Part 1

Vol. I JANUARY, 1921 No. 4

Bidding for World's Fine Furs at London Auction Sales

_Four Weeks' Annual Selling of Pelts Draws Cosmopolitan Crowd of Buyers from All Quarters of the Globe--H.B.C. Auction of Chief Interest._

By J. D. J. FORBES (_London Fur Warehouse_)

If a stranger were to ask where the fur quarter in the City of London is situated, perhaps the simplest answer would be to tell him to make for the Guildhall, and then to walk due south towards the River Thames. He would proceed along King Street (which is continued as Queen Street after Cheapside is passed) and in less than five minutes would be at his destination. What the Rue d'Aboukir is to Paris and the Bruehl to Leipzig, Queen Street is to London. It stands for the heart and centre of the London fur trade. Except for the Hudson's Bay Company's warehouse, which stands apart, all the most important fur merchants and commission houses are located within a stone's throw of the College Hill Public Saleroom--the entrance to which is in Queen Street--where the world's fur produce is periodically put up for auction.

_World's Buyers Assemble in Saleroom_

In the saleroom itself there is little to suggest a fur market; no skins or pelts are to be seen; no samples are displayed to catch the eye of possible buyers; there is no odour of furs or naphthalene. The saleroom reminds one of a large classroom with its rows of desks and forms facing a narrow rostrum whereon the selling broker and his assistants sit. Here three times a year assemble fur buyers from all over the world. The typically English features of the brokers contrast strangely with the faces of the cosmopolitan crowd which throngs the saleroom benches; and when in the intervals of selling a buzz of conversation is heard, it seems incredible that one is in the heart of London and not in some Levantine port.

_Selections Are Made From Catalogs_

Each buyer brings to the saleroom his catalogues, containing valuations and descriptions of the pelts he has inspected at the various fur warehouses. For the most part, only a very small proportion of the lots catalogued are seen by the prospective buyer; these are "show" lots and represent the bulk, which could not be properly examined in the short time at his disposal. There are usually about twenty catalogues--some of which contain only a few hundred lots but most of which run into thousands of lots--and as the fur collections are distributed amongst a dozen different wharves and warehouses, where the skins are lotted and placed "on show," only a few days before the sales takes place, it will be appreciated that the thorough-going dealer who wishes to acquaint himself with the whole collection of furs on the market has plenty to do!

_The Order of the Sale_

At one time the order of selling was rather haphazard, but in recent years the sale arrangements have been revised and co-ordinated. Catalogues are now divided into definite sections, and the entire market supply of furs contained in section 1 of the various catalogues is offered for sale before section 2 is dealt with, and so on--the brokers balloting among themselves for precedence. In accordance with long-established custom, the first goods to be put up for sale are those coming from China and the far east (these auctions are referred to as the "China sales"); next comes the catalogues of Australian furs, followed immediately by any offerings there may be of fur seals.

_H.B.C. Auction Premier Attraction_

Although these auctions occupy the whole of the first sale week, they are of secondary importance when compared with the sales of the choicer North American and Siberian furs, which commence on the Monday of the second week with the Hudson's Bay Company's sale. Needless to say, the Company's auction always proves the greatest attraction of the whole series and never fails to draw a crowded room. The Company's catalogue is the only one now sold in its entirety without a break, and this for the very good reason that it provides the most reliable basis for comparison of values and enables the experienced buyer to appraise market fluctuations with confidence.

The rest of the week following the Company's sale is taken up with the disposal of "fine" furs (such as beaver, ermine, foxes, marten, otter and sables) from other catalogues; the third week sees the "staple" lines (such as skunk, opossum, musquash and raccoon) offered for sale; and in the fourth and final week sundry South American and lower grade skins are offered.

_The Flexible Eyebrow An Aid in Bidding_

The method of bidding at the fur auction is by what is known as the "silent" system. The auctioneer usually starts the bidding himself at a moderate figure and the buyers interested signify their bids by various methods--such as by a nod, or a wink, or even a flick of the pencil; sometimes indeed a buyer will merely look at the auctioneer whilst the bids are being taken and only remove his gaze when his limit has been exceeded. It is often amusing to notice the tactics adopted by two bidders, each of whom wants a particular lot: one may perhaps be seated in the front row and he will perhaps bid by _raising his eyebrows_; the other (seated further back) will not look at the broker at all but will narrowly _watch his rival's hat_ (the movement of which betrays the bidding) whilst he records his own bids by _moving his little finger_!

