The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1876-10-25
SURROUNDED BY ICE.
Twelve Whaling Vessels and Their
Crews Abandoned Off Point
Barrow.
THRILLING RECTAL
OF The Hairbreadfh Escapes
and Terrible Hardships Of
the Survivors.

San Francisco, Oct. 21.-The whaling bark,
Florence, arrived this evening from the Are
tie Ocean with 100 men on board. being part
OF the crews of an Arctic whaling fleet, -
OF which she reports lost in the ice, with a
portion of their crews. The remaining
vivOrs have gone to Honolulu, on the
barque Three Brothers. The following is a
synopsis of the written reports of the mas
ter of the fleet. On arrival in Behring's
sea we found plenty of ice and
extreme weather. But few whales were
taken in the first part of the season. We
commenced taking walruses June first, and
the ships engaged soon got all they had casks
for. Between the Doth of July and the 1st
of August the ships worked over to- the East
shore, and so North towards Point Barrow,
fast as the ice opened. The barque Are
Tie was crushed by ice July Z, off Sea
Horse islands, eighteen miles from land.
The crew escaped to the shore and
finally were taken on board by
the barque Onward and subsequently
distributed among the men, Capt. Whitney
g,'ing ON board the bark Rainbow. About
tile ISt of August the fleet fourteen in num-
Der. reached Point Barrow. The NorInera
Light and the Norman staid south walrus-
ing. and escaped the disaster that followed.
They had to stand from Point Barrow sew
eTal times, owing to the ice. Standing
on shore August II, the breeze from
tile north and northwest broke
ami soon all the ships were actively engaged
northeast of Point Barrow, the wind half
from the west TO the northeast until the
night Of August Is, when it began blow
ing fresh from the east-nOrtheast. All the
ships stood in shore and anchored, to avoid
the drifting ice. On the afternoon of the
11yh thewin increased and hauled to the
north. bringing the ice on shore, and we all
run under the south side of Point Barrow,
where we found a lee for four
house, but the next morning were obliged
u run south as far as Cape Smith: The
Rainbow and Three Brothers remained at
Point Barrow for the next three days. The
whales were numerous at Cape Smith, and
the ships busy taking some Meantime the
wind set in from the west, causing an I'M
easy feeling. The space occupied by the ships
extended seven or eight miles OFF shore,
running along by the land south.
This kept steadily closing On the second
the wind freshened from the west-northweSt,
and all the ships, except the Rainbow and
Three Brothers, which were still anchored at
Point Barrow, were surrounded by drift ice.
They beat to the southwest. I'm the evening
tie wind began hauling south of west. but
we still hoped before the ice closed ia on us
To r.ach the open sea, or at least
Sea Horse Island, where We could find
shelter Atsunset the ice stopped our pro-
gre~>. On the morning of the oath thick
f,g set in. At this time the heavy ice
packed and reached along the whole coast
ABOUT two miles to leeward, the ships all
living in the open strip of water between
that and the shore. The Clara Bell lost her
rndder ran near shore and anchored. The
ice closed around her, and a large
berg grounded south of her and
formed breakwater, behind which
She lay. The Barque Florence drifted up to
Cape South and got under the lee OF a
grounded iceberg which proved her saliva
ZION. The ships Josephine, ST. George, Cor
nelius Rowland and the banks Camille
James Allen and Onward were enclosed by
4 pack during the afternoon and drifted
rapidly to the Northeast between Woody
and Refuge inlets. The ship Marengo
under all sail got within three or four
ship lengths of the open water and
tlen the ice closed on her. As we
reared Point Barrow the current slackened,
and for two days we drifted slowly. The
Rainbow and Three Brothers under Point
Barrow lay in comparative safety, witnesses
ef our distress but unable to render assist
ancc. The Marengo, st. George and bark
Acers Barns, each sent a boat ashore, intend
ing to follow with Others con-
timing provisions and supplies IN
case of disaster, but owing TO the ice
starting afresh were unable do SO. On the
18th the first officer of the Three Brothers
with boats crew took the wife of Captain
QackmOlt off the barque Acers Barns to his
shin Tor safety Next day the st. George men
attempted to haul the boat ashore over the
ice. but were caught in a fog. Thirteen Of
them got on board of the Rainbow and the
Three Brothers The others regained
their own ship, except one, who per-
ished on the ice. Next day, the Is
Eried to get back to the ST. George,
but never reached her. They were rescued
by Capt. Owen, of the Three Brothers The
other two were frozen to death on the ice.
The prospects are now very gloomy The
ships were held helplessly on the ice and
drifting rapidly northeast. August Is we
reached the end of the bank, and the cur
rent changed to the east The ships at Point
Barrow were no longer visible. The situa-
ton was worse than ever, the only hope be-
ing an easterly gale. August % we found
ourselves off Point Sargent The crew OF the
Marengo attempted to get ashore but returned
unsuccessful. The next day the masters
held q council on the Java and concluded
there was no further hope of saving the
ships some of which were already badly rip
ned by the ice This was only touch Of
what might be expected. The ships alto
gether had about three months provisions
not enough to last through the winter
After full discussion, seeing NJ
way out of the difficulty, they decided tina
the only way to save the lives of all was t
reach land before escape became impossible
September was chosen for the day of start
ing The ships were twenty or thirty mile
from land abreast the west head OF smith
ay. September s. all Being ready on boar'
the c. Rowland, st. George, Marengo
Desmond James Allen, Acers Barn
and the Onward, the signal 10
departure was given. The boats ha
been put in the best possible condition. Tn
baggage consisted of about twenty-five day:
rations of bread and meat, change of clotf
ing and blanket for each man. Everythin
else but guns and ammunition was left o
board. The main hope was to find open waite
enough inside the ground ice to navigate tn
boats southwark, and so reach the ship
which we sIlnnosed to be outside the pacl