The union Democrat. [volume] (Sonora, Calif.) 1854-1946, 1871-11-11
Destruction Of a Whaling Fleet.

SAN FRANcIsco, Nov. 5.-The destruction
of the whaling fleet in the Arctic Ocean and
the suffering and death OF tie crew and pas
sengers of the brig Shelehof, are the sole
topics of conversation to-day. Nine persons
persisted in the Shelehoff, the last of whom
was Ashley Crane. son of Judge Crane, Of
Alameda county, California, who went out as
n passenger TO superintend a sugar planta-
ton near Callao. lie exnired the day before
the Moses Taylor hove in sight. The vessel
had been water logged and drifting belplessly
| l09 days. when the steamer arrived, during
which time nothing could be got from below,
and the sufferings of the crew were terrible,
until death relieved them.
| The Muses. Taylor brought here the off,
GERS of twenty-three crushed or abandoned
whalers. and the ID. c. Murray viii bring all
she can carry of the sailors. About six hun
! dred of the latter were kanakas. hut the re-
mainder were Americans, and viii come here
as fast as the American Consul caa send
them. 1t is suggested that the Government
should send war vessel to bring them.
| The fleet was driven upon mud shoal by ice
which drifted down from the northwest in
immense bodies and grounded in twelve or
fourteen feet of water. showing its immense
thickness. The loss by the destruction of the
| fleet will reach million and a half of dol
lars.
The oil on hoard the wrecked or abandoned
vessels was 1906 barrels of whale, 965 OF
sperm and 100000. pounds of bone. The
Florida. Victoria and Carlotta are all ruined.
The Captains of the whalers. Arctic, Cav
Head, Minerva, Eliza Swift, Reindeer. Eu-
genia and Paicia, which arrived at Honolulu,
furnish the following details of the loss of the
whaling fleet. The vessels commenced ar
irving st Cape lIadens on MAY LIST. In June
the ice opened and let the fleet up within
sight Of Cape Mavarino. The fleet working
northwari found some whales in Behring 8
sea, but much trouble from ice, When the
fleet arrived at Cape Behring and Plover Bay,
the whales had passed through into the Are
tic Ocean, whittier the fleet followed. meet
ing with fair success until about the first of
September, when the ice foes and bergs for
a great extent commenced drifting down, and
by the 10Th o number of vessels had been
sunk and the bulk of the remainder hemmed
in or driven ashore. September the ID the
brig Comet was steven and sunk on the
7th the Roman was lifted bodily out of the
sea by two foes and crushed like an egg
she'll. The crew narrowly escaped Florida
and Victoria. of San Francisco, were also
crushed. September 18th the captains of
the feet were hemmed in between Point Bel
cher and Wainwright Inlet held meeting
and resolved to abandon the vessels. in order
to save the lives of the crews, which was
done, and 200 sailors took refuge on board
the remainder of the fleet which had been
fortunate to escape outside before the Ice
closed in. The vessels thus abandoned are
C,ncordia, Gay Head, George, John Wells.
Massachusetts, j. d. Thompson, Contest,
Morgan Champion, Henry Tabor, E. Swift,
0. Croker. Navy. Reindeer. Fanny, George
Rowland, Paica, Eugenia, Kohla and Dick
enson. 1t is supposed that the whole number
lost will reach 33. Those known to be saw
ed, with the oil secured by each, are as fol.
lows: Arctic, $50 bills; Progress. $50
Chance. 900 of sperm and $50 of whale
Daniel Webster. $50 Lagoda, 725; Europa,
1880: Midas $50 whale and l40 of sperm.
All the abandoned vessels. will he, it is be,
lieved, total loss, there being little chance
of reaching even the cargoes in the Spring.