FUR-SEAL FISHERIES OF ALASKA. 109 



session of the Grovernment or some parties who made it public. His 

 estimate was that he got one in seven. That is to say, he put on the 

 vessel one in seven of the seal he shot at, the others sinking or getting 

 away wounded. 



Q. They were killing seven seals to get one skin ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Taylor. There is an island I have not heard mentioned in the 

 testimony, called Otter Island, about 7 miles distant from St. Paul, 

 and on that island during the seal season a large number of seals will 

 haul on the rocks when the rookeries on St. Paul Island are overcrowded 

 and vessels going after these skins go on that island on that account. 

 I know when I was there in 1881 some men from the island found 

 sixty carcasses left on Otter Island of seals which had been killed there, 

 and that is one reason I urged the importance of having a steam-launcli 

 so as to guard that island. There is not more than half the time that 

 you can see the island. Mr. Morgan calls attention to the fact that the 

 cai)tain who shot himself accidentally had just come from Otter Island, 

 and the accident occurred while hoisting his boat alongside. 



Mr. MoRG-AN. He was on the island and wounded one of his arms on 

 account of his inexperience in handling the club used to kill the seal, 

 and when he came on board the vessel he took his gun up to show how 

 he injured his arm, and drawing it towards him the charge exploded 

 and shot him. 



By Mr. Fblton : 



Q. Is it the general practice to sell these skins in the rough at 

 auction ? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. Invariably ? — A. It is the invariable practice. The skins are sent 

 to London. They are packed in San Francisco in casks and they are 

 not taken out until they get to London. Then the casks are all opened. 

 They are taken to Sampson & Co.'s warehouse and there the skins are 

 sorted into various grades. They have technical names by which they 

 are known. Then they are placed in position for the buyers to examine 

 them. They look at this lot and that lot, and make up their minds as to 

 what they are going to do. 



Q. Are these sales peremptory ? Suppose the price is very low, such 

 as would not pay you any protit, do they ever adjourn a sale ? — A. We 

 have but one rule about that, and that is to meet the market. 



Q. You have never carried over any stock 1 — A. I think on one occa- 

 sion we carried over 20,000 skins, but it was in the early part of the 

 business, and it created great dissatisfaction, and we found ourselves 

 that we had made a mistake in varying from our rule, and we have 

 never done so since. 



Q. The reason I asked you was this : I understood on one occasion 

 the price was such as not to afford any profit on account of a dull mar- 

 ket, or want of skins, or something. — A. We did that year carry over, 

 but we did not make anything by it, as it displeased the buyers. We 

 have sold skins at a loss on one or two occasions. The rule is' now fi!sed 

 and that is to meet the market whatever that may be. 



Q. Whatever that may be? — A. Yes, sir. 



Q. That being the case would not that create a sort of combination 

 of the buyers'? — A. Buyers are so widespread over America, Russia, 

 Germany, and France, that there is hardly a possibility of a combina- 

 tion amongst them. 



Q. I have been told that it's only in England where they properly cure 

 and dye these skins ; that is, that they do not do it so well in any other 

 part of the world. Is that so? — A. That is not strictly correct. There 



