The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1875-09-09

mony, however, was interrupted at the be-
ginning by heavy burst of rain which con-
tinued forty days. The monks, who were
frightened by the rain, dessted and built
a chapel over the remains on the spot where
they lay buried. Out of this incident grew
the legend which has held place in the
popular mind along with other traditions
and superstitlons for so many centuries.
The Longest Stay In the Arctic Regions
on RecOrd-A WhaIeT's Interesting Mar
alive.
A soldier stationed at the St. LOUIS arsenal
was the second mate of q ships crew that
several years ago made remarkable voyage
into the Arctic regions. He tells the fol-
lowing:
On the fourteenth of July, 1871, the bark
Glacier, Ned Potter, master, left New Bed
ford, Massachusetts,, bound for Repulse Bay,
situated in the northwestern extremity of
Hudson's Bay, on whaling voyage.
The Glacier arrived in Hudson's Bay
about the first of September. At the en-
trance gale of wind struck them between
South Hampton Island and the main land,
and blew them into James's Bay--into the
southern extremity of the bay. The intense
cold of an Arctic wind cannot be described,
and the sufTerings of men may be imagined
when it is stated that a new man had to be
placed at the wheel every half hour, and the
men at the yardarms grew in few minutes
so stiff and cold that three-quarters of an
hour would be occupied in reefng the fore
topsail. Having been driven into the
southern extremity of the bay, the wind
shifted to the southwark and drove the
bark up to Marble Island, which is in the
northwestern part of the bay.
Marble Island is one of the safest places
of resort in these attitudes The place is
called Marble Island because it is composed
of solid marble, which rises here and there
in mountains $50 feet above the level of the
sea. 1t contains several inland bays, which,
when reached, shelter a ship from the
fercest blast of Arctic winter. To reach
these inland bays it is necessary to go
through a narrow channel inclosed between
Marble Island on the north and long low,
narrow island called Cooper's Island on the
south over which the surf beats in rough
water.
This passage is generally made by work
ing through, which means that by means of
ropes first wound around the MINDLESS and
then extended to some rock above, the bark
is pulled at the MINDLESS to the point
named. The gale had lasted two weeks,
and it now got so cold that the second mate
forty miles above, where the natives were
encamped. Here the two boats crews
stayed four days, and procured an ample
supply of clothing, consisting of stockings,
called dterSis; boots called kumHlents; pants,
called collins; coats, called COOlatdpgs.
Although it was yet early in September,
the ice now caught them fast in the start
through which they were trying to make
their way to the inland bays in Marble
Island. The next day, after the arrival of
the boats crew, the rigging became so stiff
that they were obliged to dismantle the ship
to prepare for winter. The casks were taken
out of the ship to make her as hight as pos
sible, and the crew broke passage through
the ice, and landed at Cooper's Island-a
frozen desert OF sand and gravel. The ice,
which up to this time had only been an
inch or two thick, increased to foot in
thickness by the twenty-fifth of October.
On that day, with our axes and saws, the
entire crew proceeded over to Marble Is
land, to cut ice from the fresh water ponds
from which water might be obtained dur
ing the winter for cooking and drinking
purposes. Huge blocks, fourteen and eigh
teen inches thick, were cut, hauled oil
shore and set up on end, so that ID nigh
not be covered by snow. Then the crew
prepared 10 stay the cold weather out.
The crew had nothing to do but lie on tn,
forecastle, smoking and reading and dream
ing of fat whales, with lots of blubber il
them, and thinking of the long and drear,
Arctic nights, of home and friends an(
some of sweethearts and wives. Abou
Christmas their eyes were gladdened by tn,
sight of other human beings-a troop o
short, dark, greasy EsquimauX, who cam
over from the main land to Marble IslanC
with supplies of deer and seal meat, ant
skin clothes, which they sold to the crew
Two or three needles, u thimble would bu
whole suit of clothes. A few guns witt
a small lot of powder would purchas
several thousand pounds of meet.
BY the first of May they commenced get
ting ready to go down TO Whale Point, a
the eastern extremity of Marble Island, t
whale it there. The bark had been CON
PEELED TO winter in the strait instead of tn
island bays, as whished, and bad luck ha
attended them all the way. 1t continue
TO follow them. They had a hard tIip down
hauling the boats over the ice. At til
eastern extremity the ice had been broke
up by the gales Of wind, and they found
lot OF shantes erected there for whales, an
n lookout from which to watch for whale
in the open water. But the wind KEEP
most of the time from the east blowing tn
heavy ice back on shore and sometimes 70
days at a time they could not see any waite
at all.
They stayed there two months, from tn
first OF May to the last Of june, aud onl
got two small calves and few walrusses
whose ttshes were alone valuable. Whe
they got back to the ship they commenced
after resting day, to see a channel on
through the ice in the strait in order I
sail back by way of the eastern eXtremit
of Hudson's Bay. Holes were drilled
the ice, equal distances apart, and so as I
make two long lines, when bottles weI
sunk beneath filled with powder and a
tached to each other by means of insnlate
wire, and by means of battery stimuli;
neous explosion was made and the hug
cakes shivered into thousand fragment:
All this time the cold was intense, Oh
spirit thermometer ranging at times fiftl
eight degrees below zero
On getting out into Hudson's BAY again
the bark was turned to go 10 Rcpulse Ba,
800 miles to the north, latitude sixtv-seye
degrees twenty-seven minutes longtitud
eighty-hve degrees west. The bark sale
up the bay, in elear water between the &c,
peak and the shore, and up through S
Walter Roses Welcome, which runs b,
tween Southampton Ireland and the mai
land. Into the Welcome their empties i
self broad river called Wager river, sn
there is always a strong current in il, n
tide coming in az one end when il Is ral
ming out NJ the other.
They reached the Repulse Bay on the Ia
day Of July, bat the same III luck that ha
followed them SO fAr, still pursued then
The wind came around from che scuthN AZ
and eastward, aud drove them into lit
lot of islands called Kickatons- The i
pack keps them there until the tenth