Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-11-22
From The Alta California Nov G.
The eSiruCtion of the Arctic VIVA
ling Fleet.

Thaddcus. They found plenty Of ice and
closely packed, so that they made but little
Roadway to the north. The fleet passed
through Bhering Straits between the Sth and
Both Of June. and in lcw days most Of the
feet were north Of Blossom Shoals. The
weather was good, and they worked to the
northeast as far as Wainwright Inlet All
the ships either anchored or made fast to the
heavy ground ice. Whaling was now carried
on briskly for several days, the boats cruising
among open ice on the lth Of August a
large number of boats were caught in the ice
by the wind shifting and settling the ice on
shore.
On the 10Th, light southwest winds which
freshencd toward the latter end of the day,
set the ice nshoro so fast that some Of the
ships were caught in the pack. The rest re-
treated inshore ahead Of the ice. Here they
anchored in from three TO four fathoms Of
water the ice coming 10, and the small ice
packing around the ships. BY the strong
current running to the northeast, the large
heavy foe ice grounded in the shoal water
inside Of this the ships lay, or at least the
most of them, and those who did not get in
kept working in as they had a chance, to keep
Hoh uV'ng s'oNe' AZ '''s '''lo ~ 1s"u "
snow ana they had several storms ana "ihus
from D to ~ W. Here they were all jam
med together some not having room 70 SWING
c'oar OF each o'nef'
THE FIRST VESSEL CRUSHED IN THE ICE.
N, ,ho l., or Sor,or,hor tho hort Romo,
w,s crnsbcd in The loo having cot capcbt
,yb;Io c,,,;n, ,yLoio Che driGed bolnIess.
10 .s Ear as Sco Horse Isl,nds and was tbore
con,bt between two beavv foes Of ice one
or he aoes was acrouni and an immense
g,,r or sovor,l IL ia oy,or, cana aoaips,
her from off shore crnsbinc bcr like on COO.
sboll in AZ r,;nntcs Sbo sn,t beod foroposi
I1aving bcr rig1cnm,st and bcr stern ont Of
y,,er Tho oro,r ,r,s received on hood Tho
o,bor sbins m ,bo 0d ~ co,,or,bor tho
brio Come, was crushed in tho bcovv loo !.
her crew were taken ON hoard the other sbips
md cared for I, now became evident that
. tbe loo was se,tinc on shore verv heavily the
anon erin or ,va1or bocomo norro,vor ovorv
dav and M nossiblo chance 70 40, ont On
tbe 9Th of Sentember the bark Awasbonks
was crusbod bo,waar tho boovv loo Uor
crow werc olso received nm hoard tbc other
Sims AZ dav af,er d.y n,ssod and no sirns
If The loo oncn;n, tbo masters 81 ,be sb;ns
hecoro onviors ahort Tho loss of ,;,ro 40 ,bo
season was nass;nc avav Notbinc could ho
soon bnt ono solid bojv of loo "a shore no
far os tho eve coula 500 oxcen, tho narrow
trim !, shoro which nos fro,o two bun1rod
vords 70 boIf mia nd Tbe sb;rs ,yoro
Iv;rc sono ;owrno1 IN ,bo loo ond como
IN anon woter ali tho ,yov from pint
Rslobor 30 ,ro - ,hroo Mia III 81 W.,
wr;cbt TnIo, nrr;nr nj ,bis ,;,no oror,
ono ,ros an~;o,sIv av,,Soo,;r,, ,or,hoas, ,,aio
bnt instead Tho w;rd con,ioroJ from s6n,h'
east 10 nor,bwest oIvovs l;cbt from sou,b
oast and rrosh fro,r sor;hvos, Th;s Lor,t ,ho
loo nockinc ,o,etbor moro closeIv ovcry day
Tho dan,e7 81 ,boir s;,ra,;on w,s or1oron,
10 evorv ono ,rJ as ho sooson noe de-
;nc ,beye ros ,ros, danaor 81 ho;n,, f.o,or
,ho ;oo 60 .I;n a.nn "5 lUa or
s,,;n' 81 80
Yo,ico wos row ciyor and moo,ino wos
h.ld hr oil ,La n,as,ors H. 49, 30 no,,oo.,
sorno =, oasnras Co. H. sar,,, % ,ho;. oson,.
in coso tbor fornJ Il ;,,noss;5,o - osoano CO..,
,hoir danoorovs .;,n.,;nn 7, mos doi;do JAZZ 90
Trh,or re- -. KaLaIa ,s 49, ~.
her oyor tho baT a, Wa;nwr;ob, IJo, a.
,ras ha,,tad nIona.s;Ia Ill., ftin.Ia,.a g c.
Frorcisco and hns ali ana s,oros lanSoa on
ber dock and sbe was ,hcn fon,d 70 drow
r;no Co, oc,r.,o IT,. H. ,,a, 80
down Tho coos, in ,bo rorro,. str;o n onor,
,vo,or 49, - ,ha - al
mada 20 20, hor oro. 49, 1hoai ma,a. TI;'
tho sonnd 10 ", ;,nnoss;hie .s shn drow ,"r
rn,oh ,ra,or a,d AZ ,-as 49,, 80, A. A.,
same time an erridi,ion of tbrea boots wa,
G,ted on, ,,nder A.. co,nn.nd or o., Re-
70 40 down ,ha ooost ,,n,; ,Io,, oa,ro 80 ~.
omen 500 and ,Lon 70 trv and Snd anr % ~,
sims which r,icb, havo oot ont ~ tbo loo
or [ent ont RI snccoe5od in sna;na ~
harLs and sh;no Aro,io prooross NIL To-
,,oda Chanoa Dan;oI Wohstor and Em.ona
and The con,ains Of those vessels nj oncc ev
. nressed ,hd;r ,r;llincnoss 10 ston ond ,ra;, G,
the crews of the distressed ships as long A
their authors would hold them.
Still hoping the ice would open and lie
them out, Capt. Bedfed of the brig Victori
tried to get his vessel off over the ice b
tightening her, but without succeeding. q
the night of the 9th Of September the weath
er was calm, and the clear water around tn
ships froze over, and it was with great diff
Guilty that a whale boat could be got throug
it, The boats had to be coppered around tn
bows to keep the ice from cutting through tn
planking. No time was now lost in sendin
provisions by the boats to the south, as the
were apprehensive that their retreat by tn
boats might be cut of, and it might be tina
they would be obliged to travel by land
where the ships were anchored, it being we
known among every ships company thl
there were not provisions enough to last Owe
three or four months at the most. 1t wa
hard to entertain any thoughts of leavin
their ships, there being no harbor where the
could winter, even had they provisions enoug
to do. And they knew that if the ships di
not get out they would either be crushed Q
driven ashore by the ice the first northwe,
gale.
GIVING UP THE SHIPS.
I'm tho lsb of ser,omhor another moo
Inc wos SoiJ hu a. npas.aos 49, na;nc,I e.,
baSi"a forced isle unou ' ,bs nina Of away
nne RAJ in ID 20 soro ,Lo l;ro. 81 ,hn;
osows ,hor wonIJ ~ '. ahanaon ~ ~ i.'