
on seal garments, however, have indi-
Gated fcuitiors value, due to the heavy
duty entailed by London shipments. and
fur dealers have had TO demand an ex-
horbitant figure for an article is which
home product and should,N and could
have been. been bought for much less
At present time St. Louis is the larg-
est primary fur market in the world,
and is estimated that three-fourths of
all the furs trapped on the North Amer
lean Continent are shipped to st. Louis
houses to be sold.