The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-11-06
SHIPPING NEWS.
To THE EDIroR OF rnE GAzErrE


Dear Sir: l left Honolulu June 14h and Kauai
the 18th; had pleasant passage to the Fox Islands,
passed through the Ounimak passage June S9th;
had light winds and thick fog the greater part of the
time crossing Kamtscaika Sea; made ST. Lawrence
Islands July sth and Kings the 9th large number
of Devil Fish in sight; lowered the boats five days
without success, whales very shy and going rapidly
TO the windward; picked up dead whale on the
lob. July 18th anchored in ST. Lawrence Bay for
water Found here the barks Trident aud Arctic,
the latter boiling 400 barrels of warus oil Cap
tain Trip reports the most of the fleet doing well
walrusing; only few did anything outside whal
ing: Marengo whales, Midas whales, Camilla
whales, and few others i whale each. Some of
the masters were under the impression that there
would be no walrusing this season, and stopped in
and around Behring's Straits chasing Devil Fish.
for one have tried Devil fishing to my satisfaction
and find that can get three times the quantity of
warus oil that 1 can of Devil Fish oil in the
time. We worked carly and late for two weeks and
only took whales. Left Cape East July % In com
pany with bark Trident made the ice and the fleet
on the Goth. so miles NE of Cape Lisburne eight of
the feet worked up to the wrecks at Wainwrights
Inlet About the 4th of August Capt. Smith, of the
schooner Ursnia, came on board Of my ship. He
gave me the following report: July Both was off Icy
Cape; lie was from the wrecks looking for his YES
sci, which he lel at Cape Lisburne on the 10th of
July with two men, one native of the Arctic, in a
skin canoe. Capt. Williams, of the bark Florence,
sent off two boats two days previous. They had
quite an exciting race TO the wrecks, distance of
$50 miles Capt Smith won the race, he having a
light canoe and Capt. Williams people whaleboats.
They went through the lRgoons the greater part OF
the distance there being ice the shore outside.
Capt Smith took possession of the blrks Minerva
and Thomas Dickson; the former was in good or
der and swinging at her anchors; the latter ap
parently in good order, laying in feet of water,
but was afterwards found TO be stove The bark
Seneca was in good order with the exception of the
jbboom and rudder being gone, but still frozen in
a large foe ice. The brig Kohala was laying in
feet of water The 5arks Emily Morgan aud Rein
deer were ashore with their masts cut away
Capt Smith being short Of men, kept what he
thought the most valuable vessel, the Seneca which
he expected TO take down with the oil and most val
liable things from the kohola and Thos. Dickson,
and gave The Minerva up TO Capt. Williams people;
they also took possession of the Emily Morgan and
Reindeer, and took considerable oil from them both.
Can't Williams has made splendid thing of ii this
season, picking up oil and purchasing bone of the
natives l was told that be has the Florence full
and somein the Minerva. The remainder OF the feet
were either burned gone, there being no trace of
them left as nearly as I can learn. The Jnsiives
burned ten ships last fall they got at the medicine
chests and fourteen died from the effect of the
medicines taken by them. This is the reason they
give for burning the ships l think the natives
must have taken nearly all the bone, as they had
large quantity. One schooner from san Francisco /
got 95 600 lbs, Capt Williams L, 00O Capt Smith
10 900, and number Of the whaleships got more or
less.
Capt. Smith met with bard luck. When the Sen, |
eca ihawed ont she swung at her anchors. The
next day S W. wind sprung up, the ice came in
and showed the ship ashore, so that Capt. smith |
with his small crew was unable TO get her of; he |
took what he could and left her. Capt. Williams |
then took possession and succeeded in getting her
OF (shc was perfectly tght), and rugged spar for