Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1876-11-15
The Arctic Calamity.

NJ 81 Aludus tufffttte NtdNt' W. III
interesting article out of the late disastrous
calamity which befel the New Bedford
whaling fleet in the Arctic Sea. 1t says that
this disaster goes TO prove that the haunts
Of the whale are more inaccessible than
they were years ago. "When the Biscayans
began the fishery in the twelfth century the
king Of the Arctic ranged from Spitsbergen
nearly TO the equator. When the Dutch
and English embarked in the business in the
thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, the
Bay of Biscay had ceased to be its habitant
and the monster had begun its retreat
through the chilly waters of the North Sea
and the North Atlantic, to the forbidding
localities beyond North Cape and Iceland
where the white bear makes its home in the
everlasting SHOWS, The whale so yindic.
lively pursued by the English, Dutch, Rus
SLAMS and Norwegans made, in time, flank
movement and appeared in vast numbers
along the Eastern shores OF North America.
It was about this time that the Nantucket.
ers observed whales spinning and sporting
in the sea, off shore, aud one of them said,
There is green pasture where your chill
dren's children will 60 for bread. And
this green field the hardy sons Of New Eng
land have titled diligently from that day
TO this. 1t is related that the first bowhead
whale in Behring Sea was captured in 1913.
In 1917 they were discovered in Okhtosh
Sea. The bowhead has retired from sea to
sea until he is now in his last ditch, at the
North Pole. lie appears dsinclined to stop
short of the latitude of unmclting ice and
snow. In connection with the recent disas-
| ter to the New Bedford fleet, it is little stu
gular that, just about year ago, whalemen
were on the lookout for repetition Of the
catastrophe Of 1871, when another fatal wind
should bear down with It's icy Gordon, and,
with its right wing resting on ley Cape,
sweep the whole hotilla high and dry on the
low beach that fringes the northern coast.
The disaster, however, and unfortunately,
has happened year later than was pre-
dicted, although in a somewhat different
form, but with terrible results. Whales
men, it is said, note a most remarkable
change in the seasons of the Arctic zone. A
few years ago they reached the whaling
grounds some time in August, only to be
obliged to leave them early in September
Gas was the case in the last disaster) Two
years ago they fingered into October, and
might have delayed longer so far as peril
from the ce-pack was concerned. They
went within eighty miles Of the mouth of
the Mckenzie River, where sailing vessels,
we believe, never have been before aud it
was thought at the time that a steam vessel
aided by the currents might have easily
gone through to BafIin's Bay. distance OF
less than thousand miles from the extreme
point attained thus solving the mystery OF
the northwest passage. Smiths Bay is only
forty-fve miles from where the crews Of the
recently abandoned ships were left and, as
there was an abundance Of provisions on
board Of the vessels, it is thought by expert
enced New Bedford shipmasters familiar
with the coast, that the men, having no fear
of starvation, wood and water being plenty
and the shores lined with driftwood, aud
the SEAL deer and sea fowl found in abun
dance, will worry through the ice to Smith.
Bay, where they may remain in safety until
delivered from their unfortunate condition
by some vessel sent there for the purpose
but it is possible that some Of the officers
among the brave men may bring their ships
to port In fact, there is no reason for
alarm at all for those men who stuck by
their ships with their valuable cargoes."