The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1943-12-16
Troops Aid in
Seal SHINING

HEADQUARTERS. Alaskan De |
'partment -UP-Because OF thu /
threat Of Japanese attack last sum
mer against the bleak but enor-
mously valuable PribIlof Islands. |
the greater part OF the work OF
killing and skiuning $4,000 fur |
seals there vas carried out by Unit
ed States troops. it was disclosed
here.
The troops comprised 60 per cent
of the sealing crews. and aided To
all phases OF the work from select
ing bachelor seals to be pelted TO
the final task of processing the car.
casses for oil aud fertilizer. Al
though none of the men had ever
seen fur seal before the great
herds hauled out on the eternally
foggy beaches in May. they soon
became so expert that a crew OF ~
men could kill and skin up 10 500
seals an hour. an officer stated.
Working with the troops during
the S7,00O000 fur harvest was a
specially trained crew of civilian
workers from the Fouke Fur Co. OF
81. Louis. Mo-. the firm which holds
the government contract for finish
ing and marketing the skins. Super.
| intendent OF the civilians was Lee
c. Macmillan, veteran employe OF
the U. S. Bureau OF Fisheries. who
has taken part in % sealing opera
lions in the Pribilofs.
Capt. George Boyer. Stanton,
Neb.. commanding officer Of unit
on st. Paul, the larger OF the two
seal islands. stated that Army
trucks and jeeps we're a new and
welcome addition to the sealing
equipment, as they we're used not
only to drive from herd to herd but
also to haul the thousands OF car
cases from the killing grounds to
the processing plant.
"The crews would pile into jeeps
and trucks at 4 a. m.," Captain
Boyer said, land drive to the haul
ing grounds where they would So
! lect a herd of three-year-old bach.
elor bulls and drive the animals
few hundred yards inland to the
killing grounds. Aided by 100 part
Russian Priblof natives who we're
brought to the island from their
relocation center in Southeastern
! Alaska for the sealing operation,
the troops killed the seals with six
foot clubs. The foreman would
| measure each carcass with wooden
calipers and call out the figures to
an assistant whose job 1t was to
record this biological data.
AN expert with keen knife
usually would cut around
! the flippers and make an incision
the length of the seals underside.
and folio wing this two men would
rip the pelt off. using heavy metal
tonss for the purpose. The silky
/ brown pclts we're hauled in jeeps
and trucks to the processing shed
/ where, after being soaked IN sea
water for - hours, they we're
( cleaned OF blubber and then treated
with salt and boric acid and packed
The troops were amazed by the
ferocity and hardihood Of the great
bull seals who will fight to the
death IN defense Of their harems Of
20 or more cows each. They Verl.
fled the statements Of the Pribilof
natives that the powerful, battle
Scared bulls neither eat nor drink
from May until September. "They
don't even 90 into the water" said
Cpl. Roy Kopperude, Lake Preston,
S. D. Maybe they are afraid other
bulls will steal their cows. ANYHOW,
they just stay there on the rocks
and fight and snort around for four
months, and how they are able TO d.
it is something that beats all Of
US"
The current price OF seal pelts Is
around $50. but this year the sea-
oil probably is as valuable as the
pelts because OF its high glyceriue
content and consequent need In the
manufacture Of munitions. The car.
cases Of tho seals are ground up
in machines and processed for fer
! tiiZer.
While the Jsps did not venture
near the island this year, they have
visited the PribiIofs many times In
the past to peach seals. Lee Mac.
MILAN stated he had taken part in
several skirmishes with Jap fur
pirates. and there are Pribilof ma.
tiyes who admit 10 having killed at
at least one boatlosd OF Japs who
attempted to land and take seal
pelts. \ move is at present under
way in the territory to obtain
medal for one native who shot It
out with a skulking band Of Japs
and forced them back to sea with