LOSSES OFF THE JAPANESE COAST. 265 



to the southward of them before standing over toward the Japan coast. The passage 

 generally takes from forty-five to sixty days. Quite a few of the schooners call in at 

 the Bonin Islands to replenish their water and lay in a stock of fresh vegetables, etc., 

 while others put into Yokohama for the same purpose, before commencing the season's 

 hunting. 



" By the 20th of June the hunting off the Japan coast is practically over, and some 

 of the sealing fleet now start for home. Others put into the port of Hakodate to ship 

 their catch and get a fresh supply of water and provisions previous to sailing for the 

 Copper Island grounds, which are generally reached about the middle of July or a little 

 later." 



The above was written in 1894. Since then the feeding grounds off Copper 

 Island have become nearly exhausted, and during the last couple of years but few 

 of the foreign schooners have hunted there. A few have exploited the Bering Island 

 feeding grounds, but the majority have sailed directly for Unalaska, after having first 

 shipped their spring catch at Hakodate. 



" On the Asiatic side there have been more losses and accidents to sealers 

 during the past two seasons (1893 and 1894) than on the American side since pelagic 

 sealing commenced, some ten years ago. The Japan coast has proved particularly 

 fatal to sealers. The weather is treacherous and strong, uncertain and conflicting 

 currents, often running from 2 to 3 knots per hour in opposite directions, prevail 

 on the sealing ground." Then follows the remarks on these currents already quoted, 

 page 263. " Where these currents meet heavy rijis occur, in some of which at times 

 it is impossible for a boat to live. Over the area where these belts of warm and 

 cold water are found local storms, often of considerable violence, are experienced. 



"These currents are the chief cause of the loss of so many boats. When hunting 

 in calm weather, the boats venture far away out of sight of their vessel, passing, 

 probably, into a belt of current, setting in the opposite direction to the one the vessel 

 is supposed to be, steering the opposite course to the one pursued since leaving the 

 vessel; no sign of her is seen after running the proper distance, tlie currents, during 

 the time the vessel has been lost sight of having altered the relative positions of 

 boats and vessel many miles. Night comes on, and the vessel and her boats probably 

 get farther apart. The next day is spent in trying to find the vessel. If she is not 

 found, a start is made toward the nearest land in hopes of reaching it, or being 

 picked up by some other sealing craft before bad weather comes on. Often it is but 

 one boat of a set that gets lost, but on some occasions three, or even five get adrift 

 from their vessel. The writer had an unpleasant experience of this kind during the 

 past season (1894), he and five of his boats being lost from his vessel some 300 miles 

 away from the nearest land.^ 



"At least 60 or 70 boats were lost from their vessels during the season of 1894 off 

 the Japan coast. The greater number of these were picked up by other schooners, 

 or made the land, but half a dozen or more have never since been heard of. The 

 schooners Retriever, Hermann, Agnes McDonald, Ocean Belle, and Anaconda, each lost 

 a boat's crew by capsizing and drowning. 



' Captain Snow himself was picked up by the American schooner Boickead on the morning of 

 the sixth day. The crews of the other boats were picked up by the Mermaid on the morning of the 

 third day. 



