The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1873-10-30
THE PATHWAY TO THE POLE.
pERILs AND FAscINATIoNs OF AN ARCTIC
WHALING CRUISE.

WHALING CRUISE
Whaling, in its details one of the most re-
pulsive of human industries, has associations
incomparably fascinating to the magma
ton. apart from the terrible toll, the cour'
age. the endurance and danger involved in
the pursuit. All these come into the pic
ture. and underlie its, charms, enhanced by
the great distance, the parting from home
and friends, the absolute silence, the COM
plete isolation. No news comes to the homes
of the whalers until they bring it, with ease
and plenty, or the grim blank Of failure no
passing ships hail the voyagers to the tar
north, to the region where mans dominion
has never been acknowledged, where he is no
more than persevering invader, who snatch
e. with inconceivable toll and difficulty, a
few victories, and then is steadily, inezorab-
" beaten back by the floating forces OF the
Ice King. The giant barriers of the ice
realm are closed against him, and the myster-
ious night of the arctic winter bids dehance
to his puuy daring. When the
DARKNESS COMES DOWN
upon the polar world, does the strange calm
that broods over the great wastes of water
within the great wastes of ice which form
the Spitzbergen islands remain untroubled,
or do the winds howl over the black waves
until the ice-barriers shiver, and moan, and
split themselves into frantic fragments, ca
reering wildly under the rushing lash of the
tempests, and anon closing up for long spells
of their inexorable ward? The whole region,
during the brief season for which man can
look upon it and live, is one of cnchantment
and delight, but he leaves it with the linser-
ing longing to learn the mysteries OF its win.
ter unful6iied. No wonder that the good
people Of Hull watched with patient curiosity
the lading of schooner-yacht which sailed
from Hull on the 11th May, 1872, with
small tarty of English gentlemen and an ex-
clusively English crew, for it was bound tor
was to sail round the island,
and was fitted with all the requirements tor
whaling and sealing. A large fishing fieet
was sailing, but the schooner soon ousalled
them all, and as the fisherman hauled toward
their fishing banks, and she stood on her
course alone, the talk on board her was OF
THE HYPERBoREAN SEAS AHEAD,
whose dread and danger the men knew and
had dared; and of the great whales, whose
capture is such fierce excitement and large
profit. Many days aaifPass by before the
appear, but at 1ensth' the gentle
men see them, and their ill-consealed admir-
,t;on seems uncalled fer by the crew, 10
whom these wonderful creatures are very
small deer. indeed, the mere outlying wilde
Fowle" ofthe ice realm, gliding on the sur
face of the calm, clear sea, with sudden,
gentle motion and heaving loud ''p-ooi
IS they come by the ship, whence they aie
watched in strictest silence. The marvcls
IF the Northern seas come quickly an
Mayens Island lies in the ships course, ond.
as they near it, the whole air is alive wlth
white winged armies Of sea birds, the high
cliffs being tenanted by another host at rest;
Two rocks stand cut from the land. exactly
swift-sailine ships, coming 9'
with all sails set, and hecling over to the
gale; and the icy peak OF Beerenberg, rises
above the saa-level 6,87O feet. The beach
had
A HISTORY TO TELL
full of warning, and yet Of weired attraction ;
for here were bits Of whale boats, reduced to
by the frightful action of the
boisterous seas; fragments of wrecks OF
,hips that had fought bravely against the ice,
but had been beaten; bits of masts OF mer-
chant vessels huge piles of drift wood, once
stately trees on the side Of some Siberian rlv.
er, now stranded on the Arctic coass, and
III, little tunnels with which the sea woims
had perforated in every direction tcnantless'
for the wood borers connot live in the temper,
atu.e of the awful Arctic seas The wild
duck and the white fox have the island. to
themselves, and beyond it lies the true com
mencement of the west ice, the surge OF the
heavy sea breaking upon the outer EDGE "l
the huge floating masses, and the illimltahe
distance laden with heavy blocks interspcrsed,
with fat snow Surely here IL the end OF al
things; no ship can ever get beyond !h,S
beautiful barrier-this spray sprlnklcd dad
em on the brow Of the awful Ice hine,
shining with almost unbearable lustre OF
rubies, diamonds, emeralds and sapph'rcs
and the laundering sound of the disrupted
masses which strew the sea is
THE WARNING OF DISMISSAL.
They heed neither, but sail toward the
dcnscst part, through fringe ofbroken ice IN IN
q heaving sea, forcing the schooner at al
speed, and charging the most likely place Tor
an entrance, as the surge rises and fails with
awful fury. They get through, for they
have men on board who are accustomed 10
deal with ice, to hit it carefully, and turn 1t
gently from its way; aud the wonderful l',I IT.,
operation succeeds, the schooner stands out t"
sea in board channel, with ice walls on eIt''
or side, and the first terrific barrier lies be
tween thom and all life that is less than arc
tic. At first it is u little difficult TO grow nc
customed to. the absence Of darkness then