mMmmmmammmmmmmmmmmmvKmmmtommii flRKgVfsBaKwBHSsMZHBMHHIW . 1 wmwp ?JW' ?is ' '& y -Tr i'r '.i'S 'Itl!'' r if i - i '& THE SCRA1STON TfllBfJrfYttESDAY, APRIL lo, life ' i warn WW. ?2r&MvP?atKeffW 'iB!SP?! KLV't. it ',! ?. 'O T' , - - v V' VJ I ' M?'iJ,ft'-kT'Vl , 'J II', l' " "4 'I at" - V5i -it' - - .,., ., ... ' ' 'I ' " "- I i. li y ' , T -- i& J' V SEALING OFF; COAST OF NEWFOUNDLAND Pitiful Slaughter of 500,000 or More Pups Every Sprinjj Al Their Best When Three Weeks Old. From llio, Commercial Aihctllttr, Neatly every pereon Is acquainted with the dinrncterlMIc weal lrather una ndtnlrcs Its peculiar softnessi anil re markable durability. Indeed, tnoat of lis possess small pieces ot It In the form of belts, curd cases, pocket bookH, etc. Yet the number familiar with Its source and the conditions surrounding its ob talnment U relatively small, notwith standing the fact that It Is the object of one of the most plctuiosque and ven turesome ot the marine Industries of tho!?cld. The "flsheiy" Is now In rr j on mo coasiH ui .euuumr T .. .1 1 jlllll ILIUM . 11I1I1 ,111111! Llltlll .uu I, ",. " "Id men nro In quest of the small with r"'H leather. mjLW seals nru quite unlike the fur seals' oE Alaskan waters, cllfforlnR In atl,..'j;ture, nppearnnco and habits. e. "iral varieties are taken In the Now er,. , , .... ,...... ,i, Jiuiunu nsucry, uiu uiu juuuk ui i linv" seal ih ny mr 1111: niui. ,i,iiv.wm. .I Cn.i.iu lli., nt.wlri ,1 nlilnnt of enn- ,.... .v.. .., ..... .............. .-J-. . .,re. J TIIC HUip SOUl IS Wllieiy uuiiuuureu about the lower arctic rcRlons, living on the Icelloes, drifting from tlie head of Baffin Bav to the Oult of St. Law rence and also In the lee ileitis north of Km ope. It arrives on the floes at the mouth of Davis Strait about the middle or last of February for the purpose of bringing forth Its young. "Within a few days hundreds of thousands have haul ed up, and each female has become a mother on the Ice Hoes carried by the great aictlc curtent from I3uffln Bay past the shore of Newfoundland to be melted finally In the warm waters of the Gulf Stieam. ONL-Y THE "WHITE COATS" VAL UABLE. At the time of birth the young seals weigh six or eight pounds each, and are of a creamy white color, quite unlike the young fur seals, which are jet black. Nouilshed by their mother's milk the young seals grow rapidly on their ley beds, and when two weeks old. aie really balls of fat, weighing under usual conditions about llfty-flve pounds each, of which about forty pounds rep resents the weight of the skin and the attached fat, leaving only fifteen pouud&ifor the carcass. At this stage, they arc covered with a coat of very thick, soft, nearly white, .hair, hence they me known as "white coats," and are In peileot condition for the hunters. At the end ot about three weeks the animals gradually take to the water, the skin changes In color and becomes less valuable, and the weight of the animal decreases greatly, so that at the age of one month the pelt averages but thirty pounds In weight, and six months later It Is only about forty pounds, or practically the same as when the ani mal was only two weeks old. The seal hunters endeavor to be "on the grounds" when the white coats are two weeks old, as the latter are in prime condltlon'a,t that time. Formerly the steamers left port about March 1, but it was found that they reached the whelping Ice usually before the seals were sulllciently grown, and gieat dam age was done hy killing the mother seals while the young were helpless and sometimes even before they were born. Consequently in 1891 a law was enacted Interdicting the sailing ot the steameis previous to March 10 of each year. SEARCHING THE ICE FLOES. The vessels steam boldly In among he ice masses floating from Davis Strait, woiking their way frequently to the 53d degiee or the C4th degree of north latitude, searching the iloes for heids of seals. The masses of ice are frequently n hundred or more miles in width, and of unknown length, and the success of the hunt depends on the ves sels wot king their way among the floes to those containing the seals, the pre cise location of which is a matter of conjecture, the prevailing winds having ' much to do with it. The vessels may be caught in the ice and theie held un til the seal lloes aie bioken up and the white co.its have taken to the water. Heavy, closely packed masses of ice may cut them off from the largest patches of seals, lesultlng in a sftnall catch. During some seasons the most skilful sealing captains miss them en tirely; at other limes a steamer runs Into a patch of seals sufficient to load several vessels. They may be found in vast heids of thousands, sometimes IIO.OOO or' more being in view nt one time; or, as Is moie likely the case, in smaller groups of a few bundled. The whimpering of .the white coats bears a close resemblance to the whining or .sobbing of Infants, nnd when grouped In largo numbeis they raise a great commotion which may bo heard for miles. On being sighted by tho lookout at the masthead the vessel Is worked close to the held. By means of the small boats tho hunters are landed on the floes, each man armed with u. polo or gaff, about seven feet long, with an iron hook at one end, The matuio seals scamper away, seeking to escape Into the water, leaving the whlto coats defenseless and helpless on tho Ice. A single blow on tho nose with the gaff stuns each animal, nnd us soon as a group lias been dispatched the wotlc of pklnntng or 'swiping" begins. A cut with a knife Is made down 