426 HISTORY AND METHODS OF THE FISHERIES. 



elevated in some parts to be seen from a vessel's deck at a distance of 21 miles. They caunot 

 afford any kind of vegetable production. A few birds and seals are all these desolate rocks can 

 support. 



The Antipodes is a small group of uninhabited isles southeast of New Zealand, and are so called 

 from being nearly opposite to Great Britain. Their latitude is 49 42' south, and longitude 178 

 43' east. Besides the 60,000 fur-seal skins taken at these islands in about 1804 by a crew of the 

 American brig Union, it is probable that many other cargoes of which we have no record were 

 also obtained here. 



Stewart's Island, just south of New Zealand, Chatham Island to the east, Campbell's Island 

 southeast of the Aucklands, and the Royal Company's Island in the same latitude as the Auck- 

 lands, but farther west, have all been visited by vessels in search of fur-seals and from them more 

 or less skins have been secured. 



3. SEALING VESSELS AND CREWS. 



SEALING VESSELS AND THEIR OUTFIT. The Antarctic seal fishery is an exceedingly danger- 

 ous pursuit, and requires vessels of strong build and thoroughly equipped with heavy anchors and 

 chains and necessary apparatus for battling with storms and ice. They are frequently employed 

 in whaling as well as sealing, so that in addition to the equipment for sealing they are provided 

 with try-works and whaling implements. 



A typical sealing vessel of the present day is a schooner of from 60 to 150 tons, well coppered 

 and thoroughly caulked. The spars are shorter and stouter than those of an ordinary fishing 

 schooner, and the rigging and sails are of the strongest materials. The outfit consists of from 

 three to five 28-foot boats, camps and equipage for the location of men on seal islands, clubs, guns, 

 ammunition, lances, knives, two suits of sails, extra clothing for the crew, supplies of salt for pre- 

 serving the skins aud provisions for one or two years. The salt is either taken from the homo 

 port or obtained at Cape Verde Islands, and is stowed either in casks or bins. It must be of 

 moderate fineness, for if too coarse it will not sufficiently cover the fleshy part of the skins. Neither 

 Liverpool nor Turk's Island salt have been found suitable for preserving seal skins. In small ves- 

 sels it is customary to carry the salt in bins, which are afterwards used for packing a portion of 

 the skins, while the remainder of the skins are stowed in casks. There are usually two salt-bins, 

 one on each side of the hold, of a total capacity of 500 to 600 bushels. Large vessels take their 

 salt and pack their skins iii casks. About 300 bushels of salt are needed to preserve 5,000 skins. In 

 the hair-seal fishery, on the coast of Newfoundland, the vessel's hold is " pounded off" into bins 

 only a little larger than the skins, which are spread out flat and plentifully sprinkled with salt. 



The provisions consist of barrels of beef, pork, bread, and vegetables, canned goods and cabin 

 stores enough for about two years. The ground-tier of casks is tilled at home with a three months' 

 supply of water and refilled as opportunity -affords. 



Boats employed in this fishery are about the same as the ordinary 28-foot whale-boat. They 

 are made a little stouter and more burdensome than the whale-boat, but of the same general style, 

 and are used in transporting men, skins, and apparatus between the vessel and shore. 



The outfit for a sea-elephant voyage is the same as for fur-sealing, with the addition of extra 

 casks for the oil. These vessels, however, carry no salt unless they expect to find fur seals on their 

 voyage. 



In the early days of the fur-seal and sea-elephant fisheries, man> of the vessels were of large 

 size, sometimes ships of 300- tons, and accompained by small schooners or sloops that served as 

 tenders. This custom is still practiced in the sea elephant fishery, but in fur sealing the scarcity 



