ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 249 



the barometer was carefully noted, and Captain Baker, of the Reliance, 

 satisfied himself that the less attention he gave to it the better, as far 

 as the success of our voyage was concerned. 



THE METHOD OF DRESSING THE FUR-SEAL SKIN. 



How SEAL SKINS ARE DRESSED. — As a matter of interest to so large 

 a proportion of our people who delight in the possession of or covet a 

 seal-skin sacque 1 have taken the liberty of republishing the following- 

 letter in a previous brochure, and, as it answers now equally well, in 

 rei)ly to the query as to how the natural seal skin is tanned, plucked, 

 and dyed so as to pass the ordeal of fashionable dress parade, 1 here- 

 with reproduce it, stating sim})ly in doing so that the writer is a very 

 successful operator and one whose work when finished from his hands 

 is said to be always equal and often superior to the best English manu- 

 facture. It was written to me in answer to my question by the senior 

 member of the firm undersigned : 



Albany, Octoher :22, 1874. 



Sir: The Alaska Commercial Company sold in London, December, 1873, about 

 60,000 skins taken from tlie islands leased by our (iovernuient, of the catch of 1873. 

 The remainder of the catch, about 40,000, were sold in March. This company have 

 made the collection of seal I'rom these islands much inore valuable than they were 

 before their lease by the care used by them in curing the skins and taking them only 

 when in season. We have worked this class of seal fur several years — when they 

 were owned by the Russian American Fur Company and during the first year they 

 were owned by our Government. 



When the skins are received by us in the salt, we wash off the salt, placing them 

 upon a beam somewhat like a tanner's beam, removing the fat from the flesh side 

 with a beaming liuife, care being required that no cuts or uneven i)laces are made 

 ill the pelt. The skins are next washed in water and placed upon the beam, with 

 the fur up, and the grease and water removed by the knife. The skins are then 

 dried by moderate heat, being tiicl<ed out on frames to keep them smooth. After 

 being fully dried, they are soaked in water and thoroughly cleansed with soap and 

 water. In some cases they can be unhaired without tliis drying process, and cleansed 

 before drying. After the cleansing process they pass to the picker, who dries the 

 fur by stove heat, the pelt being kept moist. When the fur is dry, lie places the 

 skin on a beam, and while it is warm he removes the main coat of hair with a dull 

 shoe knife, grasping the hair with his thumb and knife, the thumb being protected 

 by a rubber cob. The hair must be pulled out, not broken. After a portion is 

 removed the skin must be again warmed at the stove, the pelt being kept moist. 

 When the outer hairs have been mostly removed, he uses a beaming knife to work 

 out the finer hairs (which are shorter) and the remaining coarser hairs. It will be 

 seen that great care must be used, as the skin is in that soft state that too much 

 pressure of the knife would take the fur also; indeed, bare spots are made. Care- 

 lessly cured skins are sometimes worthless on this account. The skins are next 

 dried, afterwards dampened on the pelt side, and shaved to a fine, even surface. They 

 are then stretched, worked, and dried ; afterwards softened in a fulling mill, or by 

 treading them with the bare feet in a hogshead, one head being removed and the 

 cask placed nearly upright, into wliieh the workman gets with a few skins and some 

 fine, hardwood sawdnst, to absorb the grease while he dances upon them to break 

 them into leather. If the skins have been shaved thin, as required when finished, 

 any defective spots or holes must now be mended, the skin smoothed and pasted 

 with paper on the pelt side, or two pasted together to protect the pelt in dyeing. 

 The usual process in the United.States is to leave the pelts sufficiently thick to protect 

 them without pasting. 



In dyeing, the liquid dye is put on with a brush, carefully covering the points of 

 the standing fur. After lying folded, with the points touching each other, for some 

 little time, the skins are hung up and dried. The dry dye is then removed, another 

 coat applied, dried, and removed, and so on until the required shade is obtained. 

 One or two of these coats of dye are put on much heavier and pressed down to the 

 roots of the fur, making what is called the ground. From eight to twelve coats are 

 required to produce a good color. The skins are then washed clean, the fur dried, 

 the pelt moist. They are shaved down to the required thickness, dried, working 

 them some while drying, then softened in a hogshead, and sometimes run in a revolv- 

 ing cylinder with fine sawdust to clean them. The English process does not have 

 the washing after dyeing. 