'tho under Mdo from noso to tall, 'and the skin with tho adhering fat is lemoved in one piece and transported to the vesse.1, leaving the carcass on the Ice, As soon as a patch has been '.'cleaned up" and the pelts secured aboard ship the hunt ers proceed with their search for oth ers. AN ANIMATED SCENE. Few scenes more animated nnd In greater accord with tho surroundings lire to bu met with than those enacted each spilng In tho seal hunt. Fancy, amid tho solitudes of tho northern bean, the masses of Ico flouting down fiom tho clieum-polur legions bearing the hundreds of thousands of seuls of vary ing ages, from the old patrluiclis to tho white caats oC two weeks or less, all mingled together with the animation so characteristic of seal life. Tiu steaiu eis force their wuy through the crystal lampaits by which nnturu guaplq tho ( animals, and the hunters appear sometimes hundreds on u single Ico tine their clothing stained with oil and blood. Tho shouts of the ensanguined menl Tho bqbo-llke crying of the de fenseless little fellows on tholr Icy crandlel Tho blows as they no dlSr putuhert with the gaffs! Tim ico stained with boio and dotted with tho thous ands of carcasses denuded of akin nnd fat nnd yet palpitating with life! The mother seals, now cUbless, popping their heads from vantage places In the ice crevices, look anxiously for their Render babes, and finding only their bloody carcasses, plung into the sea and quickly escape from the polluted scene, such Is tho sent hunt carried on each March 'and April oft the northern const of Newfoundland1, 300,000 PELTS BllOUQHT IN.' The scaling vesselH are generally ab sent from poit for four or five weeks. The catch varies greatly; some vessels bring In 30,000 or 3,000 pelts, while oth eis leturn almost "clean," having been caught In tho ice and thereby prevent ed from reaching the seals. The total catch for tho fleet, however, Is usually In excess of 300,000 pelts, and the aver age per vessel during the last decade Im fully as largo as It was two or three decades ago. On arrival In port tho cargo Is dis charged from the vessel and the thick fat or blubber Is sepurated from the skins and rendered into oil. The skins are salted and shipped to the tanneries. By far the greater portion of the skins are tanned In Great Britain, especially In Glasgow and London, and' many nro tanned In Germany, Newfoundland nnd Canada. Last year about 40,000 skins were tanned In Newark and Hoboken, N. J., that being the llrst year in which many skins were tanned in this coun try. The American tannage was so sat isfactory that our tanners will doubt less receive a large portion of the pres ent year's catch. ADVICE TO TOURISTS. Do Not Put Valuables In Trunks While Traveling in Italy. from the New York Tilbuiic. A. Vivaldf, inspector general of Ital ian railways, has Issued a circular let ter which may be of use and Interest to many Americans who contemplate a tilp to Italy. The letter is addressed to the president of the Italian Spclety of Hotel Keepers, at Genoa, Italy, and. is as follows :t I have your letter informing me of the frequent complaints addressed to Italian hotel keepers, by travelers whoso luggage, trusted to the care of our railways, have been meddled with. Needless to say how much the secur ity in railway deliveries of all kinds is the object of the strictest attention, not from the companies interested alone, but fiom the government administra tion of railways and public security as well, who constantly employ their ut most eaie in the matter. This office feels certain that the com panies do their best to prevent any in jury to travelers in having, their ef fects stolen. Such an Injury is not lim ited to travelers alone, but also reflects on those on whom the responsibility falls, for the latter must suffer morally and materially the consequences. To give an idea how severe the companies are toward their men, it is enough to say that the punishment inflicted upon the agents of trains nnd those having the handling and caie of luggage, goods and valuables, Is the dismissal from their office, even if found in pos session of any Instrument, or key, how ever small or capable of opening or de facing luggage. The inspector general, in answer to tho seiious remarks addressed to him in your letter, has not omitted to le new ills request to the Mediterranean nnd Adriatic Railway company that tho greatest care and severity should bo used to restrain any possible offense of the kind. As you are, In your quality of presi dent of the Italian Society of Hotel Keepers, much interested in the wel fare of our country, please notify that travelers should be persuaded carefully to verify their luggage when delivered to them, and that they may ascertain themselves whether a robbery has or has not been effected within the rail way bounds, instead of strongly nnd uselessly protesting later, or befoie be ing convinced of the facts. Claims of the kind could neither satisfy the trav eler nor the railway companies; nor can the latter verify the complaints or detect the thieves unless the losses are made known at once. Travelers should be warned, against putting valuables among clothes in their luggage. Such an Imprudence may not only causo them n heavy loss, but according to article 43 of the regulations concerning tho delivery to railways f luggage containing val uables, is contrary to law. The complaints, ns confirmed by your letter, are about robberies of valuables, and must therefore fall under the law mentioned above. The transgression of