INVESTIGATION OF THE FUR-SEAL INDUSTRY OF ALASKA. 711 



In an effort to break the force of that deadly exhibit of authentic 

 and typical salted yearling sealskins which the Bureau of Fisheries 

 made to this committee, April 24, 1912, Mr. George A. Clark was dis- 

 patched to the seal islands, under instructions from George M. Bowers 

 and approved by Charles Nagel, dated April 30, 1912. 



During his sojourn on the islands among other " disco veries " which 

 he made and laid the foundation for, in succeeding years, 1913 

 notably, he got busy July 9 and 16 with a killing of "205 2-year-old 

 seals." He prepared a table of the weights and measurements of 

 these skins which is unique in this respect — nothing like it has ever 

 been done on the islands before, and it is perfectly safe for me to say 

 that nothing like it will ever be repeated on the killing grounds, or in 

 the salt houses of the islands; on the 21st of February, 1914, under oath 

 to this committee, he made the following presentation, or 



Clark's exhibit of "2-year-old skins," all improperly salted, July, 1912, and so done by his 



personal order and supervision, to wit. 



" No. of tag. 



Length of 

 animal. 



Length of 

 salt skin. 



No. of tag. 



Length of 

 animal. 



Length of 

 salt skin. 



30 



Inches. 

 45J 

 46 

 50 

 45 

 43 

 454 

 45 

 46* 

 48 

 444 

 454 

 454 

 45 

 48 

 434 

 464 

 454 

 444 

 474 

 44 

 48 



Inches. 

 35 

 354 

 37 

 35i 

 344 

 36 

 354 

 354 

 34* 

 34f 

 36| 

 36 

 35 

 35 

 324 

 354 

 344 

 354 

 33 

 311 

 36 



124 



Inches. 

 47 

 434 

 44 

 474 

 474 

 48 

 434 

 44 

 444 

 464 

 44 

 444 



474 



504 



484 



484 



484 



484 



45 



464 



Inches. 

 36 



33 



136 



314 



40 



137 



314 



42 



139 



35 



43 



140 



344 



51 



141 



304 



55 



142 



34 



57 



143 



291 



66 



144 



354 



68 



145 



344 



69 



149 



334 



71 



150 



344 



77 



151 



321 



79 



152 



37 



101 



154 



33 



115 



160 



334 

 364 

 344 

 35 



116 



164 



117 



166 



165 



173 



167 



174 



344" 



122 









"List of fur seals of a length of 45 inches approximately furnishing 

 salted skins of a length of 35 inches approximately, extracted from 

 Bulletin of the Fish Commission No. 780, page 93." 



This exhibit, as above, was submitted to the House Committe on 

 Expenditures in the Department of Commerce by Mr. Clark, under 

 oath, February 21, 1914. On this basis of those improperly salted 

 skins he swore that all salted sealskins, between 35 and 31 inches in 

 length were 2-year-old skins and were "small pup" skins in the 

 London sales classification. 



That Mr. Clark knowingly and deliberately ordered this improper 

 salting of those skins, above cited, in July, 1912, the following depo- 

 sition of the men who did that improper work in obedience to his 

 direction, and personal supervision, fully attests, to wit: 



Q. Did you drive and kill seals last summer? — A. Yes. 



Q. How large were they? — A. We killed them by ages as we had killed them before. 

 Mr. Lembkey was the Government agent and Mr. George A. Clark was counting the 

 seals. When we were salting skins last year Mr. Clark did not allow us to stretch the 

 skins, as we always have done and do when spreading them in the kench as we salt 