As a rule, bids advance by a definite amount, which varies with the value of the article in question: bids for beaver skins, for example, may start at 50s. and advance by 2s. steps to 100s., beyond which the advance is by 5s. steps; in the case of musquash an advance of 3d or 6d per bid is sufficient. When demand is keen and bidding brisk, buyers frequently discard the silent method, and the broker is assailed with a chorus of "up! up!" from all parts of the room. As it is often difficult in such cases to distinguish between bidders, the possession of a good pair of lungs is a decided advantage for a buyer.

_Furs Sold at "Per Skin" Rate_

Most lots are sold "at per skin"--that is to say, when a lot of musquash containing 1600 skins, for instance, is put up, the auctioneer needs to register the price of only one skin--the value of the lot being 1600 times that figure.

Although sitting for weeks in the saleroom buying sundry lots of skins from this catalogue and that may seem a dull job, yet the buyer with imagination finds the fur trade fascinating. He realizes that the skins he buys have taken months of patient toil and careful handling to assemble from the uttermost parts of the earth.

To him, the sale mark "MKR" denotes not merely a particular quality of fur, but suggests the mighty river of the great Northwest threading its lonely way from the plains to the Arctic Sea. It is this sense of the world-wide ramifications of the fur trade, and the knowledge that the Company's organization has played, and still plays, a notable part in its development that make one feel proud to belong to the Hudson's Bay Company.

An American Account of an Ancient Selkirk Settlement Caravan

The Public Archives of Canada at Ottawa contain the following characteristic description of a Red River Caravan from the old Selkirk Settlement, as printed in the _Wisconsin Herald_ of September 15th, 1847:

"On the 10th of July, there appeared at the village of St. Paul, on the Upper Mississippi, the most novel and original caravan that has ever appeared since Noah's ark was evacuated. Our readers are aware that there is an isolated settlement of several thousand inhabitants in a high latitude of British North America, known as the 'Selkirk Settlement.' Cut off from the commerce of the world, they rely entirely upon their own resources, their farms, their flocks and fishing for support--being a community, so to speak, of Robinson Crusoes. Their crops having failed the last two seasons, they have been forced to break out of the wilds again and seek food in the markets of the great brawling world. Formerly their chief point of contact with commerce was Toronto; but now, owing to the increase of supplies on the Upper Mississippi, and the abundance of game and forage on that route, they trade at St. Paul, and the head of steamboat navigation on the Mississippi River.

"Into St. Paul they came, on the 10th of July, a caravan of one hundred and twenty carts, in a single file, wearily moving along by moonlight. Long after the head of the caravan had reached the village, the lengthened train of followers could be seen moving over the undulating prairie, partly visible and partly hidden between the billowy ridges of the extended plain, crawling onward like some huge serpent, the extreme rear still invisible and partly hidden in the dimness of the distance. They had travelled southward over the prairie six hundred miles, having been nineteen days on their way, through a region abounding in buffaloes--encamping at night in a tent, around which the carts were drawn in a circle, to fence in the cattle.... They brought along a large elk, a bear, and some other animals they had captured on their way--and many packages of furs. They had a very choice lot of buffalo robes, well dressed, which they sold at St. Paul by the lot at $3.50 each.

"They had with them also an abundance of specie, and waited a few days at St. Paul for the arrival of a steamboat load of flour and groceries. The caravan was made up of men and boys of all ages, kindreds, tongues and complexions.... Their dresses were as various as could be imagined, being uniform in only a single article of apparel--all wore moccasins. The carts were made wholly of wood and hides, the hubs being covered with bandages of green hide, drawn on while soft and then shrinking until they became nearly as tight as bands of iron. Some of these odd two-wheeled vehicles were drawn by little horses, and others by oxen, each animal--horse or ox--being geared in a harness of green hide. They are now again on their way back to the frozen wilds of the North, many of them probably never again to commune with the great world."

How Smith's Landing Became FitzGerald

_Heroic Sacrifice of R.N.W.M.P. Officer Led to His Name Being Given to H.B.C. Landing_

FitzGerald, originally known as Smith's Landing, is at the end of the Athabasca River navigation, approximately three hundred miles below McMurray. It is an important point in the transportation system, as cargoes are there discharged and portaged sixteen miles to Fort Smith, where they are loaded into other steamers navigating the Mackenzie River.

In 1910, a commissioned officer of the mounted police named FitzGerald, along with three members of the force, left Fort McPherson for Dawson. The party encountered severe storms, and lost their way in the mountain passes. After wandering for several weeks, they decided to return, but owing to lack of food and inability to procure game of any kind they suffered great privation. Finally, they were obliged to kill their dogs for food. One of the members of the party died and the position of the survivors was desperate, as two of the remaining members were unable to proceed. FitzGerald left these men with all the clothing and whatever else they had that might benefit them and continued _alone_ in an endeavor to get back to Fort McPherson and bring help. On reaching a point about twelve miles of the Post--which was then actually in sight--he was too exhausted to travel further and was frozen to death.

