518 TESTIMONY. 



first vivsited the seal islands in the summer of 1869, and every year 

 thereafter until and including- 1889, except the years 1883, 1884, and 

 1885. In 1871 and 1872 I staid there continuously for about sixteen 

 months, and in each of the other years from two to four months through 

 the seaHng season. I also visited London twice during my superinten- 

 dency in connection with the sealing industry, and was at all times ac- 

 tively at work in the interests of my employers. ' My duties as such 

 superintendent demanded that I should be thoroughly conversant with 

 all the details of shipping and transporting seal skins taken, and the 

 necessary expenses incurred by my employers. From my knowledge 

 of such expenditures I herewith submit the following statement in re- 

 lation to the cost of putting the annual quota of skins obtained on the 

 Pribilof Islands upon the market when a hundred thousand seals are 

 killed, and I believe such statement to be practically correct : 



Maintenance of island establishments $12, 000 



Salaries of employes (exclusive of natives) 12, 000 



Transportation to San Francisco 15, 000 



Transportation, San Francisco to New York 20, 000 



Transportation, New York to London 6, 000 



Insurance, $1,400,000 at 1 per cent 14, 000 



Commission foi selling, 2^ per cent of $1, 500, 000 37, 500 



Storage, coope rage, twine, salt, etc 15, 500 



Interest on the plant, 10 per cent of $100,000 10, 000 



Annual rental paid to Government, per terms of lease 60, 000 



Obligations of the lease for fish, fuel, medicines, etc 25,000 



Supervision of business from San Francisco 20, 000 



First cost of skins to natives 40, 000 



Cost of 100,000 skins delivered in London, sold 287, 000 



H. H. McIntyre. 



Sworn and subscribed at Randolph, this first day of August, A. D. 

 1892. Before me, 



[SEAL.] W. H. Du Bois, 



Notary Public. 



Deposition of John J. Phelan, furrier. 

 pelagic sealing. 



State of New York, 



City and County of Netv YorJc, ss : 

 John J. Phelan, being duly sworn, says: I am 35 years of age, a 

 citizen of the United States and a resident of Albany, in the State of 



^ew York. At the age of 1 1 I entered the service of 

 Experience. Mr. Gcorge C. Trcadwcll, a wholesale furrier of Albany. 



I remained with him until the time of his death, and 

 have since been in the employ of his son, Mr. George H. Treadwell, 

 who has succeeded to the business carried on by his father. It has 

 always been a part of my occupation, beginning with the age of 11, to 

 handle fur-seal skins, and during- the last twenty years I have handled 

 nearly every seal skin that came into the factory. I have for many 

 years been in the habit of putting them through every process con- 

 nected with their preparation for manufacture, except that of dyeing, 

 with which I am not familiar. I have removed the flesh and blubber; 

 I have washed the skins; removed the hair, or "picked" them, shaved 

 them, and dressed them; and in this way I have constantly gone over 

 and closely observed every part of their surfaces iu all the stages or proc- 

 esses through which they pass before they go to the dyer. 



