SEALSKIN INDUSTRY IN UNITED STATES. 535 



Deposition of William Wieperf, superintendent for Asch d; Jacc]{cl, fur- 

 riers, New Yorlc. 



general sealskin industry. 



State of ISTew York, 



City and County of New Yorlc, ss: 



William Wiepert, being duly sworn, says: I am 47 years of age, a 

 citizen of tlie United States, and a resident of the city of Brooklyn, 

 State of New i'ork. I am, and have been for the last six years, the 

 superintendent of the manufacturing department of ^^^gij,. 

 the house of Asch »& Jaeckel, which carries on a gen- "^pe"™'p- 

 eral wholesale fur business in the city of New York, and between 

 the years of 1880 and 1880 I was the foreman of this establish- 

 ment. Prior to 1880 I had already handled large numbers of fur- 

 seal skins, and since the time when I entered the employ of Asch & 

 Jaeckel I believe I have handled, assorted, and closely inspected at 

 least 100,000 dressed and dyed fur-seal skins. During the past two 

 years I have handled large numbers of northwest-coast skins (i. e., 

 skins of animals taken in the Pacific Ocean or in Be- 

 ring Sea). I have assorted all of them, and in doing so ,n^gt/\|nfaies°***'^ 

 have specially noticed the fact that a very large pro- ™°^ ^ 

 portion were skins of female animals. To determine this fact in the 

 case of dressed skins I see v,diether there are any teat holes. I never 

 call a skin a female skin unless I can find two such holes on either side. 

 These holes can be easily distinguished from bullet or buckshot holes, 

 of which there are generally a great number in northwest-coast skins. 

 In tlie case of a shot hole it is always evident that the 

 surrounding fur has been abruptly cut off, while around j^^-^i°J"^-^ ^'°°^ ^"^^®* 

 the edge of a teat hole the fur gradually shortens as it 

 reaches the edge and naturally ceases to grow at the edge. 



I have just looked over an original case of ninety 

 dressed and dyed northwest-coast fur-seal skins, which m^e^*^' ^^'" ^''''* ^^' 

 have been lately received from London, and were still 

 under seals placed on them in London. I found that of these ninety 

 skins nine only were those of male animals. 



William Wiepert. 



SAvorn to before me this 22d day of June, 1892. 



[seal.] Frederick G. Schmidt, 



Notary Public, New York County. 



Williams & Co. 



Deposition of C. A. Williams, head of the firm of C. A. Wil 

 and member of the Alaska Commercial Company. 



pelagic sealing. 



District of Columbia, 



City of W ashington, ss: 



C. A. Williams, being duly sworn, says that he is a 

 citizen of the United States and a resident of the city iu^f^ftf . ^^HaMt° 

 of New London, in the State of Connecticut, and is G3 '"' "^ '^ • 

 years of age. 



First. That he was a meniber of the firm of Wil- ^^ ^^^,. 

 liams & Haven, whose business has of late been carried ^^penonce. 



