Series contains material relating to claims for financial losses as a result of the “Modus Vivendi” and supporting documentation prepared and compiled by Charles Spring. Material relates to claims submitted to the 1896-1897 Bering Sea Claims Commission, the 1913-1915 Pelagic Sealing Commission headed by Louis Arthur Audette, and later efforts at settlement. Material includes instructions for submission of claims, drafts of claims and declarations by Charles Spring, statements from vessel captains, crew, and other involved parties, and accountings of losses and damages. Supporting documentation includes material originally used in the course of business during the 1888-1892 sealing seasons, complied by Spring as evidence. Supporting documentation includes ledgers and journals for sealing business accounts; receipts for expenses, including goods and services, duties and fees, repairs and improvements; vessel registries, licenses, insurance policies, and bills of sale; official vessel log books; transcript of court proceedings against the schooner "Winifred,” and other documents. The series also contains court papers, police charges, and related documents resulting from Charles Spring’s debts, as well as a list of court judgements against him and receipts for payment of monies owed following the receipt of the Bering Sea Claims Commission award in 1898. The series is primarily arranged into files by vessel.