The Conservative. (M'connelsville, Ohio) 1866-1871, 1870-12-23
The Hardships of Whaling.

4
7 Passage, Oct. %, gives the following
account of the hardships ofwhaling:
We made and entered the ice on tn
: 18th day of May, about forty mile
south of Cape Navarin, weather thicl
: and showing; on the Doth the weathel
cleared up, showing about dozeI
ships in the ice. The weather having
every appearance of gale, 1 worked
out of the ice, and soon found myself
surrounded by fifty ships. Saw but
one whale in the ice. On the 23d,
weather pleasant, two or three ships
worked short way In the ice, the next
day the fleet commenced following, and
In few hours fifty ships were on race
to Cape Thaddeus. It was oak
against ice, and like all heavy moving
bodies which come in collision, sfhe
weakest structure always give way" so
with the ships, they all came out more
or less damaged in copper and sheath
ing; the Champion four days ahead to
Cape Thaddeus, and In clear water Un-
fortunately, for the first time since
whaling, there were no whales. On the
18th of June we lowered for whale go
ing quick into the ice, Cape Agchen
bearing s. W. 80 miles, and before get
ting the boats clear the ice packed
around US.
From that time until the 26th, so
close and heavy was the ice packed
around us, that we found it impossible
to move the ship. With our sails furled,
we drifted with the ice about II miles
per day toward Cape Agchen, the ship
lying as quiet as in dock; but on the
22d, when close under the Cape, gale
set in from the southwark, producing
heavy swell and causing the ship to
strike heavily against the ice. We saw
ed our rudder by hooking onr blubber
hooks to it and heaving them well taut
with hawsers to our quarters. Had the
current not taken an easterly shore
course, the ship must have gone on
shore. Inc wind blowing on shore,
which was distant less than half mile,
five to six fathoms of water under us,
ship rolling and pounding heavily
could not see fifty yards, made it rather
an anxious time. For thirty-six hours
1 was expecting some sharp-pointed
rock would crash through her sides. On
the Oath, finding only four and half faith
oms water, little current, with the larger
pieces of ice aground, we let go an
anchor and held her to large foe of
ice. Here we broke our sampson post
off in the decE On the morning of the |
25th the weather cleared up, showing |
our position to be at the heed of 4
small bay about fifteen miles east of |
Cape Agchen. Here for two days we
lay becalmed and ice-bound. On the
second day the ice loosened, when we
took our anchor, and by eighteen hours
hard work succeeded in kedging about
four miles seaward; a breeze then
springing up from off shore, we spread
sail and passed into clear water.
We spent snort time in the straits,
but saw nothing of the bowhead kind
Passed into the Arctic July :, and
found most of the fleet catchiEg valrus;
about a dozen ships (this one among
the number) went cruising along the
northern ice for bowheads. After pros
pecting from Icy Cape to near Herald
Isle, and seeing not whale, 1 returned
10 the walrus feet. The first ship 1
saw was the Vineyard, with 175 walrus.
Since then l have not seen or heard
from her. This walrusi11g is quite q
new business, and ships which have
engaged in it the previous season and
came up prepared were very successful.
While at it, we drove business as hard
As the best of them, but soon became
that the ships company
taken collectively were much inferior
70 many others; they could not !
endure the cold and exposure ex-
oected of them. have seen boats .
,rews that we're properly rugged kill and
strip boat-load Of walFus in the same
ength of time another (not rigged)
would be in killing one and hauling him
IN the ice. We took some 400, making
lbout 230 barrels. About August 5th
Ill the ships went in pursuit of bow
read (most of them to Point Barrows). ,,
When off the Sea Horse Islands we saw !,
few whales working to the westward,
ust enough to detain us; we took two,
making 200 barrels; the weather cold ,,
md a gale all the time. In September :
worked up about seventy miles from
Point Barrow; sawquite a show OF small !
whales in the sea; took four which made /,
bout 100 barrels. As that was fair !
ample, and not having the right boys !
o whale in that ice, where the ther- =
nometer stood only 8above zero, 1 went .
ack to the westward. Ships that had !,
rom forty to fifty men (clad in skins, .
nd officers accustomed to that particu :,
ar kind of whaling, did well. In going
ack the fourth mate struck whale
rhich made about 20 barrels.
From the 2Sth of September to the
th of October We saw good chance e
D get oil, had the weather been good, a
nd well hardy crew. We could not v
ut and whale the same time. We took a
our large whales which would have P
lade 500 barrels of oil, had we had @
ood weather to have boiled in. On &
he 4th we put away for the Straits In d
ompany with the Seneca, John How t
md and John Wells; gale from NE Z
nd showing. On the eve of the 7th 1t n
lew almost hurricane; hove the ship {
: port south of Point Hope, with main c
Opsail furled; lost starboard bow boat, c
18th davits; ship covered with ice and Il
il. On the 10th entered the Straits in n
heavy gale; when about eight miles o
|. of the Diomedes, had to heave to II
nder bare poles, blowing furiously, and a
he heaviest sea / ever saw; ship d
laking bad weather of it; we had about o
% bbls. of oil on deck, and all our r
resh water; our blubber between decks r
4 horsepieces, and going from the 9
orecastle to the mainmast every time |,
he pitched, and impossible to stop it; Z
hip covered with ice and oil; could {
nly muster four men in watch, decks
ooded with water all the time, no fire n
o cook with or to warm by, made it the a
lost anxious and miserable time / ever n
xperienced in all my sea service. Dur e
1g the night shipped a heavy sea; n
7hich took off bow and waist boat, z
avits, slide boards, and everything at Y
lched, !staving about twenty bbls- OF r
IL @
At daylight of the second day we +
Ound ourselves in seventeen fathoms =
( water, and about six miles from the .
entire Cape of st. Lawrence Island. r
'ortunately the gale moderated little, s
o that we got two close-reefed topsails I
nd reefed courses on her, and by sun !,
own were clear of the west end of the 5
sland. Had it not moderated as soon 4
5 it did, we should by 10 A. II. have Z