Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1876-11-16
n ISC |. A n I 0 s.
TIE LOST WHALING FLEET.

the morning of the Dist, brought the news
Of a terrible disaster in the Arctic Ocean. 1t
appears that i'll the spring of this year d fleet
of seventeen whalers were bound north
ward in the Pacific Ocean, working their
way up through Behring's Straits toward
the Arctic Sea, where it was supposed dur
ing the summer season they could find a
good cruising region of comparatively open
water. On June | they commenced taking
walrus, soon engaging all which the vessels
had casks for. Between jun 20 and july
the feet were employed in working over
toward Point Barrow, a promontory jutting
out in the Arctic Ocean, which constitutes
the most northerly projection of the land
formerly known as Russian America. AS
fast as the ice opened the fleet kept on.
About the 9TH of July one vessel, the bark
Arctic. was caught in the ice and crushed,
her crew escaping to land, afterward
being taken on board of the bark On
ward, and thence distributed through the
feet. About he 1st of August fourteen
of the other ships reached Point Barrow,
the Northern Light and Norman having re-
NAMED sea-walrushing, thus luckily escap-
Ing the disaster which overlook their COM
rades. The 18th of August brought large
numbers of whales, the ships being active
in pursuit of them toward the Northeast,
the wind holding from the West. A change
in the latter caused the fleet to seek shelter
under the lee of Point Barrow on its south
westerly side, where they remained only
about four hours, running South to Cape
Smith, with the exception of two vessels
the Rainbow and Three Brothers-which
were anchored at the Point. The ter YES
sells off Cape Smith soon became surround
cd by pack ice, and thenceforth were in con-
slant battle with the elements, fighting SIM
ply for the salvation oflife among the crews.
One vessel, the bark Florence drifted in I'M
der the lee OF a grounded iceberg, and to
that seeming misfortune owed her saliva
her rudder, ran close in shore and anchored,
the ice threatening destruction, until once
more did a huge berg intervene, grounding
just outside OF her in such position as to af-
ford a complete breakwater. One ship the
Marengo, while under full sail, was within
three or four lengths of the open sea when
the ice suddenly closed in front of her grasp
Ing remorselessly, as II with intelligent pur-
pose, the doomed craft. Crews essayed to
reach the shore, but, owing to the broken
and moving condition of the ice, were re-
PEELED with death and loss of comrades. Fl
,.n1Ix, cn.,u~n1 20 IL ,,anta~. l.yJ ...--1
tation OH board the Java and finding that
they had only an aggregate ofthree months
provisions, reluctantly concluded to aban-
don their vessels and try to escape before
the iron grasp of winter should lock them
tn beyond all hope. The ships were then
between twenty and thirty miles from shore,
the nearest point being the West head OF
Smiths Bay. On the 9th of September the
crews of the Camilla, G. Howlane, st.
George, Marengo, James Allen, Desmond,
Acors Barnes, Onward, Josephine and Java
prepared to attempt gaining the shore. The
picture, as imagination readily depicts it,
must have been a sad one. All the hopes of
a fruitful voyage nippcd in the bud the to-
tai venture of worldly possessions aban-
doned forever; hunger, priyation, despair
staring everybody in the face; an attempt
to save bare life against seemingly over
whelmlng chances. The boats had been
placed in the best possible condition, and no
precaution omitted which opportunity could
afford or experience suggest. For susten-
ance they had twenty-five days rations of
hraol and ,,,n,k r. a1,..>
one blanket for each man, all else, save guns