Meanwhile, the non-arrival of this patrol in Dawson caused the mounted police to send out a search party from that end on the assumption that FitzGerald's party might have been held up nearby, but the search party had to continue within this short distance of McPherson before finding the evidence of the tragedy.

FitzGerald was held in high regard by all the people in the Northwest Territory in which he served and application was made to the authorities at Ottawa to change the name of Smith's Landing to Fort FitzGerald to commemorate his worthy but unfortunately unsuccessful effort to secure relief for his party.

"Uplands," the Ancient H.B.C. Farm on Vancouver Island

_Onetime Natural Park and Grazing Ground Now Being Subdivided at Victoria_

By C. H. FRENCH, _District Manager for B.C._

When Victoria was established by the Hudson's Bay Company in 1843 all that tract of land between Cadboro Bay and The Willows was a park, being studded here and there with beautiful oak trees and plentifully supplied with grass in which the elk loved to scamper about.

_Farm Required to Support Post_

At all Hudson's Bay Company's forts, the self-supporting feature was always given first consideration. At Victoria it was not only necessary to raise sufficient grain, butter and beef to support the Fort, but also sufficient to supply Russian America, or Alaska as we now know it. Uplands was one of the first farms established to gain those ends.

The farm buildings were always just where they now are, but the road leading to them was different, in that where it now takes a bend where the golf links association put up their sign, it continued straight through the cultivated fields to the farm buildings. An examination will show the trees and rocks still marking this road.

_Riding to Uplands for the View_

The officers at the Fort had saddle horses and it was to the uplands they went when desiring a ride on horseback. Many officers of Her Majesty's ships immediately on landing made arrangements for a horseback ride to this wonderful piece of country.

It has an elevation--without seeming to climb--sufficient to present perhaps the finest marine view to be found anywhere. The view was obtainable from almost any part of the thousand acres contained in the farm.

The handsome oak and maple trees were just sufficiently scattered not to obstruct the view of the Olympic Mountains to the south; San Juan and other islands to the east and southeast, which were overlooked by glorious Mount Baker, always standing out as if a sentinel clothed in white, guarding a country so rich in minerals, lumber and fish that its equal has yet to be discovered.

Looking north, towards James and Salt Spring Islands, one is almost speechless with admiration of the beauty that is stretched before the eye.

_Indian Villages Are at Strategic Points_

Indian villages were in earlier times established only at points where the food supply was abundant, but in this particular instance the village was established for strategic reasons. There were two points occupied by Indians; one toward the northern side of the bay, where the present Cadboro Bay Hotel is to-day located, and the other just inside the point, east of the present Yacht Clubhouse. Those living on the north side of the bay were the custodians of a portage from Telegraph Bay to Cadboro Bay, while the Indians on the south side of the bay were the real defenders of the tribe as a portage from there to Rock Bay had to be blocked to all enemies as it was to this point that retreats were made and where also was stored their winter supply of food.

_The Songhees Had a Magic Spring_

The Songhees on the southeast end of Vancouver Island had, I believe, the most strategic situation of any tribe on the coast. From their central village at Concordance Arm the all-important route was by Cadboro Bay, principally because the great spring that was regarded by them as possessing certain medicinal qualities was located at that point.

This spring was surrounded by willows and was so carefully camouflaged that one could hardly find it, excepting that the ground from the spring to the waterfront was more or less wet. In the improving of Uplands, this spring was drained in some way and, I am told, does not show on the surface now, but probably is diverted to the sea beach.

Hoot Mon! Th' Roarin' Game is on Wi' Lads o' the H.B.C.

_Land, Retail and Wholesale Departments at Winnipeg Get Away to Fast Start--Some Already Displaying Mid Season Form_

By OUT TURN

At Winnipeg, the respective Curling Associations of the Land Department, Retail Store and Wholesale Depot are making up for lost time, the season having started late. Extent of the enthusiasm displayed in the Company's Winnipeg establishments for the grand old game is indicated by the hundred and ten yelling, sweeping adherents who turn out once and twice a week. Ice has been good and the weather just cold enough to induce lively work behind every skip. It is to be noted that more rocks are getting across the "hog" than the first part of last season.

If ice holds after present schedules are completed, it is planned to bring the victorious rinks together in an H.B.C. "bon spiel" for a decision on the Company Curling Championship for Winnipeg.

Sketched are two well-known "skips" heading land department rinks and one "skip" who cuts a lot of ice in wholesale circles. Our staff artist caught him as he was shooting his first rock of the season, using the follow-through system. He is usually more dignified than as portrayed (on next page) and the editor remarks a terrific shift of latitude here as this arctic "skip" was but lately a strutting Toreador. The two land department "skips" pictured on this page wear no disguise and need no introduction but we'll give a Made beaver to anyone who'll guess their identity.

