506 TESTIMONY 



with tlie original thereof, now in the possession of the Alaska Commer- 

 cial Company of San Francisco, California, ami that the same is a full, 

 true, and correct transcript therefrom and of the whole of said original 

 report. 



In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and afiixed my ofii- 

 cial seal at my oftice, in the city and county of San Francisco, State of 

 California, this 1th day of April, A. D. 1892. 



[SEAL.] Clement Bennett, 



Notary Public. 



Deposition of John Woodruff, ftealer. 



pelagic sealing. 



State of California, 



City and County of San Franciaco, sti : 

 John Woodruff, having been duly sworn, deposes and says: I am 21 

 rience ycars of age. My occupation is that of a boatman. I 



xpenence. |.^^^ ^^^ j^_^^^ Fraucisco. 1 wcut ou a scaliug voyage last 



suutheriand, 18!)!. ycar ill tlic scliooncr SouthcrJand. We left San Fran- 

 cisco in March, sealing all the way along the coast. We 

 put in at Sand Point, staying there a week, and then 

 Entered Bering Sea. ^yej^t iuto the Bedug Sea. Wc wcrc in there about a 

 Ordered out. wcck and a half, and were ordered out by the Revenue 



Cutter ii'*/.s7/. We caught a few seals in there. When 

 we first went in there we did not see many, but after we were in there 

 a while we saw ])leiity of them that had large breasts that were full of 



Preonant females "'i^^^' '"^"'^ *'^"' ^*'^^*^^' ^^'^^'^ "^^'"^^ ^^^ fcmales; tlic avcrage 

 taken^iso miles from would bc about oiic male to tcii feiiiales, and we killed 

 *^'^"'^^- cows in milk 150 miles from the seal islands. A green 



Waste of life. huuter would get one out of every five or six that he 



shot or killed, and an experienced hunter might kill 

 three or four and get one. A great many that we shoot sink. 



After we left the Bering Sea we hove to outside of Unamak Pass, 

 staid there about three days, and started home, killing a few young 

 l^ups on the way down. Our entire catch for that trip was between 

 368 and 378 seals. We landed most of them at Sand Point. The 

 catch we made from there to San Francisco we landed here. I saw a 

 good many vessels going into the Bering Sea. There was also quite 

 a number of vessels at Sand Point. Some of the vessels go through 

 Unamak Pass and some go through the Four Mountain Pass. That 

 , was the only voyage 1 made. The seals are getting 



luexneneuced .seal- .,t -,, i,' ^ -• mi j. 



ers. Avild and hard to catch. There are a great many green 



hands in the business. We shot at everything that 

 came along. We were getting 50 cents for every skin obtained. Our 

 boats went 30 and 40 miles from the schooner. Sometimes they would 

 leave in the morning at 5 and not return until next day at 4 or 5 m the 

 evening. 



John Woodruff. 



Subscribed and sworn to before me this 5th day of April, A. D. 1892. 

 [SEAL.] Clement Bennett, 



Xotary Public. 