this law comprises not only the entire loss of tho valuables stolen, but like wise a fine for Infringing such law. REDUCED RATES TO LOS ANGELES. Via Pennsylvania Railroad, on Ac count of Convention of Federation ofWomen's Clubs. On account of the convention of Fed eration of Women's clubs, to bo held nt Los Angeles, Cal., May 1 to S, Jhc Penn sylvania Ilallroud company will sell special excursion tickets from all sta tlonsvon its line, to Los Angeles nnd re turn, at reduced rates, Tickets will bo sold from April 18 to 20, Inclusive, nnd will bo good to return until Juno 23, when properly validated. For specillc rates, routes, and condi tions of tickets, apply to ticket agents, Convention of Federation of Wo men's Clubs, Los Angeles, Cal, For the above occasion, which takes place- May 1st to Sth, 1002, the Lacku wnnna r.illnmd will bell special round trip tickets good going Apill 19th to L0(li Inclusive, and for leturn, to reach starting point not later than midnight of June L'oth, at fain of $00.23 for tho round trip. See ticket agent for Infor mation about stop-off privileges, vari able loutes, side trips, etc, Pennsylvania Day Charleston Expos ition, April 16th, 1803. On account of the ubovo the Lacka wanna railroad will sell special round hip tickets from Scrunton to Charles ton good going April Hth and IBtli and for return within U days Including date of bale the low ate of 17,70. Connolly & Wallace Scrantoh's Shopping Center, 1 23, 1 25, 1 27 and 1 29 Washington Ave. A New Store An Enlarged Store. 1 PROGRESS demands expansion our new store is a result of it. ' We now occupy J- 28,000 square feet of floor space, devoted exclusively to the sale of Dry Goods. Our friends tell us w have the finest store they know of w'c believe we have the largest -dry goods store in this section of our' country. A store is much like a human being. It has its birth, its childhood, its period of preliminary schooling it grows until" it establishes its place in the affections of the people. And then keeps on growing, if it's good. - . . No store ever yet jumped full grown into business. Some have tried, so have some men. But the store that wins is the store, that works up by degrees from nothing, just ,as the most successful men have been they who started as boys with their pockets empty, but their heads full. " Those of our friends who knew the old place' a little further up the street know how small our beginning was. That the store here is larger is due simply to the fact that we have tried to serve .the people as they like to be served Jairly, courteously, comfortably. A store may start right and then go wrong. The foundation of a twenty story building may be secure, yet the superstructure may be so loosely built that it will tumble to the ground. It's the Way a Store Builds on Its Principles That Counts If its prices are too high, having "one price" is perhaps worse than having many. If it has abnormally low prices for some things (as baits) and makes up the loss by charging too much for others, it's as bad as having two prices. If it puts so, much red tape around its "exchange and money back" rule, people with sensitive natures will refuse to ask for a privilege, so grudgingly given. While the Park Avenue Hote in New York was on fire a guest rushed into the of fice and said to the clerk, "Man, this hotel is burning. Why don't you do something?" "This hotel is fire-proof," he replied, and went on leisurely writing. Some stores say a thing in their advertisements, and no one knows it isn't so until . the test comes. Our store laid down a principle long ago that its advertisements must tell the exact truth: It does what it Says, (unless a typographical error makes us say something not intended). Trade has been uplifted in the past ten years. This store was founded with the desire not only to do more than other stores were doing, but to do it better. Andrew Carnegie has written his own epitaph, and it is this, "Here lies a man who was clever enough to gather cleverer men around him." It was only with the assistance of the loyal men and women who for ten years have lived under our roof that we have worked out even a part of our ambition. We cannot personally meet all our customers, though we would gladly do so every day. The folks behind the counters must speak for us. It is no empty com pliment, or cheap attempt to win loyalty, when we say that no store was ever better served by its employes. This period of expansion in our career is a time for well-wishes all around. While receiving the congratulations of our friends, we bespeak for all stores that de serve it the same success that has come to us. We have never placed hinderances in the way of other stores, nor done anything to prevent their growth. On the other hand we have' seen them grow' with pleasure, believing that what helps Scranton helps this store, that the more good stores there are the larger will be the business of this store. This is a time for making new friendships as well as for renewing the old, ' If the're are any who have never been, in the store, let them come now and see how different it is from other places of business. If there are any who have been turned away from this store, for one reason or . , another, let them come back and see how easy it is to right a wrong. Satisfactory service is the corner-stone of the expanded store. THE ENLARGEO STORE IS NOW OPEN-COME. Connolly & NAallac , 1 ij , 1 h JMft'lm&!SJr . "f l s - ifV , 4, tihtfto&i$t tf l?0Wm V , Jtl -,V.iV . -j -, W. jm.' " - L V sOK . - '-- -