The Wrangell sentinel., 1923-04-12
Unique Program of
 U. 5. Coast Guard

G. Dodge, commanding officer in charge, owing to annual prepara- tions for a busy campaign in costal, Alaskan and Arctic waters. Unless person has closely followed the work of this efficient department of the government he can have but little idea of the diversified and some times most unusual service perform fleet and it's we'll trained personnel.
 From time to time during the win ter, especially during the period of storms, news item is frequently read in the papers showing how in dividual vessels of the fleet have per formed remarkable feats of herpism in sailing out from their base on Put get Sound to rescue some vessel in distress. In the old days the Coast Guard cutters had to scout along the coast as best they could in an eff fort to find a vessel that needed as- sistance. In these later days of radio and wireless nearly every vessel of any size is so equipped that it can send out a call for assistance and add all information as to immediate danger, state of weather, latitude, logitude, etc. The Coast Guard cut ters are, like city fire engines, all ready to steam up the moment an alarm is sounded and during the stormy period the service generally is ample to render valuable assist ance to vessels at sea and often res- cue many precious lives.
 Here in the northern district Blanco, California, to Boring Sea and the Arctic ocean, inclusive, the brighter days of summer bring ad- ded and unique duties and the month of outfitting is April when each vessel gets it's specific orders and sails away from it's home port on Puget Sound to remain on duty throughout the entire summer.
 Assigned to the Coastal service is the Snohomish, Cahokia and the Unalga, while to the Boring sea and Arctic region are the Haida, Mojave, Be raand the Algonquin. The first unusual service of the year will probably be performed by the vessels patrolling the coast. Longer than man knoweth the seals living on Pribilof islands have each year left their home and migrated southward going as far as the coast of Mexico where they live in the water during the entire winter, but in April they begin their homeward swim back to the Pribilof islands. There they rest during the entire summer and the mother seals raise their young teach them to swim and catch fish. Mean while the old bull seals live in idle ness while the bachelor seals herd and fight by themselves in another part of the rookeries.
 In the old days poachers lay in wait for the great horde as it moved homeward each spring and in the open sea would ruthlessly kill all classes of the valuable animals, in cluding the mother and pups, which injustice, generally known as pelag- ic sealing, was largely curtailed by the Northern Pacific Sealing Confer ence of July 7th, 1911. Now, as the seal herd of the Pribilof islands is said to have increased from 145,OOO animals in 1910 to 5S1,O0O in 1921, it was natural to expect that certain poachers, notably native aboriginees off the coast, would again find 1t profitable to go into the business of pelagic sealing so it came about that the United States Coast Guard was charged with the important work of preventing this as far as possible.
 The cutters go off shore the prop CT distance and there lie in wait for the coming of the remarkable family from somewhere down south. They always come on time and you cannot count them. They seem to know that they are under the protection of our Uncle Samuel and some of the moth- CT seals, who are always protected, come right up to the cutters and in the friendliest manner become ac- quainted and beg for scraps of food. It is noticeable. however. that the bachelors. who have seen so many of their brothers knocked on the head, are most reluctant. They take no chances but keep away from the ves- sells. Then comes the unusual expe- rience of this vast army of valuable fur-bearing sea animals being es- rorted to their home by the United States Coast Guard cutters and woe betide any poacher who dares to in-