The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-11-18
CFrom the Friend Supplement-, November eth-)
Eve Left not One Minute too Soon"

In conversation with q very sensible and reli-
able first officer of one of the lost ships in the
Arctic, we asked him this question " Did you
not quit your vessel too soon, ought you not
to have waited a little longer?" He replied
with much decision, 81 We left not one minute
too soon." This appears to be the unanimous
opinion of all the masters. officers and seamen,
with whom we have conversed.
We have heard an opposite opinion expressed
by some who never saw the Arctic Ocean. 1t Is
an easy matter in Honolulu, with the thermometer
at 80 . TO ~criticise the actions of men who have
laced danger and starvation under the shadow of
iccbergs, and while the icy barrier was moment
arily pressing a fleet of ships on the barren shores
Of Siberia. We have no doubt that the owners
and agents of whaleships and Insurance Com
panies in New Bedford, seated before a good coal
fire, will express their deliberate opinion that the
feet was abandoned too coon. We have been
permitted to read the private Journal OF one OF
the shipmasters, whose ship was saved, and 1t
tells a story of anxiety that ought to silence all
foolish censure of those shlpmasters who were
compelled to leave behind them their hard-eafned
wealth. The idea that thirty-three shlpmasters
and their crews abandoned their ice-bound vessels,
except from stern and dire necessity is not be
entertained for one moment.
The following brief journal of Mr.. Earl, Chief
officer of the Emily Morgan, which was among
the lost, we are glad to publish. The entry on
the 18th of September, indicates what the fate
of those men might have been, had no ships been
spared tie have brought away the crews OF the
abandoned vessels =
Sept. Light southerly winds with overcast
weather. The ice pressing in upon the land. All
egress from our present position is cut Oh, both to
north and south, as the ice is driven up into y
feet of water. The bark Roman is carried of
in the pack.
Sept. Light and variable winds, mostly
from the southern bound. The main pack is
slowly but steadily advancing toward the land,
--- = l. Il - EoIl 20 ~ .orkhxuacf of uG
This morning at l A. NJ, the brig Comet was
crushed by the ice and sold at auction, with all
her stores, oil, &c., for thirteen dollars. The
crew of the Roman came down to the fleet. she
having been crushed by the ice, the men barely
escaping with their lives. The Reindeer was
hard pressed by the ice.
Sept. 3.-Light and variable winds, mostly
from the southwark.
Sept. 4.-Light westerly wind with fog ice
opens a little, but the main pack seems immovable.
Sept. 5.-Light breeze from n. N. E. to Z. S. E.
AT u NJ, cast off from the ice and came to in the
land-water.
Sept. early part of tie day light and vari-
able winds. In the afternoon light breeze at
s.. W., increasing to a fresh wind canting to w.
Sept. begins with fresh wind from S. W.
canting to N. w. Saw whales, struck one the
second officer accidentally shot himself through
the head with a bomb gun, the lance passing
through his head, killing him almost instantly.
Latter part or the day calm. $50
Sept. with fresh winds from S. W.,
cantIng early in the day to n. w. The main
pack pressing in upon US, e~ndangering the ship.
The anchor weighed and run in shore an eighth
of a mile and came to in 81 fathoms of water.
This eighth of a mile is all the nayigable water
between the heavy masses Of ground ice and land,
and the pack still advancing. There seems to be
little hope Of escaping from our present position !;
to the north is simply impossible, to the south
the greatest depth of water along the ice is 6 feet,
and decreasing hourly.
Sept. 9.-First part of the day fresh breeze
from N. W., and N. N. W. All of the northern
portion of the feet except the George, Gay Head,
and COncordia, locked in the ice)came down and
anchored to S. W., of US. The ice is still slowly
closing upon US no drift ice afloat in the land
water.
Sept. 1O.-Have the wind fresh from N N. w.
to N. E., with clear cold weather. By sunshine
the ice had made an inch thick in the land-water.
30 there was considerable difficulty in moving
about with q whale-boat. The Reindeer and
Contest weighed anchor in the forenoon and for
nearly an hour scarcely moved, SO firmly had the
ice made around them. At 6 P. M, weighed
anchor and run down about a mile to S. w.
where we had the protection of a shoal of 9 feet
water off shore of US. As the ice had thawed a
great deal during the day we made better head
way than the Contest and Reindeer. Yesterday
four boats left the ship to endeavor to establish
communication with the lower portion of the fleet
which is supposed, or hoped, to be off Icy Cape.
The wind, though favorable, has not moved tile
ice.
Sept. Light breeze from E., with overcast
weather and toward night ram. Broke out pro-
visions and boiled six barrels of beef, furnished
two boats with provisions and clothing for the
crew for a start southwark. As L write, one of
the boats that started two days ago has returned
reporting that there are three ships in clear water
and a prospect that four more will soon be in
safety. The ice has been pressed up on the outer
shoal a short distance to-day.
Sept. l2.-The Captain left in the starboard
boat at 4 A. NJ, leaving orders for me to act ac-
cording to circumstances IS if the other ships
are abandoned to abandon ours at the same time
to do as the others do" For my part will
not cross the Arctic ocean in an open whale-boat
laden with men and provisions in the latter part
of the month of September and October. As far
as Icy cape there is no danger, but beyond that,
Cf all ships companies have to take to boats to
Behring's Strait) the sea is dangerous at this sea-
son of the year. Out of the fourteen hundred
men not a hundred will survive. 1 will return
from Icy Cape if ships cannot be found. At 5
a. NJ, l started two other boats with provisions.