Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-11-02
SIGNAL FOR DEPARTURE

SlGNAL EOR
was given. The boats had been put in
the best possible condition. The bag
gage consisted of about twenty-five
days, rations, bread and meat, change
of clothing and a blanket for each man.
Every thing else but guns and ammuni-
ton were left on board. The main
hope was to find open water enough
inside the ground ice to navigate the
boats southwark, and so reach the two
ships which are supposed to be out
side the pack. We left at 3 p. m. We
would first carry the baggage half a
mile or so ali ad, and then turn and
drag the boats along the ice, which
was very rough in places, and many of
the holes would not bear the weight of
a man. Many of the men fell through
and suffered much from cold. The
first night we camped on the ice about
four miles from the ships, and the
next morning resumed the march in
A BINDING sNOw-sToRM u
from the northeast. The prospect was
most discouraging. Several men de-
serted and returned toward the ships,
where q number of crews remained who
refused to face the hardship and jour-
ney toward land of their fate we know
nothing. On September 6 we reached
a strip of open water, launched the
boats and pulled toward land. All that
day and the next We kept working
through and over the ice, and at s p.
m. made land two miles west of Point
| Targent. We continued working along,
and at noon on the 9th sighted the
Three Brothers and Rainbow at Point
Barrow, and reached them before night.
We found all solid beyond, and the only
chance Of escape was to drag the boats
over land to the open sea-a distance,
as afterward proved, of $50 miles. We
made sleds and attempted the journey;
but, on reaching Cape Smith, we found
the bark Florence there. After CONSUL
tation it was decided that any effort to
proceed
OUL BE MADNESS,
and preparations were commenced for
wintering as bestwe could at Point Bar
row. Boats were prepared for whaling,
as that was the only esource for our
food, and work was commenced on a
house. On the night of September -
the ice began to break up before a
strong east wind. The next day the
"Florencen was able to get under way.
All hands and the baggage were put on
board, and we ran down the coast and
found the "Clara Bell" frozen fast in
the ice. Her Captain said he would
stay by her till the 18th, when, if there
was M prospect of getting out, he
would leave with boats for clear water.
The Florence was to wait for him. We
made Sea Horse Island that night, and
the next night made Wainwright's In
let. We waited there for the crew of
the Clara Bell and to get water. On
the afternoon of the 18th the Three
Brothers and the Rainbow, which had
ESCAPED FROM POINT BARROW,
joined the former, bringing the crew of
the Clara Bell, which remained fast.in
the ice, with no hopes of gett ng out.
Part of the people on the Florence were
then put on board the Three Brothers
and a rendezvous appointed at st. Law
renee Bay, where they would stop for
water. Both arrived there or the Esd,
and left the mex day for a Francisco
the s'Three Brothers" for Honolulu.
The following is a list eff the abandon
ed vessels: Banks Onward and Clara
Bell, San Francisco; ships St. George
and Marengo, and barks Cornelius Hol-
land, James Allen and Java, OF New
Bedford; ships Camilla and barkentine
Josephine. of Boston,; bark Acers
Barnes, New London, and Hawaiian
barks Desmond and Arctic. The YES
sells had on altogether 1000 barrels of
oil, besides a large amount of whale
bone and ivory. 1t is the undivided
opinion of every master that
NO HOPE
can be entertained of the rescue of the
ships or those who remained or board
of them. All are undoubtedly lost
carried away to the northeast IN the
immense ice-pack which closed them
in for miles around. (Signed)
w. II. Kelly, Master Marengo, B. F.
Homanof G. Rowland, f. S. Hickworth
of Acers Barnes, j. keenan, of JAS. Allen,
James II. Knowles of Saint George,
f. A. Ludlow of Camilla, I. w. Will
Jams of Clara Bell, Geo. Larry of 10
sephine, Ezra B. Lapham of Onward.