It is of course too early to make predictions as to probable winners in the various departmental associations. We cannot get any sort of a prognostication from our usually very opinionated Sporting Editor. For next issue, he promises to analyze the performance of the leading rinks and tell Messrs. Harman, Vesey and Sparling exactly what their respective chances are.

On the following page is the standing of the rinks as at 10th January:

H.B.C. CURLING ASSOCIATIONS.

Winnipeg, 1921

_Land Department_

|Games | | | SKIP |Played|Won|Lost|Standing ------------+------+---+----+-------- Harman | 4 | 3 | 1 | .750 McDill | 4 | 2 | 2 | .500 Bellingham | 4 | 1 | 2 | .250 Joslyn | 4 | 1 | 2 | .250 -------------------------------------

_Retail Store_

MacGregor | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 Mills | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 Scott | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 Pearen | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 Parker | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 Healy | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 Tait | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 Sidey | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 Sparling | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 Ogston | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 Pugsley | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 Bowdler | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 -------------------------------------

_Wholesale Depot_

Swan | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 A. Thompson | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.000 Iveson | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 Veysey | 3 | 2 | 1 | .666 Poitras | 3 | 2 | 1 | .666 Phelan | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 Brock | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 O. Thompson | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 McMicken | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 Ross | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000

_How Many "Advertisers" Has H.B.C.?_

By MRS. JACK HAWKSHAW

Some one will answer, "there's one ad-man in Winnipeg, one in Edmonton, one in Calgary, one in Yorkton, one each in Lethbridge, Nelson, Vernon, Kamloops and Vancouver." If that is all, then I am afraid it's time to be up and doing. Each employee in the Company's service should be "on the advertising staff," _to promote good feeling and optimism_. Think what a great thing it would be right now at the beginning of a New Year and on the threshold of a new season, if the company's thousands of employees took a leading part in the advertising of the Company's stores.

_Tree 95 Years Old Bears Apples_

_Vancouver, Washington, Dec. 18th (Special)_--Two apples grown on the famous old apple tree in Vancouver barracks were picked to-day by A. A. Quarnberg. This apple tree is the oldest in Pacific Northwest, if not the United States, having been planted in 1826 by Bruce, the gardener for the Hudson's Bay Trading Company. This makes the apple tree more than ninety-five years old.

The seeds were brought around the Horn in a sailing-vessel by an Hudson's Bay Trading Company official who carried them in a waistcoat pocket. The tailor was cleaning out the pockets and found these apple seeds and he gave them to the gardener who planted them. Many trees were raised. All have died except one.

_More than 100 Benefits Paid in 1920_

The Hudson's Bay Employees' Welfare Association at Winnipeg Retail continues to flourish despite the many demands made on the "exchequer" during the past twelve months. Upwards of one hundred individual employees have received benefits during 1920 and the Secretary, P. Harrison, reports that the balance in hand at present is larger than at any time since the inception of the plan.

C. H. French Has Long Experience in H.B.C. Fur Trade

_British Columbia District Manager Entered Service in Lake Winnipeg District, 1887; Sent to New Caledonia on Important Mission in 1894_

By F. S. GARNER

C. H. French, District Manager of the Company's British Columbia fur trade district, is a man whose experience in the service during 33 years, from Lake Winnipeg to the Pacific Coast and north to Alaska, has excellently fitted him to narrate countless stories of brave adventure and stern duty under the H.B.C. flag in the great Northwest.

Mr. French, though 53, carries his years lightly. True, his hair is grizzled; upon his face is delineated the tale of dangers met and hardships overcome. Yet one would not place his age at over 45, if even that. Seasoned as an oak, with hard and healthful living in a climate which eliminates all but the fittest, Mr. French, now in lovely Victoria, may know at least a measure of the relaxation and joy of living such as is seldom granted the fur trader. The "spring" in his step and the active interest he takes in the life and development of Vancouver Island identify in him a youthful spirit which well might be envied by many men under thirty.

Mr. French was born in Markham township, twelve miles north of Toronto, Ontario, on 23rd July, 1867.

He served a full apprenticeship at printing. Then he acquired a fair knowledge of bread-baking, fishing and sailing, which experience he says stood him in good stead after entering the service.

In 1887 Mr. French joined H.B.C. in the Lake Winnipeg District, doing work of various kinds, one job being the sailing of the boat "Beaver" under Mr. W. J. McLean at Lower Fort Garry, and afterwards Mr. Flett at Fort Alexander.

During this period he brought the body of Chief Factor Belanger in from the lake and delivered it at the Selkirk Roman Catholic Church. The Chief Factor was drowned at Norway House.