The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-12-17
TROOPS AIDED IN SEAL CATCH
 ON PRIBILOFS
BY RUSSELL AHgNABEL United Press Staff Correspondent

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 Headquarters, Alaskan Depart nent (UP)-Because of the threat of Japanese attack last summer against the bleak but enormously valuable Pribilof Islands, the great CT part of the work of killing and ikinning 117OO0 fur seals there was carried out by United States tfooDS, 1t wat disclosed here.
 The troops comprised 60 per cent of the sealing crews, and aided in all phases of the work from select Ing bachelor seals to be pelted to the final task of processing the car- cases for oil and fertilizer. AL though none of the man had ever seen Q fur seal before the great herds hauled out on the eternally foggy beaches in May, they soon became so expert that crew of 40 men could kill and skin up to 300 seals an hour, an officer stated.
 Working with the troops during the $7,O00,00O fur harvest was a specially trained crew of civilian workers from the Fouke Fur Co. of St. Louis, Mo, the firm which holds the government contract for finish ing and marketing the skins. Superintendent of the civilians was Lee c. Macmillan, veteran em- ploye of the U. s. Bureau of Fish cries, who has taken part in 2 sealing operations in the Pribilofs.
 Capt. George Beyer, Stanton, Neb., commanding officer of 8 unit on St. Paul, the larger of the two seal islands, stated that Army trucks and jeeps were a new and welcome addition to the sealing equipment, as they were 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 a. m.," Captain Beyer said, land drive to the haul ing grounds where they would se- lect 8 herd of three -year-old bach elor bl Ills and drive the animals few hundred yards inland to the killing grounds. Aided by 12O part Russian Pribilof natives who were brought to the island from their relocation center in Southeastern Alaska for the sealing operation, the troops killed the seals with six foot clubs. me foreman would measure each carcass with wooden ealipers and call out the figures to an assistant whose job 1t was to eecord this biological data.
 "An expert with 8 keen knife usually native-would cut around the flippers and make an incision khe length of the seals underside, and folliwing this two men would rip the pelt off, using heavy metal tonss for the purpose. The silky brown pe1ts were hauled in jeeps and trucks to the processing shed where after ebing soaked in sea water for 24 hours, they were cleane of blubber and then treated with salf and boric acid and packed in barrels, 90 skins to the barrel
 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 verified the statements of the Pribi- lof natives that the powerful, battle-scarred bulls neither eat nor drink from May until September. 'aThey don't even gc into the wa ter," 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 do 1t Is something that beats all of us."
 The current price of seal pelts is around $60, but this year the seal oil probably is as valuable as the pelts because of its high gly.. cerine content and consequent need in the manufacture of munitions. The carcasses of the seals are ground up in machines and proc essed for fertilizer.
 While the Japs did not venture near the island this year, they have visited the Pribilofs many times in the past to poach seals. Lee Mac milan stated he had taken part III several skirmishes with Jap fur pirates, and there are Prtoilof na- lives who admit to having killed at least one boatload O. Japs who attempted to land and take seal belts. A move is t present under way in the territory to obtain 8 medal for one native who shot It out with a skulking band of Japs
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