FISHERIES OF ALASKA IN 1910. 53 



to their boats and the vessel soon sank. Two days later the ship- 

 wrecked crew was picked up by the whaler Fearless. 



The station fleet secured 146 whales, of which 6 were sperm whales 

 and one a right whale. As the sperm and right whales produce more 

 valuable by-products than the ordinary whales secured here, the 

 financial return this year was better than in previous seasons. Since 

 the fleet began fishing in the open ocean, moreover, a greater number 

 of sulphur-bottom whales, which are the largest, have been secured, 

 thus adding materially to the output of the station with but slight 

 addition to the cost of operating in the interior waters. It is probable 

 that the plant will be removed to a spot nearer the present scene of 

 operations in order to eliminate the time and expense now necessary 

 in order to get the killed whales from the grounds to the station. 



There are a number of shore whaling stations along the Arctic 

 shores of Alaska, at Cape Smythe, Point Hope, and Point Barrow. 

 These stations are quite different affairs from the shore whaling 

 station at Tyee, in southeast Alaska, being virtually trading stations 

 which, in addition to their regular mercantile business, 'furnish the 

 capital to outfit Eskimos who wish to hunt whales in the ocean close 

 to shore. When a whale is killed the whalebone is removed and sold 

 to the trader, while the natives eat or preserve as food as much of the 

 blubber and flesh as they feel will be required to support them through 

 the long winter. At Cape Smythe there are about 19 boats whaling, 

 at Point Hope about 22, and at Point Barrow about 36 boats. The 

 crews average about 8 men to a boat and the darting gun is quite 

 generally used. The season lasts about 2 months, and comprises a 

 part of April, all of May, and a part of June. The bone shipped out 

 from these stations appears in the statistical tables. 



Owing to the glut in the whalebone market, but few of the Arctic 

 fleet operated this year. The fleet comprised the following: Steamer 

 Herman (229 net tons), steamer Karluk (247 net tons), brigantine 

 Jeanette (217 net tons), schooner Rosie H. (69 net tons) which went 

 north in 1908, gasoline schooner Confianza (84 net tons), and the 

 schooner Lettitm (233 net tons). The gasoline schooner Olga (43 net 

 tons) sailed north in 1908 and was wrecked in the Arctic late in 1909, 

 the news not coming out until this year. While whales were plentiful 

 they were excessively shy and hard to approach. The fleet secured 

 27 whales, the Karluk alone taking 21, which however, represents 

 two seasons' work on the part of the Karluk, she having spent the 

 winter of 1909-10 in the North. 



FURS. 



Except in the case of fur seals and sea otters, no effort has hereto- 

 fore been made to conserve the supply of fur-bearing animals of the 

 district, but "An act to protect the seal fisheries of Alaska, and for 



59395°— 11 22 



