lyOQ ALASKA INDUSTRIES. 



Q, Was any man now present at a drive at Northeast Point this year? — A. Yes, 

 three of us. 



Q. At what (late were yon there? — A. At the beginning of the season and during 

 the third week. 



Q. Were any of you at Northeast Point sinoe the "podding" or "spreading" out 

 of the cows and pups occurred? — A. No. 



Q. (To Kerick Booterin and to Artamonov.) Were you born at Northeast Point and 

 what are your ages? — A. Yes; and Artamonov is now 65 and Booterin is 61. 



Q. (To same two men.) Do you remember whether there were more or less seals 

 before 1872 than then (1872-1874) or afterwards ?— A. In 1868 the hauling grounds and 

 rookeries were at their very fullest — the entire ground from the lake upward being 

 covered with seals. 



Q. When did you first notice the shrinking or scarcity of seals, and when did you 

 first talk about it among yourselves? — A. In 1877 we first began to notice that the 

 holluschickie were getting fewer, and have continued from that year to grow less 

 and less. 



Q. At what time did you talk among yourselves as to when the time would come 

 when there would be an end to the seal business?— A. (By George Booterin.) I began 

 to see in 1877 that this trouble was ahead, but whenever I or my people spoke about 

 it we were told by the company men ("Americans ") (sic) that it was not of our bnsi- 

 ness-and we must not talk about it. Whenever we talked about the seals the company 

 men threatened to send us away from the island. 



Q. (By Mr. Goft' to Booterin.) Was that the reason you would not talk to me last 

 year? — A. I hardly remember now why I did not like to talk about the seals. 



Q. What do yoii men think of the effect on seal life of the driving of the seals? — 

 A. When the old Russian Company drove, and the drivers came in here, they never 

 killed anything over a 3-year-old; all over that were either never disturbed or else 

 spared, and if the same thing had been practiced ever since there would be no scarcity 

 of seals to-day. 



Q. How many 3-year-olds do you think you can get next year? — A. If they were 

 to drive all the seals on this island next year they would get nothing, and would only 

 disturb and injure the rookeries. 



(By Kerick Booterin.) Whenever any killing is allowed, if they never kill any 

 over'3 years old, and kill only 3 years old and under, I believe there would be no 

 injury done. 



"Q. Do any of you remember the zapooska of 1834? — A. Yes; Booterin and Arta- 

 monov remember it well. 



Q. How many seals were killed after the first year of that order, and how were 

 they killed?— A. The first year we killed only 100 holluschickie, and we increased 

 the number every year afterwards. 



Q. What do you'think of another zapposka for to-day? — A. (By Kerick Booterin.) 

 When the Russians ordered their zapooska, little by little afterwards, everything 

 grew better, and if the same thing is repeated to-day, everything will grow better, 

 and if it is not done, no seals will come here. We observed that the men sent here 

 by the Government since old Captain Bryant, till we saw you men and talk now with 

 you, took no interest in the seals, but whenever busy, were engaged in shooting our 

 hogs ; in fact, they very seldom visited the rookeries. 



Q. Did you men ever talk or attempt to talk about seal life to any of the Govern- 

 ment ofiicers before Mr. Goft^'s time? — A. Yes, on several occasions, and they 

 answered — and they answered we did not know anything about it. 



Q. Have you any questions you would like to ask the Government? — A. Yes; we 

 want to know what is to be done about the seals. 



Mr. Elliott. Wo propose to immediately inform the Secretary of the Treasury of 

 the exact condition of aftairs, and we know that he will take care of the seals and 

 the people too. He is the only man who can talk, but he sent us here to get the 

 facts and he will net upon that'information. None of us in Washington knew of the 

 trne condition of affairs up here. Until Mr. (iloff wrote down last year to the Secre- 

 tary of the Treasury, not a word has ever gone from here since 1870, which even 

 hinted at any danger to the seals. 



Kerick Booterin. We think had it not been for Mr. Goft' the seals would all be 

 gone. We are not now afraid of being hungry, although we can not take seals. 



Mr. Elliott. We want you natives to understand that the Government cares more 

 for the preservation of the seals than for any money that may be received in the 

 form of a tax. 



The iuterview closed at this point. 



The foregoing statements are made only hy those natives who in 

 187:^-187 A were old enough then^ to really observe and think; these men 

 are the only survivors of that age when I was on the island in 1872. 

 When the above interview was in progress Kerick Booterin during the 

 whole time held a small notebook in his hand, open, and not seeing 



