Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The illustrated west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1891-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 4, 1891)
224 ling in a huge fire place, bringing joy to the soul and comfort to the cramped and uiilled body of the traveler, even as the table near by, laden with hearty and toothsome fare brings satisfaction to his long-neglected and rebellious stomach. There may be higher joys in life than this, but it would be hard to convince the traveler who has ridden all night with a taciturn driver, his feet tucked away under the apron and his hands anon desperately clutching the side rail as the stage suddenly sank into the trough of one " ground swell " or rose upon the crest of another, the thermometer meanwhile utterly neglect ing its duty of keeping the atmosphere at a comfortable temperature, but such is the case. Utter and complete satisfaction with one's present condition must be the highest joy in life, whether it be that of a clam idly floating with the tide, a Napoleon at Austerliu or a Christian science healer who has had a successful contest with a case of toothache, and this is the feeling of the stage traveler as he sits at the matutinal meal and feels the soothing warmth that steals over him tram the glowing fire place. One by one the stages are being driven out before the on-coming iron horse, and, while we welcome the new and appreciate its advantages, we can but cast a half-regretful sigh at the disappearance of the things that were. SEALING ALONG THE COAST. DKCOV1NU SKAI.S ON THK COAST OK WASHINOTOS. Although it will be fully three months before the annual " ruckus will begin in the disputed waters of Bering sea, the sealing season is already well advanced in the waters along the coast from California north, and the same vessels that will, about the first of July, enter the precincts of the contested sea and begin the work of slaughter in the vicinity of the rookeries, are now qui etly and unobserved!)' pur suing the same business in that undisputed public highway known as the Pa cific ocean. The sealing fleet con sists of about forty schoon ers of small site, a vessel of great carrying capacity being unnecessary, and at present they nearly all have their headquarters at Victoria and sail under the British flag, though many of them are owned and commanded b y Ameri cans. Ilefore the compli cations anise that resulted in the practical exclusion of American sealers from llering sea, a number of vessels had their headquarters at San Francisco, and in their northern voyage along the coast often caught quite a nuntlier of these amphibious wearers of sealskin sacks before reaching the mouth of the Columbia i but now that Vic toria is the headquarters, little sealing is dune south of that stream. Where the seals scnd their winters is a mystery as profound as the deep-sea home of the salmon. All that is known of them is that they make (heir appearance off the coast of California very early in the spring, their numlicrs increasing as progress north is made, until off the Straits of Kuca the northwardly mov ing drove, or band, numbers millions, though extending, as it docs, from the shore many miles in width out to sea, it does not give a very large number within sight of any partkular vessel. In this way they move north in their aniui.ll migration from their unknown winter home to the various rookeries or breeding grounds in llering sea, receiving the attention of the sealers constant ly during the passage, and even long after they have readied their destination, when they should I left unmolested. The first catch of the sealers is along the coast both north and south ol the Straits of Kuca, off the shores of Washington and Vancouver island, though often so far out to sea as to be out of sight of either of them. In this catch a numlier of I'ugrt sound vessels partii iate, though they refrain (mm making the unlawful incurskin into llering sea. Many of the most ex perienced hunters are Indians from along the adjacent ovist, to whom sealing has become an instinctive science thnxigh the Spencerian theory of cultiva tion through generations of ancestors. It was here the first trailers a century ago established trade relations with the natives, and it was here that occurred those events that led to what is known as the " Noutka controversy," that THE WEST SHORE. nearly plunged England and Spain into a war that would probably have in volved other European powers, and possibly our own infant, but lusty, nation. Sealing in the open sea fa done in small boats, of which each vessel has about half a dojen, each equipped with a crew of two men, a boat puller and a hunter. In the morning the boats pull away from the vessel in different di rections, though always aiming to remain within easy returning distance in case of accident or storm ; while those in charge of the schooner, on their part, keep track of the boats and stand ready to go to their assistance when ever necessary. Notwithstanding these precautions, boats are occasionally lost and they and their crews never heard from again. A seal's head project ing above the surface of the water is a small object to see, especially when a swell is heaving the bosom of the ocean, and as a mark to shoot at by a rifle man standing in a swaying boat it is one calling for great skill and experience on the part of the hunter. When one is observed it is the duty of the boat puller to get his craft as quietly as possible within range, and then to steady it until the hunter fires, when he must pull quickly to the spot, for a dead seal easily sinks and is lost. A hunter necessarily scores a great many misses at such a target, and it fa stated by experienced sealers that not more than one in ten of those killed or severely wounded is finally secured. It will be seen that the hunter who returns to the vessel at night with half a dozen seals must have spoiled considerable ammunition. It fa upon this basis of one in ten that the great slaughter in Bering sea is estimated. If the fleet secure 40,000 skins, it means 400,000 dead seals, the majority of which, near the breeding grounds, so it is alleged, are females out foraging for their young, or so heavy with young that they are sluggish and easily shot. The engraving on the first page shows a hunter in the act of trying his skill upon the bobbing head of a seal. If successful, the as If successful, shot will make him about two dollars richer and in crease the wealth of the boat puller by fifty cents, that being the scale of wages decided upon for the present season for a boat securing 300 seals during the year. As night comes on the boats all put back to the vessel, their catch is hauled on board, skinned, and the skins salted away in the hold. When seals begin to be come scarce off the coast, the fleet puts back to Vic toria, discharges its cargo, takes on supplies for the northern cruise, and then proceeds up the coast with the animals, hunting on the way, finally entering llering sea with them late in June or early in July and remaining there until September, bringing contention and bitterness ol spirit between two nations that ought to be on the friendliest terms, and adding to the gray hairs and wrinkles ol the worried diplomats. The natives have many ways of capturing the seal, whose flesh and hide have both been objects of desire to them for centuries, but the one depicted in the accompanying engraving, as observed by Mr. H. D. Chapman, is cer tainly the most ingenious. Says Mr. Chapman : " I have often read of the adroitness of the American Indian in fooling his enemy in time of war, by donning either the skin of a wild animal or dressing himself with a headdress ol grass and crawling up to intrenchments. or even into an enemy's camp, and, by imitating the call or some bird or ani mal, signaling definite information to his friends at a distance. But not long since, while crossing Gray's harbor with an Indian, 1 witnessed a scene which for perspicacity outdid anything I had heretofore given the siwash credit for. My attention was called to a gray object lying on the sandy beach of the mid dle flats, by a cry much resembling that of a baby emanating therefrom, and 1 at once ordered the Indian to take me ashore to investigate. He, however, assured me that it was only an Indian hunting seals, and if I had the time he would cast anchor where we were and watch the result from the boat. To this I assented. When we had cast anchor I commenced an investigation with my glasses, and discovered that the object was a human being wrapped in a piece of gray material and imitating the cry or whining noise of a young seal. One an.,, however, was left free, and close by, ready for instant use. was a long salmon spear. In a short time I discovered a seal cautiously mile-